Whether you simply don’t have time to go shopping or you don’t have the transportation to do so, grocery shopping can be a tedious process.
Thankfully, the new gig economy brought with it many awesome grocery delivery services and apps that you can use so you don’t ever have to go shopping for groceries again (I mean, you could, if you want to get paid to be a personal grocery shopper!).
So if you ever wondered “are there any local grocery delivery services near me“, read on to discover the best services and apps that deliver groceries to your home or place of work.
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Is Grocery Delivery Service Worth It?
It makes sense to be skeptical of this service. After all, can it really be worth it to have your groceries delivered? Can grocery delivery services actually save you money on groceries and gas?
According to many Reddit reviewers, however, it actually can be quite worth it.
Here are a few reviews from people who regularly use services like this.
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When you plan your meals as this person does, you can save even more money.
“My experiences are positive. It’s cheap (1 to 3.5 euro), saves me about 2 hours of grocery shopping a week which is very welcome with young kids and a full-time job. I feel it saves me money since I can meal plan based on leftovers from last week and discounted products, and I’m not doing impulse shopping,” said one Reddit reviewer.
Avoiding the crowds is a great benefit to these services.
“We’re in the NYC metro area, and we have a car which makes large purchases at stores easy but the customers at the grocery stores by us tend to be extremely rude, the store is always crowded no matter what time it is and lines are insanely long. Paying the $15 delivery fee is more than worth it to us to not have to deal with that hassle once a week,” said another reviewer.
One person even managed to save up to $70 a week!
“I use Peapod, and I pay $60 every six months so that I can get “free” delivery with what they call the “podpass.” After driver tip ($3) and taking advantage of weekly sales, my bill lately has been coming to $105 per week for me, and my boyfriend. When I used to go to the grocery store, we would usually drop between $130-$170. For two people this was ridiculous, and I knew I needed to change my shopping habits,” said this reviewer.
In the end, the benefits of delivery services are that it prevents impulse purchases and keeps you from dealing with big crowds.
The Best Grocery Delivery Apps
Here are the top five qualities we judge these services on:
- Same day delivery
- Free shipping
- Membership required
- Allows coupons
- Delivery from local stores
I tried to include all the necessary information that would actually help you decide whether or not to use the said service/app, like whether you can use grocery coupons that you can print at home or scan on your phone, delivery fees and so on.
1. Instacart
Where to get the app:
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Instacart delivers your groceries from your local stores in as little as an hour. They deliver from over 150 different stores.
Top five qualities
- Same day delivery? Yes.
- Free shipping? No, there is a delivery fee.
- Membership required? You need to make an account, however, it is free.
- Allows coupons? Yes. You can also get exclusive coupons and deals.
- Delivery from local stores? Yes.
2. Shipt
Where to get the app:
With this service, all you have to do is pick the items you want from the app or website, and then someone will deliver the food to your doorstep after an hour or more.
Top five qualities
- Same day delivery? Yes.
- Free shipping? Only on orders over $35.
- Membership required? Annual membership is $99 and a monthly membership is $14 a month.
- Allows coupons? No.
- Delivery from local stores? Yes.
3. Peapod
Where to get the app:
Shop at home or from your phone, then get groceries delivered straight to your door. Peapod has thousands of items available on their app for you to order. Plus, save $20 on your first order plus free delivery. Enter promo code 60DAYSFREE at checkout.
Top five qualities
- Same day delivery? Yes.
- Free shipping? No, there is a delivery fee.
- Membership required? You’ll need to make a free account and download their app.
- Allows coupons? They don’t accept coupons but they do provide weekly deals.
- Delivery from local stores? Yes.
4. Amazon Fresh
This is a grocery delivery service available to Amazon Prime members in certain large cities. For an additional membership fee of $14.99, you can get fresh groceries from Amazon.
Top five qualities
- Same day delivery? No, after you order it make take two days to get your food.
- Free shipping? All orders under the local free shipping threshold will incur a $9.99 delivery fee.
- Membership required? You have to be a Prime member and also pay $14.99 for an AmazonFresh membership.
- Allows coupons? You can only use Amazon discount codes.
- Delivery from local stores? No, the groceries come from Amazon.
5. Boxed
Where to get the app:
Tell this company what you want, and they’ll put everything together in a nice little box and ship it out. Prices are kept affordable, around the same price as you get at the store.
Top five qualities
- Same day delivery? No, deliveries take 2 days.
- Free shipping? Your first order has free shipping. After that, all orders qualify for free shipping if they cost more than $49.
- Membership required? Nope!
- Allows coupons? No.
- Delivery from local stores? No. All food comes from their warehouses.
6. Google Express
Where to get the app:
This service lets you shop from multiple stores at the same time. Buy from Target, Best Buy, Petsmart, and many other places with one order. You can also create a shopping list which will help you find the best prices for whatever you need.
Top five qualities
- Same day delivery? No.
- Free shipping? Order more than $25 to qualify for free shipping from most stores on Google Express.
- Membership required? Nope!
- Allows coupons? Only coupons made for specific stores will work.
- Delivery from local stores? All the stuff you order comes from warehouses for whatever company you order from.
7. Thrive Market
Where to get the app:
Get organic and GMO products while saving up to 50% off the retail price of grocery stores. Plus, when you invite your friends to the service, you’ll get $25 for each person that becomes a member.
Top five qualities
- Same day delivery? No. It takes about 2 days to get your order.
- Free shipping? Only on orders over $49.
- Membership required? There is an annual membership fee of $59.95.
- Allows coupons? No.
- Delivery from local stores? No.
8. Jet
Where to get the app:
Shop from curated brands all on one site. Don’t like the product you bought? Jett offers free returns on whatever you don’t like.
Top five qualities
- Same day delivery? Nope, shipping takes 2 days to deliver.
- Free shipping? Only on orders over $35.
- Membership required? Nope! You can order whenever you want without a membership cost.
- Allows coupons? No.
- Delivery from local stores? No.
9. Brandless
This site is unique in that almost every food item costs exactly $3. For every certain amount you spend on the site, Brandless will also donate a meal to the Feeding America organization.
Top five qualities
- Same day delivery? No, it takes about a week.
- Free shipping? Free shipping is available only on orders over $48.
- Membership required? Nope, you can order whenever you want.
- Allows coupons? Only coupon codes for the Brandless site can be used.
- Delivery from local stores? The products come from the Brandless warehouse.
10. Delivery
Where to get the app:
While this site is commonly used for restaurants, you can also get groceries too! It also costs $0 to order from there, which is great if you want to avoid fees.
Top five qualities
- Same day delivery? Yes!
- Free shipping? You make get delivery fees from the merchants you order from, but the site itself doesn’t charge anything.
- Membership required? Nope!
- Allows coupons? You can apply promo codes if you want but not actual coupons.
- Delivery from local stores? Yes!
11. Walmart Grocery Delivery Service
Grocery delivery service industry has exploded in the last few years, so in order to keep up, retailers like Walmart have added grocery delivery service to the services they offer.
The service offers two options:
- Groceries delivered to your home
- Pick up your stuff at the pickup window at your local Walmart store where an employee brings out your groceries.
You’ve probably seen their ad on TV lately, especially the one where the superheroes show up with their cars to pick up groceries at Walmart. With the second option, you don’t even have to get out of the car. A Walmart associate will place the stuff in your shopping cart directly in your car.
- Same day delivery? Yes, except Wyoming, Montana and New England.
- Free shipping? No, there is a delivery fee.
- Membership required? No.
- Allows coupons? They do not accept manufacturer’s coupons.
- Delivery from local stores? Yes.
I know not being able to use coupons is a bummer, but you can still use the Savings Catcher app which will make it easy for you to pay the lowest price possible and earns you reward dollars.
Don’t know how Walmart Savings Catcher app works? No worries, read my Walmart Savings Catcher app review for details and tips on how to save the most money and earn the most rewards.
Target Grocery Delivery Service?
I didn’t add a number to this one as part of the list because it’s essentially the same as Shipt. Target has partnered with Shipt (the company actually bought Shipt back in 2018) to offer same day delivery service not only on groceries but for most items in the store.
- Same day delivery? Yes.
- Free shipping? Free on orders over $35, $9.99 on anything below.
- Membership required? Yes, but you can try it with a 2-week free trial.
- Allows coupons? No, but they do feature weekly in-store sales and exclusive discounts for members.
- Delivery from local stores? Yes.
By the way, if you are already a Shipt member, make sure your email address is the same as your Target account’s email. They will then automatically link the two.
What About Meal Kit Delivery Services?
Meal Kit delivery services have exploded in the last few years, but that is a totally different category of services.
Companies like Home Chef, Hello Fresh and Blue Apron don’t necessarily deliver groceries for you. I mean, technically they do since they deliver all the ingredients you need to make your meal but you can’t give them a list of groceries and expect them to deliver it for you.
So based on the fact that they are not technically a grocery delivery service, I didn’t include them in this post. That said, keep an eye out as I am working on a list of the best meal kit delivery services like Hello Fresh and Blue Apron.
FAQ About Grocery Delivery Services
Because the industry is so new, there are a lot of questions about how things work. Here are a few of the most common questions that I think most people would want to know the answer to before they pull the trigger on using a grocery delivery service.
Do You Tip the Grocery Delivery Guy/Gal?
Because the industry is so new, most people have no idea on whether or not they should tip the person that delivers the groceries to their home.
Most companies have no problem with you tripping the delivery person. And to be honest, I think you should do it. I mean, it’s really the same as tipping your pizza delivery driver.
Now, as far as how much you should tip your grocery delivery person, it really depends. I Think just like you tip a server/waiter at a restaurant based on your total bill, you should tip your delivery person based on how much stuff he/she had to carry.
Other things you can consider are the average price of a gallon of gas, the distance from the store to your house, and of course how friendly the driver is.
Is the Produce Delivered to You Always Fresh?
If you’re like me and like to see the produce and pick your own items, this may be a big consideration for you.
To be honest, I have read all kinds of stories and reviews from other users who have had good and bad experiences. That said, the good news is that most grocery delivery services have a sort of “produce picking” training that teaches their people how to pick the best produce. And I’d imagine as the industry grows, things like that will be worked out eventually.
Are Groceries More Expensive with Grocery Delivery Services?
Not always!
But some companies do add extra fees (this is plus the normal service fee) which adds to the overall price you pay. That said, for a lot of people time is money, so even if they have to pay a few extra bucks, it is worth it for them.
Should You Use It?
This is really different for each person.
Overall, I think for most people it would be worth it. I mean, when you consider the amount of gas and time you have to spend going to the store and shopping, using a delivery service is appealing.
Not to mention, with some of these apps and services, like Shipt, you also have access to exclusive deals and discounts that you wouldn’t find elsewhere.
At the end of the day, I think whether or not using a grocery delivery service is worth the cost for you depends on your individual situation. The good news is that you can try some of these for free using trial offers and see for yourself.
If you do decide to use it, I hope this list has helped you figured out the best grocery delivery service that fits you and your lifestyle.
Thank you so much for this information. You have answered so many of my questions about home grocery delivery.