Relay Foods, a grocery store without a store, began service Monday in Durham. The store offers online ordering and either delivery or free pick-up.
The online store is organized by “aisle” with categories for produce, meat and fish, bakery, dairy, frozen foods and more.
You start by scheduling where you’ll get your groceries. Either choose home delivery (at a cost of $12) or pick-up at one of Relay’s designated places and times. As of Monday, there were three pick-up windows available in The Triangle this week – in Research Triangle Park, at Durham’s Grey Stone Church on Hillsborough Road and in the West Village Apartments. Based on the website, these appear to be weekly events.
The prices from Relay (even in the On Sale! section) skew high. The selection of items shows an emphasis on locally sourced and organic foods, which usually cost more.
According to the website, “While we may not beat big-box retailers on Cheerios or offer bargain-basement sales, we do provide great values where it counts for our customers. We work with our local vendors to offer competitive prices.”
Relay started in the greater Washington, D.C., area and is expected to expand to Raleigh and Chapel Hill in the near future.
