Amazon Treasure Truck, the retailer’s deals-on-wheels program that is literally a truck driving around with discounted products you can buy online and pickup in person, will now be popping up at Whole Foods. The companies announced today that Treasure Truck will start coming to Whole Foods stores with new offers, starting with today’s deal on the popular kitchen item, Instant Pot.
The Treasure Truck program has always been one of Amazon’s odder initiatives. Seemingly a stopgap solution to address the issue of Amazon not yet having an expansive brick-and-mortar footprint, the program began testing back in 2015 in Seattle. Last summer, it expanded across the U.S., and in December, it hit the U.K.
The idea is that customers can shop Treasure Truck deals in the Amazon app, pay online, then show up in person to pick up their purchases. In the past, the truck has carried things like discounted GoPro cameras, the new “Harry Potter” book, special editions of the Echo, or even seasonally relevant items, like Thanksgiving turkeys. It’s like a real-life Woot! (the deals site acquired by Amazon in 2010.)
Now that Amazon owns Whole Foods, thanks to last year’s $13.7 billion acquisition, it makes sense that it would use the grocer’s parking lots as a place to park the truck for the day, while wooing shoppers with food-related product deals.
Starting today, the Treasure Truck will show up at select Whole Foods stores with an Instant Pot (the 3 Qt. 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker). The company didn’t say how much the Instant Pot would be discounted, however, nor did it say what it’s selling for. (In our market, it’s 30% off, but we’re asking Amazon if that discount is nationwide. Update: it is.)
But the deal is not just a cheaper Instant Pot – it’s free money to spend at Whole Foods.
In a clever bit of cross-promotion, Amazon will hand out $10 off a $40 purchase coupons to Treasure Truck shoppers as well as recipes from Nom Nom Paleo author Michelle Tam.
Unfortunately, by the time the news of this Treasure Truck deal is spreading, you might find you missed your chance to buy.
Thanks to the popularity of the Instant Pot, all the truck’s stops for the day are sold out in our market. Your results may vary, of course.
(Update: The 3 Qt. Instant Pot was on sale, not the 6 Qt. , says Amazon. Whole Foods published this incorrectly in its announcement, at first.)