Local Supermarket Expands Business to Online Shopping

To wrap-up 2011, introduced online shopping to sell gift baskets and gift cards, and the supermarket looks to expand its online shopping menu this year.

The online store opened Dec. 5 and was limited to gift baskets and gift cards, but with a new year here the supermarket is looking to expand the menu to include perishable goods. 

"I get questions all the time from customers that want to ship food throughout the country ... [this] was kind of to accommodate those customers needs," said Arielle Brechisci, manager of corporate communications for Uncle Giuseppe’s.

Brechisci said most customers who made online purchases were having them shipped to relatives who moved off of Long Island but wanted the food they ate while living here. 

When online shopping was introduced, Brechisci said the most popular item sold were the baskets, specifically the large Italian basket. Brechisci referred to the basket as "a little sample of everything Italian," and it featured items including Pellegrino sparkling water, panettone, sausages and artichokes.

The online store is set up mostly for ordering items as gifts, not to purchase groceries.

Currently the  location currently handles the packaging and shipping for all online orders, but Brechisci said the  location would be more involved in the process as the online menu grows.