By Heidi Sutton
The day has finally arrived. After remaining vacant for nearly two years, Amazon Fresh officially opened in East Setauket in the former Waldbaum’s location on Thursday, Oct. 24. The 42,900-square-foot store in Suffolk Plaza at 4054 Nesconset Highway is the first of its kind in Suffolk County.
The community was invited to celebrate the momentous occasion at a ribbon cutting ceremony at 8 a.m. featuring music, samples, games, the chance to win $500 toward groceries, and a $5 off $25 coupon. The first 100 customers in line received an Amazon.com gift card and all customers received a free tote while supplies lasted.
The East Setauket store is one of a handful of new Fresh locations that Amazon has launched in recent months after making some improvements to its business format. The biggest change was the discontinuation of the much touted Just Walk Out cashier-less checkout technology which has been replaced with computerized Dash Carts — smart shopping carts equipped with scanners that track items as customers place them inside — along with Amazon One, a palm-based payment device, for a more seamless checkout experience.
Shoppers will find a wide selection of popular national and local brands along with Amazon’s private-label products, such as Aplenty, Fresh Brand and 365 by Whole Foods Market, which was acquired by Amazon in 2017. The store also offers prepared foods made fresh daily, as well as produce, meat, and seafood.
Amazon Prime members can save up to 50 percent off on eight to 15 grocery items that rotate each week, according to a company statement and can earn 5% back when they use their Prime Visa card.
The store also offers same day grocery delivery or free grocery pickup and serves as a drop-off location for Amazon return packages. All surplus food will be donated to Long Island Cares.
“We offer great prices on quality items every day at Amazon Fresh, ensuring grocery shopping is convenient and affordable for all our customers,” said Claire Peters, worldwide VP, Amazon Fresh in a statement. “Increasing our weekly deals across thousands of items and expanding the reach of Prime savings at Amazon Fresh is just one way that we’re continuing to invest in competitive pricing and savings for all of our customers — both in-store and online.”
Store hours will be from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
The success of the East Setauket store will be watched closely as the company continues to expand in Suffolk County.
Another Amazon Fresh at 3017 North Ocean Ave. in Farmingville was completed last year but remains empty.
“We remain committed to grocery, and will selectively open new Amazon Fresh stores as we see positive customer feedback on the new format,” read a statement from the Seattle-based company. For more information, call 1-800-250-0668.
