Aldi opening new stores and expanding curbside pickup with Instacart to 500 more locations in 2021

Kelly Tyko

| USA TODAY
Supermarket chain Aldi is doubling down on curbside pickup.The discount grocer is expanding its curbside pickup to approximately 500 more stores by the end of 2021 after adding the service to about 600 stores in 35 states last summer, Aldi shared exclusively with USA TODAY Wednesday.Curbside pickup has grown dramatically in popularity and availability during the coronavirus pandemic. Retailers including Sam’s Club, Best Buy, Macy’s, Kohl’s and Old Navy have added it as shoppers try to make fewer trips to stores.Aldi also is opening about 100 new stores this year at a time when other retailers such as Macy’s, Sears and Godiva are closing locations.Aunt Jemima rebrand: Aunt Jemima to be renamed Pearl Milling Company with new syrup, pancake boxes coming in JuneZoom filters gone wrong: Lawyer tells judge ‘I’m not a cat’ during kitten filter mishap“We’re growing because our customers love our amazing quality products at unbeatable prices,” Aldi U.S. CEO Jason Hart told USA TODAY in a statement. “As we continue to grow, we remain focused on always offering the lowest possible prices to as many people as possible, no matter how they choose to shop.”Aldi has more than 2,000 stores across 37 states and says it is on track to become the third-largest grocery retailer by store count by the end of 2022. The new locations are planned with a focus on Arizona, California, Florida and the northeast.The company said it is breaking ground on a new regional headquarters and distribution center in Loxley, Alabama, that officials say will support the company’s expansion throughout the Gulf Coast region.Curbside pickup with InstacartThe added convenience of curbside pickup often comes at a price. Aldi uses Instacart for both curbside orders and deliveries. Prices through the on-demand grocery shopping service can be higher than in-store prices and a small pickup fee is applied to orders to offset costs of the personal shoppers, Aldi says on its website. Instacart works with more than 60 grocery retailers, including Albertsons, Food Lion, Publix, Sprouts, The Fresh Market and Wegmans, and offers pickup at more than 3,300 stores across 30 plus states.Costco recently started testing curbside pickup with Instacart at three New Mexico clubs.Aldi’s curbside pickup works like Walmart and other grocery retailers where you select an available pickup time and location before checking out. Stores also have designated parking spots for curbside pickup.Find stores offering curbside pickup online, or on the Aldi or Instacart apps to search by ZIP codes. Chris Rogers, Instacart vice president of retail, told USA TODAY that it offers same-day delivery from more than 2,000 Aldi stores and has pickup available at more than 700 stores. It has also expanded its EBT SNAP partnership to nearly 90% of Aldi stores, Rogers said in a statement, “so more customers can safely and reliably get the groceries they need.”Amid the pandemic using Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, commonly referred to as food stamps, to pay for online grocery trips has been surging.Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko

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