Couch Shopper: The Best Online Grocery Delivery Services


Hate the grocery store? Don’t have time to go grocery shopping? Thanks to the many online grocery delivery services offered today, you can now online grocery shop without leaving the comfort of your own home. Instacart, Amazon, Google, Walmart, and Smith’s all offer the convenience of having your groceries brought to you. Through each service, you must create an account, select the groceries you need, and designate a time and place for it to be delivered! According to the Food Marketing Institute 23 percent of Americans are buying their groceries online.

Instacart

Instacart customers can order their groceries online and have them delivered the same day. Orders of thirty-dollars or more have a standard delivery fee of $3.99, and orders less than the thirty-five dollar limit have a delivery fee of $7.99. You can expect your groceries at your door within two hours. Short on time? Expedited delivery is available through Instacart, too. Instacart makes online grocery shopping effortless and can take orders from several stores including Whole Foods, Safeway, and Costco, allowing customers to shop for all of their favorite groceries with ease.

AmazonFresh

AmazonFresh is also a great online grocery delivery service option. How does it work? Amazon Fresh is a pickup and delivery service offered to Amazon Prime account holders. AmazonFresh costs a standard fee of $14.99 dollars a month. All orders over forty dollars are free, and all orders under forty dollar limit have a fee of $9.99. If you’re someone that makes several trips to the grocery store a month, AmazonFresh may be your best option. A benefit to Amazon Fresh is that you can select a specific time for it to be delivered. Customers are permitted to choose if they want their order delivered as a “doorstep delivery” meaning amazon will drop it off at your doorstep, or delivered as an “attended delivery” meaning you are present to answer the door and receive the delivery.

Note: AmazonFresh isn’t currently available in Utah, but there are plans for an Amazon fulfillment center in west Salt Lake City, so that may change. Additionally, since Amazon recently purchased Whole Foods, you can have certain Whole Foods items delivered through Prime Pantry.

Google Express

Google Express, formerly known as Google Shopping Express, supplies free shipping with orders of $35 dollars and orders below the limit are charged a delivery fee of $4.99. Google Express has the most variety in the stores available to shop: Inventory from Walmart, Costco, REI, Whole Foods, Staples, and more are all options. A downfall to Google Express is that your order is delivered in a 3-4-hour time block, compared to other options that have 1-2 hour blocks or allow you to choose the time that you want it delivered.

Smith’s

Recently, Smith’s has partnered with Pigeonship (a delivery service) to allow customers to order their groceries online and have them delivered straight to their door. To order online, customers must go to www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/Clicklist and select grocery items to create their shopping cart. Apart from the other delivery services, Smiths doesn’t have a variating delivery charge. No matter the amount the customer spends, the delivery fee will always be $11.95. Through a person’s online account customers can follow the progress of their order and know the exact time of the arrival. Due to this being a new service, it is limited to certain areas. Check your area to see if Smith’s delivery is available to you!

Walmart Grocery

If you’re looking to save time but don’t want to pay the extra delivery fee, Walmart pick up service may be for you. Create an order online and a Walmart employee will review your order, gather your items, and have them ready for you to pick up. It is easy for you to pull up and pick up your order, skipping the lines and saving time.

Depending on your needs and wants you can assess what online grocery delivery service is right for you. If you’re unsure of what delivery service you want to use, take advantage of the free trial periods. AmazonFresh offers one free month trial to test out the service and Instacart offers a free 14-day trial.

23%
According to Food Marketing Institute, 23 percent of Americans are buying their groceries online.

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1 Comment

  1. Tom Zaleski
    November 2, 2017
    Reply

    What this article does not tell, is the fees and charges on the back end. Recently I did a test, and OJ in store price was $3.85, Instacart price was $4.10 plus service fee and delivery fee. Milk in store was $1.99, Instacart price was $2.49 ++. So the delivery fee appears to be a carrot, however watch out for what is being charged on the back end.

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