Amazon Fresh opens Dec. 12

Amazon Fresh is opening Dec. 12 at 8 a.m. at the Crossroads Center in Bailey’s Crossroads. The grocery store will offer special deals, free samples, and giveaways all day.

The first person in line will receive a $100 Amazon.com gift card. The next 99 people in line will receive a random gift card worth $5, $10, or $15.

Shoppers can win $500 for correctly guessing the value of the groceries in a shopping cart. In addition, coupons will be distributed for $5 off on a $25+ purchase.

Surplus food from the Bailey’s Crossroads store will be donated to the Capital Area Food Bank, says Amazon spokesperson Griffin Buch.

This store – located in a former Safeway at 5811 Crossroads Center Way – is the 10th Amazon Fresh store in the D.C. metro region.

“What sets Amazon Fresh apart is its ability to merge the convenience of online grocery shopping with an elevated in-store experience,” Buch says.

That includes Dash Cart. Special grocery cards are equipped with a screen allowing customers to scan items with bar codes, weigh produce in the cart, find items, track spending, and check out quickly in the Dash Cart lane.

The store also has Amazon One, an identity system linked to an Amazon account that allows customers to pay using only the palm of their hand.

“The new Amazon Fresh store will feature the company’s latest brick-and-mortar design unveiled last year in select Chicago and Southern California stores,” Buch says.

“Customers can expect to find a wide selection of national brands, high-quality produce, and protein, as well as Amazon’s private-label brands like Aplenty, Amazon Fresh, Amazon Saver, and 365 by Whole Foods Market – all at great low prices,” he says.

The Bailey’s Crossroads store will offer more than 35 regional brands, such as Tessemae’s condiments, Smithfield, and True Made Foods.

Prepared grab-and-go items include sandwiches, salads, snack boxes, take-and-bake pizzas, ready-to-heat burritos, and ready-made meals.

Prime members can get unlimited grocery deliveries for $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.

Amazon Fresh recently expanded its Prime savings program by offering up to 50 percent off on eight to 15 grocery items that rotate each week.

The Bailey’s Crossroads store is open 8 a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week.