Amazon Considers Net Grocery Service

Amazon disclosed Thursday that it has begun testing an online grocery service to residents of a Seattle suburb. The effort mirrors similar but unsuccessful startups that appeared during the dot-com boom.

Those names -- WebVan and HomeGrocer.com -- read like a who's who of the dot com bust. Sales never managed to match the huge amount of capital investment the companies had to make in order to launch the services.

Amazon Fresh essentially duplicates those services, as the company has its own local warehouse and trucks to deliver the food. The resource is available in Mercer Island, Wash., and the company said it may expand when it feels it's ready to.

Groceries are ordered through a special site, and are delivered the next day. Perishable goods such as fruits and vegetables along with dairy products are available for purchase, according to a Wall Street Journal story.

The online retailer had experimented last year with selling non-perishable foods from its website but was not involved in its delivery directly. Those wishing to learn more about the service can visit the site at fresh.amazon.com.