Background
As a frequent HEB shopper, I have noticed the increased footprint of grocery delivery services within the store. At my local store, Instacart has a set of shelves, refrigerators, and freezers at the front, and Instacart shoppers gathering goods. HEB also has its own delivery service, though I haven’t noticed their folks specifically.
Problem
A point of friction that I’ve observed is that grocery stores (and most retail) are designed to encourage additional purchases. The produce section includes central islands to draw the eyes and clog traffic; if you’re waiting to go forward, maybe you’ll snag a bunch of bananas. Additionally, advertising and samples exist to pull in shoppers to new products. All of these tactics are much less useful for professional shoppers.
Solution
So to reduce this friction for professional shoppers, HEB should create a no-frills store in a low-cost area for each major market. Because there are not any regular shoppers, the costs of maintaining the store would be lower, while increasing the throughput of shoppers for delivery services. The store should also have a driving lane for ease of loading.
