Hannaford Supermarkets has launched a new service in partnership with personal shopping company Instacart that advertises short-notice deliveries, like an online convenience store.

The offering, called Hannaford Now, launched across most of the supermarket chain’s stores on Tuesday.

Customers can select from 40,000 items, primarily those in the freezer aisle, household essentials such as soap or toilet paper, snacks, drinks and produce.

The service advertises delivery times as fast as 30 minutes, and the two companies say it will be available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, or during operating hours for individual stores. A minimum purchase of $10 is required, and all customers will be charged a $2.99 delivery fee.

“Whether it’s a late-night pint of ice cream, forgotten baking ingredients or a tube of toothpaste, we know customers sometimes need essential items at the last minute,” said Instacart spokesman David Healy in a statement. Walgreens, CVS and 7-Eleven provide their own online convenience services in Maine through Instacart.

Instacart said the new service will be available across markets where Hannaford currently operates. The supermarket chain is the largest in Maine with more than 60 locations and has 184 stores in all Northeast states combined.

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Hannaford started same-day grocery delivery with Instacart last year, which allows customers to choose from a fuller range of products, but can take a few hours or more for delivery. At the time, it said the Instacart program would complement its existing Hannaford To Go service, in which customers can order items online, have shoppers select and bag them, and then pick up the groceries curbside.

A search on the Hannaford Now service’s website Tuesday showed it is available in some areas, such as Portland, Biddeford and Buxton, but unavailable in other places that have or are near a Hannaford location, including Skowhegan, Norway and Ellsworth. The majority of Hannaford supermarkets are now offering Hannaford Now convenience delivery, according to Instacart.

Instacart said more than 1,200 people in Maine work as shoppers for its service. The company has been criticized for its labor practices, and has been the subject of multiple class-action lawsuits in recent years.

Gig Workers Collective, a labor organizing group, last week called for Instacart workers to walk off the job Oct. 16 and for customers to boycott the company unless it meets the group’s demands. Those include reinstating a per-item commission for workers and reforming its ratings system.


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