Fresh Direct, Peapod: online and virtual grocery retailers thriving in Philly

The online grocers are doing well for themselves over here.

Fresh off a successful pilot phase in Philadelphia, Peapod has launched more than 100 virtual grocery stores at commuter rail stations in cities like Philly, Boston and Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, after ten years of existence in New York City, online grocer Fresh Direct expanded to Philly last month. In less than a month, the service celebrated its 1,000th customer by donating $1,000 to Philabundance.

Try Fresh Direct here. AND Try Peapod here.

While both retailers champion the convenience of their service, it’d be interesting to see if they could also impact communities where it’s not as easy to get fresh food.

Right now, Fresh Direct only delivers groceries to eight zip codes near Center City but has plans to expand in 2013, according to the release. Peapod’s virtual grocery stores are in train stations that range from wealthier suburbs like Bryn Mawr and Radnor to other towns like Media, Jenkintown and Ambler.