Another retailer joins in-store pickup club

BJ’s Wholesale Club is the latest in a long line of retailers to offer some form of picking up and paying for online purchases at a local store. The news comes on the heels of CVS Health’s announcement that it planned to roll out curbside pickup for online orders.



Members of the discount warehouse retailer now have the option to order products online and then pick them up and pay for them at any of BJ’s 213 stores.



“We are offering our members total freedom of choice regarding how they shop at BJ’s Wholesale Club,” said Bari Harlam, executive VP of marketing and membership for BJ’s. ”Our new pick up & pay option is another benefit of a BJ’s membership. This new service combines the at-home convenience of online shopping, including guaranteed product availability and our affordable pricing, without the wait for shipping and delivery.”



After a customer reserves items online, a store associate hand-picks the goods and places them in a cart ready to be picked up and paid for at the member services desk. Customers will receive a confirmation email when the order is ready, with orders placed before 1 p.m. available for same-day pickup.



Shoppers pay for the items when they come to the store to get them. They also have the option to shop for more items not part of their order once they arrive at the store.



Along with CVS, retailers including Walmart, Sears and Ace Hardware, and even pure-play digital retailers like Amazon and Newegg, have recently launched or upgraded some type of physical pickup service for online purchases.



BJ’s decision to join the in-store pickup club is one more sign that the division between brick-and-mortar channels is blurring for retailers, and non-existent to customers.