Alright friends, here is the deal: I love online grocery shopping. As a full-time working mom I was maxed out every week and making my menu and getting to the store to get food for my family was weighing me down. We’d end up eating out a lot and our food budget was out of control. I finally decided to try online grocery shopping. I’ve tried most of them. (Full disclosure: I love trying it when they offer free service the first time which is why I ended up trying them all.) Plus, now I can tell you about them. It has been a huge lifesaver in our house. I’m happier and less stressed which is great for me and my family! So, here is my non-compensated review of all the services I’ve tried.
Instacart is a very simple app that you can use to order groceries. Download it to your phone! Instacart is basically a third party involved in the grocery process, so they get groceries from places like Whole Foods, Costco, Fred Meyer, etc… As a result of this they price the groceries differently than the store and often the prices are higher than the regular store. The exception to this is Whole Foods. For this reason, when I used Instacart I ordered my groceries from Whole Foods or PCC just to avoid the markup.
Here are a few other things to know about Instacart.
- Free delivery IF you sign up for Instacart Express. Otherwise delivery ranges $9.99 – $11.99 depending on fast you want the items delivered.
- You can chat with your grocery person while they are shopping which is fun if you need to add an item or have a brand change.
- Instacart Express membership is $149/year or $14.99/month (as of 01/26/18)
- They have added a 10% fee to each order. You can waive this fee but you have to specifically click into it! (Thanks Julie B for submitting this tip!!)
- $10 order minimum
- They do ask for tips for the delivery drivers
I am a weekly user of Amazon Fresh. Amazon is basically my go to for everything. If I can avoid the store and buy it on Amazon I do. I find that Amazon Fresh is pretty comparable in pricing to my regular grocery trip if I were going to the store. In fact, I end up saving money usually because I’m not tempted with all the “extras” at the store. I have also been enjoying the Amazon Meal Kits, which cut down on my time in the kitchen. I also love that I don’t have to sign for the groceries so I can have them deliver first thing in the morning and they are waiting on the doorstep when I wake up!
Here are the basics:
- $14.99/month and you must have Amazon Prime Membership
- Amazon Prime Membership is $99/year
- I found this Amazon Discount – save $25 if you are new to fresh. https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=15284142011
- Tips are optional
- You do not have to order very far in advance. I generally order on Saturday evening for a Sunday morning delivery. This helps me when I’m not super organized.
- Amazon Prime NOW allows you to get items in an hour to two hours. This was essential for me when I was taking care of sick kids recently and couldn’t get to the store. Download the app!
I have not personally tried Fred Meyer Clicklist since my local Fred Meyer doesn’t have it yet, but Kristina has and she swears by it. Here is what she has to say about it:
- $4.95 fee when you pick up your groceries BUT it’s waived for your first three trips, and there are exclusive e-coupons for Clicklist orders available on the Fred Meyer app which load directly to your account and are applied automatically, often reducing (or even nullifying) the cost of your fee
- You can even use paper coupons when you arrive.
- They don’t deliver. You order either online or via the Fred Meyer app and then do curbside pickup. They load it directly into your trunk so you don’t even have to get out of the car.
- You sign up for a specific pick-up time (minimum 4 hours lead time).
- Not yet available everywhere
- No Tips Allowed (I asked Fred Meyer)
I have not tried the new Walmart pickup service, but I just received a flyer in the mail the other day that it was rolling out. It appears as if it will be similar to the Fred Meyer Clicklist option. If you’ve tried it we’d love to hear about your experience.
I use to be a weekly user of Safeway Delivery. The prices were good and I usually ordered enough for free or reduced shipping. My only challenge was that you have to order at least 24-hours ahead of time and sometimes I wasn’t organized enough to make that happen. The other issue is that you have to be home to sign for the delivery. Safeway also has Meal Kits available. They are a better value overall than the Amazon Fresh meal kits with comparable taste and ease of cooking.
Details:
- Free delivery with your first order
- Check out the website for some money off your first order – https://shop.safeway.com/ecom/account/sign-in
- Order minimum $30
- You have to order at least 24 hours ahead of time. They’ve always been on time and great delivery.
- No tips needed
QFC & Albertsons also are both rolling out grocery delivery but I haven’t tried either. I suspect they are very similar to Safeway. Have you tried either? We’d love to hear your experience.
Along with our weekly grocery order, we separately subscribe to milk delivery with Smith Brothers Farms. They have all sorts of goodies you can buy too, but we mostly just get milk. We love their milk. In fact, it is hard to drink any other milk at all now that we get Smith Brothers! We originally started milk delivery because we always ran out and by having enough delivered each week we stayed out of the grocery store and spent WAY LESS money.
If you are interested in trying it simply enter that “Rebecca Beckett” referred you in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” field. Then enter the Promo Code: FRIEND on the payment page. You’ll automatically receive $10 worth of credit on your account. (Full disclosure: if you sign up using this code I get a service credit, too)
We used to be a frequent shopper of produce with Klesicks until we moved. They are a great service. High quality produce and wonderful customer service. Give them a try if you are interested in produce delivery. There are different size box options to fit your family.
We currently get our produce delivered every so often from Full Circle. We have had a good experience so far. We have found we like the organic produce of these delivery services over the grocery delivery. Grocery delivery isn’t bad really but we just like the freshness and local factor of services like Full Circle. Use my referral code: REBE8999 for $15 off your first box! (Full disclosure: if you sign up using this code I get a service credit, too)
For me, meal planning, grocery shopping and getting healthy meals on the table for my family is a challenge. I’m grateful that I live in a time where I can outsource some of it to others.
Interested in finding out about Meal Delivery Services? We reviewed those too. Check out Kristina’s recommendations!
