A method for delivering products to a customer, comprising:
- a. providing a warehouse facility, located on or adjacent to a warehouse property, within which warehouse facility is arranged an automated storage and retrieval system comprising a storage grid provided by a framework structure, the framework structure comprising a rail system arranged at an upper level of the framework structure, the rail system comprising a first set of parallel rails arranged in a horizontal plane and extending in a first direction, and a second set of parallel rails arranged in the horizontal plane and extending in a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction, which first and second sets of rails form a grid pattern in the horizontal plane comprising a plurality of adjacent grid cells, and the storage grid defining a plurality of storage columns, each storage column being arranged to store a respective stack of storage containers, wherein the storage columns are located beneath the rail system and wherein each storage column is located vertically below a respective access opening/grid cell;
- wherein the automated storage and retrieval system comprises:
- i. a plurality of container handling vehicles that operate on the rail system for collecting and returning storage containers to and from storage columns,
- ii. a control system for monitoring and controlling the automated grid storage and retrieval system,
- iii. an access station where storage containers are presented to an operator for removal of goods from the storage containers and packing into a consolidated delivery package intended for delivery to the customer,
- iv. one or more intermediate storage areas arranged for temporary placement of consolidated delivery packages awaiting delivery to the customer,
- b. the warehouse facility and/or property being provided with:
- i. one or more customer pickup bays, each pickup bay being in conjunction with a corresponding parking space for a customer automobile, said customer pickup bay being equipped with an automated access door, said customer pickup bay being in operative communication with the intermediate storage area whereby consolidated delivery packages are transported from the intermediate storage area to the customer pickup bay via a conveyor belt or a container handling vehicle or a combination thereof,
- ii. one or more cameras providing optical character recognition capability, able to read and recognize a license plate number of the automobile, one camera reading occurring at a first location on the property and another camera reading occurring at the one or more customer pickup bays,
- wherein the method further comprises:
- c. receiving an order from a customer for goods stored in the warehouse facility,
- d. associating the license plate number of the customer's vehicle with the order,
- e. scheduling an estimated pickup time for when the customer will pick up the goods,
- f. calculating a delivery routine using the control system, said routine comprising assembling the goods into a consolidated delivery package, placing the consolidated delivery package in the intermediate storage area, where the consolidated delivery package will await transport from the intermediate storage area to the automated access door of a customer pickup bay,
- g. causing a camera to perform an initial reading of the license plate number of the customer's automobile at the first location,
- h. initiating a portion of the delivery routine based upon the initial reading of the license plate number,
- i. performing a second reading of the license plate number of the customer's automobile at a particular customer pickup bay at which the customer parks, said second reading communicating the identity of the pickup bay at which the customer parks to the control system,
- j. completing the delivery routine in response to the second camera reading, by transporting the consolidated delivery package comprising the customer's order to the automated access door at the customer pickup bay where the customer's automobile is parked,
- k. opening the automated access door and thereby allowing retrieval of the consolidated delivery package by the customer.