Life can be incredibly busy sometimes with working, socializing with friends, getting some exercise in, and even just having a few hours there to lounge on the couch, there isn’t much time to squeeze in a visit to the grocery store each week.
If you’re like us, then you can appreciate how mundane the task of going to the grocery store is and know the internal anger when you come away not having bought half the things on your list.
If this is resonating with you, then we’ve got something that will change your life – a grocery delivery service.
This will allow you to order your groceries right from an app/smartphone/laptop from the comfort of your living room and have them delivered straight to your door in as little as 1 hour.
Keep on reading to find out our recommendations for the best grocery delivery service.
Many people are familiar with the online retailing giant Amazon, but what some people don’t know is that they also offer a great grocery delivery service that can have your order delivered in as quick as 1 hour.
AmazonFresh is free with Amazon Prime memberships ($119 a year) which many people already have to get free next-day delivery on random items such as cotton buds and also get to enjoy the extensive library of Prime movies and TV shows.
AmazonFresh stocks lots of your favorite grocery brands from Kraft Mac & Cheese to Whole Foods 365 essentials, so you’ll have plenty of choices whilst doing your order including your hygiene and household necessities.
The service is available in over 2,000 cities across the US and offers free delivery for orders over $35, but any orders under the minimum fee will be charged a $10 delivery fee.
If you have an Amazon Alexa, you can even request her to add items to your grocery list as you remember them and they’ll be automatically added to your order.
Delivery slots available will depend on when you make your order, but you also have the flexibility to pick up your order from a nearby location.
Pros
Cons
Instacart is a delivery service that allows you to get groceries delivered to your front door from your favorite stores such as 7-Eleven, Kroger, and Costco as they’re picked out by personal shoppers.
This means if you’re someone who loves Costco’s bulk items, but you’re too cheap to pay for a membership, then you can still buy food from there.
In some locations, you can get same-day delivery, even within an hour of placing your order but this will also depend on the store you order from.
It’s available in 40 states (including Washing D.C.) and you are not required to pay a monthly membership to use the service.
Delivery fees start from $3.99 for some-day orders over $35 and there is a minimum order of $10. You can also commit to unlimited free delivery for $99 a year or $9.99 when you sign up for Instacart Express.
You can order from the app or direct from the InstaCart website at your convenience and orders can take up to 6 days to be delivered in some circumstances.
You can shop for your alcohol, groceries, non-perishables, household items, and even freshly cut meat and fish from the butchers within just a few clicks.
Tipping is optional but encouraged, after all, these are personal shoppers who will be picking out the items for you.
Pros
Cons
If you and your family eat completely organic and pride yourself on eating healthy foods that come from sustainable brands, then Thrive Market will be your grocery delivery service of choice.
They’re available nationwide and they offer free delivery with your membership when you spend over $49 on your order. Annual membership is $59.95 and a monthly membership is $9.95.
They offer the ability to order your groceries on a recurring schedule personalized to you, so you won’t even have to worry about placing the order anymore.
You get a choice of a free gift and 20% off your first order and the prices on the site are comparable to Whole Foods or other local grocery stores.
They send out regular coupons and deals to their members to save money on their next order and for every membership purchased they give back to one low-income family in need.
You can shop for groceries, household items, and beauty supplies on the app or the website and it’s easy to find good deals and savings on both platforms.
Pros
Cons
If you love getting your groceries from Walmart but hate walking around the store, then why not try out their delivery service that requires no membership to use.
It’s available in over 1,600 cities and offers some of the most competitive prices when it comes to fresh groceries, household items, and even pet food.
You can order from the Walmart Grocery app (not the same as the Walmart app) or the designated website and you can have your groceries delivered on the same day if there is a slot available.
Delivery fees are $7.79 to $9.95 depending on your location and order size, or you can subscribe to Walmart Delivery Unlimited for free unlimited delivery for $98 a year or $12.95 a month.
You can make grocery lists on your account and also reorder previous orders to save you adding everything individually.
Pros
Cons
Shipt, much like Instacart, works with a range of grocery and retail stores where a personal shopper will go into the store and pick out your items to be delivered to your home. Shipt also works with Petco and CVS, so you’ll be able to have last-minute essentials delivered within 1 hour of ordering.
However, Shipt requires you to sign up for a membership which is $99 a year or $14 a month but that does provide you with free shipping on all orders over $35. Orders under $35 will be charged a $7 delivery fee.
They offer more limited coverage (200 cities) with their service however and are primarily used in the Southeast area including Chicago and Texas.
Through the app, you can talk with your shopper which is great if an item is out of stock or if your shopper is going to be late/cannot find your home.
Shipt is great as they promote weekly sales, coupons, and deals for its members to save you as much money as possible on your groceries.
Pros
Cons
One of the main factors you’ll need to consider before choosing a grocery delivery service is the type of groceries you would like to buy.
Some services will offer a whole range of items from food, to alcohol, to cleaning products whereas other services may only offer other fresh groceries like fruit, vegetables, and meat.
Unfortunately, not all grocery delivery services are available all over the US, so you’ll need to check that the option you’re going for is available where you live.
Some services will only be available on the east or west coast, whereas others might have locations in all 50 states (however, Hawaii and Alaska are often outliers).
Some grocery delivery services will only require you to pay to use the service each time you do so, but others may require you to pay a monthly membership fee to use the service.
These fees normally cover the cost of drivers/service fees for the entire month and sometimes you will have a certain amount of orders that you can make in one month.
Some services may require you to pay a fee and then you will be entitled to unlimited free delivery throughout the entire year.
Ensure to look into what the delivery fee will be to get your groceries delivered to your location, chances are if the place you’re ordering from is far away from where you live, or you live in a very rural area then delivery costs may be higher.
Some services may offer free delivery when you spend over a certain amount.
Some services will require you to spend over a minimum amount for your order to be eligible for delivery.
This can vary depending on where you’re ordering from and may be the make or break factor that helps you choose, as single households may not be able to spend enough to make up the minimum order amount.
It may be worth doing bi-weekly grocery shops instead of weekly so you can make the minimum order each time.
If you lead a busy lifestyle then you may only have a few time slots during the week where you’ll be home to have your groceries delivered.
Ensure your grocery delivery service is flexible with their times and gives you the option to choose a time slot that suits your availability.
It may be a good idea to look into whether the service is reliable at arriving on time and won’t turn up 4 hours later when no one is home to answer the door.
Some grocery delivery services will have a feature that will allow you to order your previous grocery order instead of adding everything to your basket one at a time, this is especially good if your household eats the same thing every week.
Some services may even recommend similar items for the ones that are out of stock or they may even recommend cheaper alternatives to help you keep your bill down.
It’s good etiquette to tip a grocery delivery driver, however, whether you choose to do so is completely at your discretion. Some people don’t agree with tipping grocery delivery drivers because you normally pay online when you place the order and don’t deal with cash once the driver arrives.
If your driver has been particularly friendly or has even helped you bring the groceries into your home, then consider tipping them around 20-30% depending on what you think is suitable.
Yes, certain grocery delivery services take EBT to allow people to pay for their groceries. The regulations may change depending on state/location but grocery delivery services that do take EBT are Instacart, Amazon, Walmart, and other independent stores across the US.
Whilst your EBT card will cover the cost of groceries, it will not cover the cost of delivery, service fees, and tips.
You will need to add your EBT card to your grocery delivery account and type in your first and last name as well as your card number to confirm.
Yes, grocery delivery services are worth it, especially for busy people who don’t always have time in their week to visit the grocery store as a delivery service allows you to schedule your grocery delivery at a time that suits you.
If you don’t have a car, then doing a big grocery shop can be difficult unless you only buy small amounts each time or hire a taxi or public transport to get home.
This is why delivery services are ideal as it makes it more convenient for those who are carless and means they can do bigger grocery orders for the week instead of making numerous trips to the store.
If you’re someone who buys and eats the same things every week then grocery delivery services will have a feature that can save your shopping list or previous order for you to instantly order from again without having to add everything individually to your basket each time.
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