ROCKINGHAM — Don’t want to go into the store for groceries? Now you don’t have to.
Members of the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce and other local dignitaries snipped the ribbon Monday morning with employees of the Food Lion on Fayetteville Road in recognition of inception of the Food Lion To-Go service offered at select stores.
That particular location began taking online pick-up orders on Monday through the Food Lion website and mobile app.
“Expanding this convenient service to additional Food Lion stores is more important than ever,” said Brandon Horne, Food Lion store manager. “We want to give Rockingham neighbors the option to shop through the channel they prefer, in-store or online, while still ensuring they have access to the freshest groceries at affordable prices.”
Chamber Chairwoman Caroline Goodwin said she looks forward to utilizing the service.
Customer Service Manager Susan Freeman said she took advantage of the service during last week’s soft opening Wednesday-Friday.
“We picked up an order last week on my day off,” she said. “We let them know we were here and within two minutes, they were out the door and smiling and happy and it was the best experience ever.
“So if you’re claustrophobic, don’t want to be around a million people, this is the way to go.”
Freeman said customers can order and pay for their groceries online, reserve a time slot for pickup, adding that one customer placed an order on Friday for pickup on Saturday.
The store also has several parking spaces reserved for Food Lion To-Go customers.
“All you’ve got to do is call when you get here and we’ll bring them out to you,” Freeman said.
According to a press release, the first 10 customers to use the service received a free reusable Food Lion bag.
Freeman said several other stores in the region started Food Lion To-Go on Monday.
While this is the first Food Lion Store to offer a pick-up service, it’s not the only retailer to do so. Walmart has a similar service, according to Chamber President Emily Tucker.
“We’re fortunate to have two local grocery stores who offer that,” Tucker said. “It’s convenient for the times we’re living in.”
Tucker said that convenience extends to those who don’t want to deal with the crowds because of the COVID-19 pandemic — or any other reason.
She added that several other retailers in the county also have curbside service, especially restaurants, offering an alternative to the traditional ways of shopping and eating.
