Now offered at Aldi's via "Instacart" . . not from our local store, but from next town over... 17 miles away. Too many questions to list. Appreciate your personal experience... good and bad. Since we don't have Uber, Lyft, Walmart grocery delivery and the like, wondering about selection, cost, shiptime, tipping. Will not having a smartphone be a problem? Whether tomorrow or in five more years, it will be necessary for us... wanna be prepared. The websites assume we know a lot more than we do, so looking for first person opinions. Thanks!
I don’t think that you would get fresh food delivered from the next town over, @Tom Young ; but I might be wrong. Most of the larger grocery stores now offer either drive through pick-up, or a delivery option, but I think that you have to be in the same town. You probably don't’ need a smart phone, as long as you can go online with your computer (laptop, tablet, etc.) to order. We order food items from both Amazon and Sam’s Club, and occasionally from Walmart; but they are all items that can be shipped, and not things that need to be delivered fresh, like eggs or milk or bread. Shipping time varies from one store to another, and also depends on how the package is shipped. An alternative might be to order online for drive through pick-up, and then ask a friend or neighbor who is going shopping in the next town to pick up your groceries for you. Since you should be able to pay online when you order, all the friend would have to do is go through the drive-though, and the groceries would be bagged and ready to load up. I haven’t ever done this, but I think that some stores actually load the groceries in the vehicle for you. If you offered gas money to your friend , they would probably not mind picking up your groceries, especially if it was just the fresh food items, and you had the other items shipped to you.
@Tom Young I'm not sure what all stores you have in your area, but most of the larger chains all deliver now for a reasonable monthly fee. I've been seriously considering it, but I'm such a hermit, it's the one thing that makes me actual do something besides stay home most of the time. I've also been trying to get my mom to use the service since she isn't far from a Publix Grocery. She is afraid they won't send her the right brand. She isn't cool with technology at all.
I am at this moment waiting for a delivery of several bottles of wine and different cheeses & snack items. Having all my meals as a part of my monthly rent I have no need for big grocery shopping like when I was doing my own cooking two years ago. I ordered todays delivery early this morning and the email they just sent me shows the credit card charge of $68.50. I love the convenience of having things delivered to me and the cost is minimal. Over the years of using them I have never had a problem with freshness or quality with perishable items.
I have used the HEB (Texas grocery chain) delivery service many times and it's great. The closest HEB to us is about 10 miles and I don't know how far they will travel with a delivery, but I imagine that the Instacart service has its own rules. A smart phone is not necessary, but it's handy to have a cellphone that has texting capability since they send a message when the order leaves the store. I only use the service when they have "free" promotions, because the delivery fee ($4.95) plus the shopper fee ($5 for the individual who pulls the order) and then the tip for the driver adds too much expense to use frequently. You pay online with credit card when you place your order; there is no "monthly fee" for the service. I usually tip the driver $4 or $5, depending on how big my order is. All he does is drive it over and carry the bags to my door. I don't let them in the house, but they will carry the order all the way to the kitchen if you want them to. ETA--as far as brands go, they try to provide the exact brand/size of item you order. On the order form, you can choose to "accept substitutions" or not. If they make a substitute, they text or call to let you know before they leave the store with the order.
Thanks ... Looks like this will be a "go"... am sure that our nearby Aldi will have Instacart soon. We're pretty close to the employees and they're not sure yet. The fee is $3.00 for delivery as I understand... a $5 tip would be easy... Not worth driving. We have a HyVee store that also does deliveries... (like Whole Foods... Prices are about 30% higher than Aldi. The Aldi from the next town, does deliver here, but I think on an irregular schedule. We do have transportation to Walmart and HyVee, from our CCRC... twice a week. Part of the membership. Our house (a Villa) is considered "on campus, so we're entitled to all of the perks from living in Liberty Village. Google "Simply the Finest". Looking ahead ten years to when I retire at age 93.
@Tom Young Aldi only charges $3 plus tip??? What a great price! I really think in time online grocery shopping will be the main way people shop. As they either have their own delivery service or sub it out with Uber or Lyft, it does give lots of people jobs as well.