Step back, Walmart and Amazon — Kroger is jumping into the membership game. The biggest supermarket chain in America is rolling out a paid membership program, Boost, that's reminiscent of Walmart+ and Amazon Prime.
The main benefit of Boost: Free grocery delivery on orders of $35 or more. Along with unspecified introductory savings on Kroger brand products, members will get double fuel points on all their purchases — a compelling perk as gas prices soar across the country.
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Boost won't be available quite yet in most places. Kroger is testing the program in four major markets: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Indianapolis. It's aiming to expand elsewhere in 2022.
There are two tiers of Boost membership: For $59 a year, members get double fuel points and free next-day grocery delivery. For $99, members also get double fuel points, but can get their groceries within two hours.
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Boost is just one step Kroger is taking to stay competitive in an increasingly crowded industry. Kroger also just announced that it will be launching an in-store and online assortment of Bed, Bath & Beyond products as part of an omnichannel collaboration. Kroger is also opening a huge fully automated warehouse in Florida to fulfill grocery orders in the area without a traditional store, a move that could help it eat into profits at the region's dominant grocer, Publix.
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