The Relay service offers free pickup from designated locations where shoppers pick a day and window of hours to go get their goods (the most central in Washington to date has been its stop between Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle, with a few in the suburbs).

FORBES: Relay Marches On Washington: Grocery Delivery Startup Gets $8 Million For Metro Expansion

By delivering to convenient drop off locations and focusing on local, Relay believes it can avoid the mistakes of first generation online grocers and carve out its own niche in e-commerce.

FORBES: An Online Grocer For Web 2.0. Just Don't Call It Webvan 2.0.