Pittsburghers were amazed when they could finally buy beer at Giant Eagle. Now, you don’t even have to drive there: Giant Eagle will bring the beer to you.
The grocery chain today launched BeerVan.com, a service delivering more than 150 domestic, craft and imported brews and ciders to six ZIP codes in the Pittsburgh area: 15201, 15224, 15232, 15213, 15260 and 15206. That includes Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Garfield, Friendship, Shadyside, Oakland, East Liberty and Highland Park.
The repurposed catering van will roll Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Giant Eagle management will assess the popularity of the service in the coming weeks and decide if it will expand the coverage area.
“We’ve created BeerVan as a complement to the variety of convenience solutions we already have in place for our time-starved customers,” says Jannah Jablonowski, a Giant Eagle spokesperson. “We’re excited to give our customers the ability to check one more thing off their to-do list, without ever having to leave home.”
Using Paypal, customers can order up to 192 ounces of beer in a single transaction. Prices are the same as they are inside Giant Eagle stores and there is a $4.99 delivery fee. Based out of the Shadyside Market District, the van will make the delivery within two hours of the transaction. People can also order a few days in advance of their party.
And of course, those placing and accepting the beer order must be 21 or older with valid ID present at the time of delivery.
Seasonal and local beers will be updated on a monthly basis. Wine and other grocery items are not part of the delivery service.
Giant Eagle was the first grocery store in Pennsylvania to sell beer beginning in November 2009. The company has 460 retail locations throughout Western Pennsylvania, north central Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana.
“Since we launched beer in supermarkets we’ve seen people respond so strongly to the offering,” Jablonowski says. “Even out of the Shadyside Market we saw tens of thousands of units. With so many options available now, we thought it would be a really good time to make it a reality.”