Trolley filled with groceries allows you to shop in front of your home; HarvesTrolley opens warehouse in Mayfair

by BRIAN NADIG

A “grocery store on wheels” company in which customers can shop on a trolley parked outside their home recently opened a warehouse at 4949 N. Elston Ave., serving an approximate five-to-seven mile radius of its Mayfair facility.

HarvesTrolley Chicago is affiliated with the Texas-based Harvest Market grocery chain, and the Mayfair location is its first venture in Chicago. It also operates in New Jersey.

The trolleys, which are the size of a 20-seat bus, have shelving, coolers and freezers, and customers are allowed to walk inside and pick out their groceries, said operations manager Jimmy Rubino. Customers also can pre-order their groceries for delivery, skipping the need to shop directly on the trolley, he said.

“This is new to Chicago, the first of its kind in the city,” Rubino said of the shop-in-front-of-your home concept, referred to as a “mobile market delivery” service on its logo. He added that the trolleys carry the “essentials” which shoppers typically get at a store.

Currently the company has three trolleys which are available 9 a.m.to 5 p.m. seven days a week, but an expansion is being looked at, Rubino said.

There is no minimum purchase when shopping on the trolley, but there is a $2.99 delivery charge added to the bill for the trolley coming out to a residence.

The company’s warehouse on Elston offers a small retail area for customers.

For more information, visits www.harvestrolley.com or call 708-667-0050.