Post office wants to deliver groceries

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Postal Service wants to deliver groceries to your doorstep early in the morning.

A proposal before the Postal Regulatory Commission would have the agency partnering with retailers.

The agency has been testing the idea, according to the proposal:

“In the current process, the retailer brings groceries already packed into retailer-branded totes, some of which are chilled or include freezer packs, directly into Postal Service destination delivery units (DDUs) between 1:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. The totes are all the same size and color, and have a QR code on the outside.”

USPS has worked with Amazon the San Francisco area, delivering to 38 ZIP codes.

It now wants to expand and get into the grocery-delivery business for the next two years, with the possibility of extending the service after that.

Under the plan, postal carriers would deliver groceries and leave them at your home between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m.

The groceries would be dropped off at a location you designate, but the carrier would not knock on your door.

The postal service wants to begin grocery delivery on Oct. 24.

USPS has not said how much the service would cost.

Follow @WTOP and @WTOPliving on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up