Feb 27, 2017 By Harry Funk 2 min read

The cupboards are bare, and the fridge isn’t much better. Mom’s at work, and Dad is less than enthusiastic about the prospect of hauling the youngsters to the store.

“Think of the benefit of never having to leave your house, never having to load the kids into the car, let alone shop with them,” Giant Eagle spokesman Dan Donovan said.

The O’Hara Township-based food retailer is addressing such thoughts by launching Curbside Express Home Delivery starting March 1 from its Market District location in Bethel Park. South Hills residents who live in areas served by five ZIP codes – 15102, 15228, 15234, 15241 and 15243 – will be able to go online, place an order and have it show up as soon as the next day.

The company is expanding the delivery service after a limited offering starting in mid-February.

“The pilot was targeted to a few hundred Curbside Express South Hills customers, and they were actually only able to access via an email they received,” Donovan explained.

Starting at the Robinson Township Market District in 2012, the curbside service allows customers to place orders and pick up the goods and now is available at 27 stores.

“The South Hills Market District is our No. 1 Curbside Express pickup store, which is why it made sense to test a pilot delivery there,” Donovan said. “Curbside Express became something that really hit a chord with customers, and this is just the next natural evolution.”

Customers can visit curbsideexpress.com and browse among some 45,000 available items.

Similar to the grocery pickup service, there is no minimum purchase requirement for Curbside Express Home Delivery. Orders must be placed by 11:59 p.m. for next-day delivery, and an order can be placed up to seven days in advance. There will be a flat $12.95 delivery charge, and the first order is free.

“We take a lot of time to have our Curbside Express team members trained to be mindful of our customers’ interests. So when you use the Curbside Express site, whether for pickup or for delivery, you can make notes,” Donovan said, giving the example of preferences for certain types of produce. “I think it’s been a pleasant surprise for our customers, to see that our team members really do deliver on that.”