Instacart Launches Alcohol Delivery in Texas

Partners With Spec's Wine, Spirits and Finer Foods in Austin and Houston


SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - November 24, 2015) - Instacart (www.Instacart.com), the fast-growing retail delivery service whose personal shoppers hand pick and deliver items from trusted local stores, today announced a partnership with Spec's Wine, Spirits, and Finer Foods to offer Texas customers same-day delivery of the widest assortment of fine foods, wine, liquor and beer. Beginning today, residents of Austin and Houston can now get alcohol delivered to their doorsteps in as little as one hour.

"Historically, Spec's has been a destination shopping experience," said John Rydman, President at Spec's Wine, Spirits and Finer Foods. "But in today's on-demand world, we need to offer same-day delivery so that our customers can enjoy the breadth of our alcohol and food selection whenever they want it."

Owned and operated by the same Houston family since 1962, Spec's offers a huge selection of wines, spirits and beers, in addition to specialty meats, artisanal cheeses, gourmet goods and made-to-order sandwiches.

"Beer, wine, and liquor are all natural extensions of the grocery shopping experience, so we're very excited to welcome Spec's into the Instacart marketplace," said Vishwa Chandra, VP of Retail Accounts at Instacart. "We've received a lot of interest from our customers in Texas, so we're thrilled to have Spec's on board to give our customers fast and easy access to goods they want."

Customers ordering alcohol on Instacart will be required to provide their date of birth at checkout to confirm they are 21 or older. In order for alcohol to be delivered, a recipient 21 or older must also be present to sign for the delivery and show proof of legal age with a valid photo ID.

Spec's initial delivery includes select zip codes of downtown Houston and South Austin with expansion in both cities coming in the following weeks.

Originally launched in San Francisco, and since expanded into many other cities, Instacart has fundamentally changed the traditional grocery delivery space by connecting customers with personal shoppers who shop for and deliver grocery orders in as little as one hour. This eliminates the need for costly infrastructure such as inventory, warehouses and trucks. In January 2015, Forbes named Instacart "America's Most Promising Company."

How Instacart works: Customers go online to www.Instacart.com or open the Instacart mobile app on their iPhone or Android device, select their city/store, add items to a virtual cart, and then choose a delivery window (within one hour, within two hours, or some scheduled time in the future) and check out. An Instacart Personal Shopper accepts the order on his/her smartphone, uses the Instacart Shopper app to guide them through shopping, and then delivers the order to the customer in the designated delivery timeframe.

New customers can open an account at www.Instacart.com. The first delivery is free and future orders cost just $3.99 for two-hour delivery or $5.99 for one-hour delivery for orders over $35. The minimum order size is just $10. Instacart also offers Instacart Express -- an annual membership that provides free 2 hour and scheduled deliveries for all orders of $35 or more.

The cost is just $99 per year. For other FAQs, visit https://www.instacart.com/faq.

About Spec's Wine, Spirits & Finer Foods

Owned and operated by the same Houston family since 1962, Spec's is a true destination shopping experience. Today, Spec's has over 150 locations all over the great state of Texas, proudly serving the communities of Houston, Beaumont, Austin, Galveston, Victoria, Killeen, Temple, San Antonio, San Marcos, Corpus Christi, Bryan-College Station, Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, El Paso, McAllen, Laredo, Lubbock, Waco, Kerrville, and Padre Island. Spec's offers a huge selection of wines, spirits, beers, liqueurs, cigars, and in larger stores, fine gourmet foods. Spec's offers Texas-friendly customer service with knowledgeable staff in each department. For more information, visit www.specsonline.com.

About Instacart

Instacart allows people to order groceries online by connecting them with personal shoppers who hand pick items at customers' local, favorite stores and deliver straight to their doors. Founded in San Francisco in 2012, Instacart has quickly scaled to 18 metropolitan areas across the U.S. and partnered with dozens of grocery retailers, including popular national chains (Whole Foods Market, Costco, Petco) as well as local, regional grocers (Marsh Supermarkets, Bi-Rite, Plum Market). By combining a personal touch with cutting-edge technology, Instacart offers customers a simple solution to save time and eat fresh food from the grocery brands they trust. Instacart is the only grocery delivery service that can meet today's on-demand lifestyle by delivering in as little as one hour. First delivery is free at www.Instacart.com.

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