Amazon's Blast from the Past
Internet retailer Amazon.com has started selling groceries online. Like many other product categories Amazon has added over the years, groceries were quietly introduced to its Web site on May 25 through a beta, or test, page that indicates the company will evaluate the business before promoting it more widely.
Amazon's service is limited to non-perishable goods such as cereal, pasta and canned soup, but Amazon can ship those items to any customer, unlike online grocers that only deliver to limited areas. The move marks a cautious step into a business that nearly disappeared with the dot-com collapse of 2001, when several online grocery stores such as Webvan went bust.