Amazon more than doubled its same-day grocery cities since August

When Amazon announced its free same-day Prime delivery of perishable groceries in 1,000 US cities in August, investors and analysts rejoiced while shares of the tech giant’s grocery competitors — including Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, and Instacart — fell.

Today, the e-commerce giant announced that the program has reached its goal of expanding to 2,300 locations in 2025 and forecasts “continued expansion to even more areas coming in 2026” — growth that will likely have a similar effect on the competition. In that time, Amazon’s perishable selection has also grown 30% and available locations have spread from usual suspects like Los Angeles, Dallas, and Chicago to smaller locales like Fort Collins, Colorado, Sugar Land, Texas, and Kennesaw, Georgia. The company also said its perishable grocery sales have grown 30x since January, though it didn’t provide a baseline.

But perhaps more interesting is what Amazon consumers have been buying in the meantime. Amazon said in areas where the service is available, nine of the top 10 bestselling items are now perishables — all fruit. No. 10 is a 12-pack of toilet paper.

If one were to look back before the same-day delivery announcement this summer, stuff like batteries and beauty products were more likely to top the list.

"We’re seeing customers combine their fresh grocery orders with their regular Amazon purchases, like electronics, gifts, clothes, and household essentials, in ways that make their lives easier and save them valuable time,” Doug Herrington, CEO of Worldwide Amazon Stores, said in the press release.

Regional preferences are also emerging. Here are some particularly popular perishables in different parts of the US, according to Amazon:

• Northeast: Chocolate chip muffins, broccoli florets, raw shrimp.

• South: Atlantic salmon, lemonade, chicken pot pies.

• West: Cold brew coffee, chicken thighs, probiotic drinks.

• Midwest: Wheat bread, bacon, pepperoni pizza.