Rite Aid delivers alcohol with Uber Eats in select markets
Rite Aid Corp. is expanding its longtime delivery partnership with the on-demand delivery subsidiary of Uber to include a new product.
The drugstore retailer is including alcohol in the assortment of items available for delivery to eligible customers from nearly 1,000 select Rite Aid stores across California, Idaho, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia and Washington. Rite Aid began offering delivery of healthcare and grocery items directly to customer homes via a nationwide partnership with Uber Eats that launched in September 2021.
Adults of legal drinking age in the select Rite Aid markets can visit ubereats.com or download the Uber Eats app to shop a range of alcohol brands from Rite Aid where available. Customers must verify their age with an I.D. when alcohol is delivered.
Rite Aid has been gradually building its same-day delivery capability via third-party partnerships since May 2020, when it began collaborating with Instacart to enable on-demand delivery of essential healthcare and grocery items during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. This followed an in-house home delivery upon request service Rite Aid launched in March 2020 in response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In May 2021, the retailer added DoorDash as an on-demand delivery partner for non-prescription health, convenience, and wellness essentials; while August 2021 saw Rite Aid partner with Shipt for same-day delivery across its retail footprint.
More recently, in March 2023 Amazon introduced a new delivery service offering Prime members in the greater Newark, N.J. and Burbank, Calif. markets a product assortment from Rite Aid including health and personal care, cosmetics and grocery essentials.
"Our collaboration and trusted partnership with Uber Eats underscores our commitment to meeting the evolving needs of our customers and providing a seamless digital shopping experience that complements their busy lives,” said Jeanniey Walden, senior VP and chief marketing officer at Rite Aid. “Rite Aid’s selection of alcohol brands combined with convenient delivery ensures customers have what they need when they need it — be it for a special occasion or casual night at home."
"Whether buying a last-minute gift or grabbing a bottle of wine for dinner, we know that consumers want to be able to easily access a wide selection of their favorite alcohol brands,” said Beryl Sanders, director of U.S. grocery & retail partnerships at Uber. “Through our expanded partnership with Rite Aid, we’re excited to continue to help consumers get more of what they want - all at the touch of a button."
As of Feb. 29, Rite Aid operated 1,704 stores across the United States, according to its website. Rite Aid also operates its wholly owned subsidiaries Health Dialog, which provides healthcare coaching and disease management services via live online and phone health services, and Bartell Drugs, which operates stores in the Seattle area.
Uber Eats partners with more than 1 million restaurants and retailers in more than 11,000 cities across six continents.