Amazon Prime benefits will soon arrive within Whole Foods stores

By Brittany Roston/Aug. 24, 2017 1:43 pm EST

Following the FTC's approval of the deal, Amazon has announced the upcoming closure of its Whole Foods Market acquisition, which will take place this upcoming Monday. Once the closure happens, Amazon will kick off a round of changes that will blend the two worlds — that is, Amazon and Whole Foods — into a more unified product. Namely, Whole Foods Market will soon have Amazon Prime integrated in their point-of-sale systems, enabling Prime customers to get in-store benefits and discounts.

Whole Foods is known for having high prices, but Amazon plans to change that. Starting Monday when the acquisition is closed, Amazon will begin lowering prices for a variety of goods found within the store. However, the company promises that the quality of goods sold at Whole Foods will not decrease. "We're determined to make healthy and organic food affordable for everyone," said Amazon's Jeff Wilke.

Prices will be lowered on items that include eggs, beef, bananas, and other 'grocery staples.' As well, Amazon's tech teams will start working on Prime integration in Whole Foods' point-of-sale system, enabling Prime subscribers to get discounts and other benefits when buying goods within the grocery stores. Amazon refers to Prime as being Whole Foods' new 'customer rewards program.'

In addition, and also starting this upcoming Monday, Amazon shoppers will be able to order Whole Foods brands on the Amazon.com website and through the service's mobile apps; this includes brands like Whole Paws and 365 Everyday Value. As well, some Whole Foods stores will have Amazon Lockers installed, expanding the number of pick-up destinations where Amazon shoppers can retrieve their packages.

Amazon teases that some other changes will be arriving thanks to this business acquisition, but it hasn't laid out all of the details yet. Some changes, such as the point-of-sale Prime integration, will take some time to complete. Others, like the lower prices, will kick off on Monday.

SOURCE: Amazon