Amazon opens up grocery store

Web giant ventures on the path where others have stumbled

Amazon has officially launched its grocery story in the US.

The service has been available in beta since last month. It stocks about 10,000 non-perishable items such as canned goods, cleaning supplies and cereals.

The online store also touted its assortment of organic products that make up half of the grocery store's selection.

In an effort to lure customers into the store, Amazon is offering a $10 instant rebate for customers spending more than $49.

Amazon's grocery store raised several eyebrows when it was launched because it reminded of the famous dotcom failure Webvan. The latter went out of business in 2001 after burning through about $1.2bn of investor's dollars.

Brick and mortar grocery stores since have filled some of Webvan's void through the introduction of online services that would deliver groceries from local stores. The link with bricks and mortar stores allowed them to avoid heavy investments in warehouses.