My daughter often spends so many hours working that she doesn’t even get time to go grocery shopping, and she will sometimes use Instacart to get her grocery shopping done, instead of going to the store herself. When we were staying at the airbnb in Washington, Robin and Laura bought our groceries using Instacart. It worked pretty easily, they just ordered and paid online, and pretty soon the delivery person showed up with bags of groceries. It looks like the way it works is similar to Uber, except for it is grocery shopping. The person who gets the delivery order goes to the store, shops for the items, and then delivers them to the designated address. If you order over $35, then delivery is $3.99, but if you become a member of Instacart ($10 a month) then , delivery is free (over $35). I downloaded the app, but I have not used it, and I don’t think that we would use it enough to justify the yearly membership cost. From what I read, you can choose which store you want to shop at, so you can still get your groceries from your favorite store. We usually just stop off at the grocery store on our way home from the fitness center when we need something, but I can see this as being a real blessing for people who live where there is bad weather/snowy roads, and things like that, where it is just not comfortable to drive somewhere and go shopping.
I haven't used Instacart but I have my groceries delivered by a grocery store called HEB. They have in-store "personal shoppers" who pick the order which was selected and paid online. Then a driver loads the stuff and delivers. Most times the delivery is free but I always tip the driver $5 or so, depending on how large the order is. Very convenient, and any issues are handled expediently. Last week I got an order and was missing some frozen foods (OMG... my ICE CREAM ). I called the store and they found a bag of my stuff had been accidentally left in the store cooler, so someone brought it right out. Last summer I got a couple of bags of stuff that were not mine. I called to report it and they told me to keep the stuff, so I got some nice freebies. I guess they don't want "returned" food products in this day and age.
@Yvonne Smith Thanks!!!! I've never heard of it. What a great service and well worth the delivery fee. Do you know what grocery stores this includes? I have it on my list to check tomorrow if we have the service here. I really don't like going to the grocery store. Since I take an uber anyway, I wouldn't even feel the charge of the delivery.
Just go to Instacart.com and there is a list of the stores where you can shop from. If you decide. To do this, you can also put the instacart shopping app on your phone.
Locally here, they have a variety, but also Aldi's. They have a two week free trial for anyone who wants to try it out. I'm going to try it tomorrow!!!!! Thanks again!
I like Instacart as I like personal shoppers. That is the nice thing about shopping in Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. You are given a personal shopper when you enter the store. I loathe having to find someone to assist me at other stores.
I've used Walmart's pick up service for groceries. You fill out your list online and select a time when you can pick them up. They will have them ready and load them in your car.
We just had an unusual experience. A little while ago, someone came up to our door, dropped off a package on the front porch, and left. When Bobby brought it in, it was a food delivery, and the receipt had a name , but no phone number or way to contact anyone, and the name was not anyone we knew. After looking at the bag, Bobby said it was from Steak & Shake, so I called them and reported the mis-delivery. She said that they had no way to contact the person who ordered the food, but she thought it had been sent by Door Dash, and to call them and report it. She said that once the food is dropped off at someone’s house, the delivery person cannot take it elsewhere and deliver it, so go ahead and eat the food, but to try and call Door Dash and report the whole episode to them. I found the website, but only got phone numbers to order something (pushing buttons), and no live human to explain anything to. In the middle of me trying to do that, the delivery guy came back to get the food. Even after Bobby said he was not allowed to deliver it to anyone after leaving it at someone’s house, he said he was going to do that, took the food and left. Then, the Steak & Shake manager called me back, and he was really upset, and said that he was going to try and get ahold of the person who had ordered the food, and also report the delivery person. I would think that this delivery person might lose his job for this, since not only did he deliver to the wrong address (not such a terrible mistake), but then he knowingly took the food to deliver it to the correct address after it had been sitting in our house for almost a half hour. I think that probably the person who ordered, got a receipt that her food had been delivered, and called Door Dash to find out what had happened to it, since it had not gone to her house.
Just out of curiosity, how is it that you spend more money when ordering your groceries on line, Bill? I've not done that yet, and most folks say that they avoid the impulse buys when they avoid the store. Are you seeing things on line that you like so you add them to your cart?
In all honesty, Don’t spend more on the groceries, it’s on service charges, chits or permit to use a store, an on delivery charge and tip. Spend 18.00 to 20.00 more per order.
Aaahhhhhh....I see. I didn't even think of that when we were discussing options. As I said, I've never used the service. I can now see I would not want to use it for odds & ends. I don't want to pay fees and tip someone $10 for a $5 grocery order. I can see how that could add up, especially buying for just one or two people who aren't eating a lot...it could darn near double the cost of your groceries (or even more.)
@John Brunner With Shipt who I use, it cost seven dollars for any order under thirtty-five dollars, then there is a small fee, three dolllars or so, plus a buck or two to use a certain store. It adds up. I try to plan my grocery shopping and keep a pad on my table so that when I run low on something I can add it to my list, then toward the end of the week my wife and I put our heads together and make up the final list. I then go to the computer and buy groceries online through Shipt who delivers at whatever time I suggest. It all goes on my credit card. They deliver it andwe're code until next week or next time. I can also add on if I forget something. It works but it is a bit of a hassle keeping a list, then buying on line. I think think I'm spending seventy-five to a humndred more than if I shopped.
If you have a Walmart nearby, you can try Walmart Plus, which costs $12 a month, or $98 if you pay by the year, and you can get all of your groceries delivered (minimum $35 order), and there are some other benefits and discounts along with the grocery delivery. We use Walmart, but we use the drive-through pickup, so it does not cost anything extra.
I used Walmart twice. I never gota receipt either time. They said they emaied a receipt but I never got neither. I told them they had the wrong email address but have never heard from them. I kknow I could get it straightened out if I could go down there but can't get around. That's whenI went to Shipt. I havbe an account with online Walmart and they email me. I don't know what's wrong other than that.
We do the "curb-side pickup" quite a bit at Walmart now. I print out a receipt after I do the ordering online. The first couple of times ordering, I did it on my iPhone, then found out I could do it on our desktop. Much, much easier to see. But, there are a few items that we have to go inside Walmart to get, because it is written online "Not Available For Curbside".