JackBe Grocery seeks to change OKC shopping with opening of first store, second to follow
A homegrown grocery start-up seeking to reinvent shopping is set to open its first store Tuesday in northwest Oklahoma City with construction underway on a second store in Edmond.
Jennifer Neef and business partner Alex Ruhter launched JackBe last year hoping to capture a part of the grocery market in the rapidly growing neighborhoods along NW 178 and May Avenue. They are entering a market that has seen some new names in recent years, including Aldi, Winco, Whole Foods and Kroger.
Aldi, along with Crest and Homeland, have the option of doing paid delivery or pickup through services like Instacart. Walmart offers free pickup, but it must be scheduled and requires a minimum order of $35. Whole Foods also requires scheduled orders and a $35 minimum purchase for free pickup. Kroger charges $6.95 for deliveries and pickup times can not be changed once the orders are completed.
The JackBe business model, like its competitors, relies on customers using an app to order groceries. But instead of waiting for a pickup time, customers can stop at the store at their convenience. The service is free and does not require a minimum purchase.
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“From what we can tell, there is a lot of excitement in the neighborhoods surrounding our first location,” Ruhter said. “We're planning to market to those areas with flyers, marketing and communications. We're really hoping JackBe becomes the neighborhood grocery store for those in the area.”
A second location is under construction at 2121 W Danforth in Edmond where a closed Gold’s Gym is being converted into a second store, corporate offices and warehouse space.
Ruhter said the concept of using an app to order groceries and then drive up for pickup became feasible before the pandemic but admits the ensuing changes in shopping habits accelerated the demand for such service.
“Our tech is working, we’re testing in the facility, and we’re doing training with our employees to make sure our operation's as efficient as possible,” Ruhter said. “The main difference we have is that we provide on demand groceries. We offer the ability to order anytime, anywhere (during store hours).”
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JackBe, which is named after the children’s nursery rhyme “Jack be nimble (Jack be quick),” is set to open 8 a.m. Tuesday with daily operations from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
To shop at JackBe, customers will need to download the grocery store’s app or visit www. Jackbenimble.com. Once they arrive, they are instructed to check in on the app and use a QR code to notify that they have driven into one of the store’s 13 drive-thru lanes.
Ruhter said three of the lanes are designed for over-sized vehicles, including RVs and pickup trucks with trailers.
Neef said the drive-thru lanes are designed to also ensure one customer picking up a few items won’t be waiting for completion of another customer’s much larger order. She said they also are training employees to prevent giving customers spoiled items — a frequent complaint with other free grocery pickups.
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“We’re not going to put anything in our customers’ bags that we wouldn’t put in our own,” Neef said.
Neef said she believes that by starting from scratch JackBe can better serve customers’ needs.
“We have had a high amount of intentionality in everything we’ve done,” Neef said. “We’ve focused on what needs to be done for families. Our heart is in making grocery shopping so simple that people can get back to the people they love.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: JackBe Grocery store opens Tuesday, giving OKC shoppers another option
