The number of delivery options in the Twin Cities expanded again this week when Hy-Vee announced it was rolling out grocery delivery services throughout all of its stores.
 
The West Des Moines, Iowa-based grocer’s Hy-Vee Aisles Online allows customers to shop and pay for groceries online and either pick them up at the store or have them delivered. Fees are $2.95 for pick-up or $4.95 for delivery, but orders over $100 are exempt.
 
The service launched in April in the Des Moines metropolitan area and has been slowly rolled out since. That puts it in direct competition with the likes of Instacart, (a delivery service being used by Cub, Target, Costco, Whole Foods and the Wedge Community Co-op) and others like Gopher Grocery and several store-specific services.
 
It’s not just delivery services crowding the market. Consumers have more choices than ever of grocery chains to visit with Hy-Vee as the latest entry in September. Traditional grocers like Cub have been forced to compete with discount chains like Aldi, high-end or specialty places like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and food co-ops and big-box retailers Target and Walmart.