Since 2012, Brett Helling has built expertise in the rideshare and delivery sectors, working with major platforms like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash.
He acquired Ridester.com in 2014, the first ridesharing marketplace, leveraging his direct experience to enhance the site. His insights at Ridester are recognized by Forbes, Vice, and CNBC.
Discover the convenience of grocery delivery services, a modern solution to simplify your shopping experience, as we guide you through our top picks for hassle-free home deliveries.
Instacart is a grocery delivery service you can use either as a non-member or a member.
For non-members, the minimum order value is $10. You also pay a $4 delivery fee, which might be more if your order is particularly big.
If you plan on using Instacart frequently, we recommend subscribing to a membership plan. You can choose between paying $10 a month or $99 for a one-year membership.
So, how does Instacart work?
When you place your order, it’s assigned to a personal shopper who heads to the store to pick up your items. The shopper then delivers the order right to your door on the same day. Don’t forget to tip your shopper!
Instacart has partnerships with over 40,000 stores which range from major chains to local grocers. The platform’s partner stores include Kroger, Aldi, and Costco.
Other Things to Note
Membership includes exclusive benefits – Free delivery on orders that are more than $35 (usually this will start at $3.99 for non-Express) and lower service fees. Members avoid extra costs that are higher during peak delivery hours, among other benefits.
Other Costs – Other fees vary for club store deliveries, one-hour deliveries, and deliveries under $35. There may be a “pickup fee” (comparable to a delivery fee for pickup orders) on your pickup order. Service fees vary and can change based on your location and the number and types of items in your cart. Orders with alcohol have a separate service fee. You can save on fees by using an Instacart promo code.
Location – Instacart offers service in all 50 states and Canada
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, Amazon Fresh is an excellent option for you. Not subscribed to Amazon Prime? We recommend becoming a member only for this service.
For $15 a month or $139 a year, you can get reliable grocery delivery within a two-hour window of your order.
You also benefit from Amazon owning Whole Foods, which means that you’ll find everything you need on Amazon Fresh.
There are some drawbacks, though.
The minimum order value is $35, and the delivery fees are as follows:
For orders under $50: $10
For orders between $50 and $100: $7
For orders between $100 and $150: $4
Other Things to Note
Other Costs – N/A
Location – Available in 2,000 cities and towns across the US.
We can’t talk about groceries without mentioning Walmart.
Instead of going to Walmart, you can subscribe to the Walmart+ service. Becoming a member will cost you either $12.95 a month or $98 a year. Your subscription gives you free deliveries for orders over $35.
Walmart+ services are only available if you live near a participating store. But, who are we kidding? Walmart is everywhere!
You know what the best part is?
Walmart is constantly giving Walmart+ users deals on various food items. You can also take advantage of the store’s versatility and get other supplies, like paper towels, along with your groceries.
Other Things to Note
Other Costs – For express delivery, Walmart charges an additional $10, even for Walmart+ members.
Shipt is another excellent alternative to consider.
The platform has partnerships with Target, CVS, Petco, Costco, and Bed Bath & Beyond. This means you can buy groceries and other household essentials, like cleaning supplies and personal care products, all in one place.
Do you know what’s even better?
Shipt doesn’t enforce any minimum order value, so it’s perfect when you need a single item in a pinch.
The platform also has wide geographical availability, allowing you to shop from different stores based on where you live across 5,000 cities. They also deliver your order in as little as one hour.
Shipt’s membership fees are $99 a year or $11 a month. As for service fees, they’re $7 for orders under $35, and delivery is free for orders over $35.
Other Things to Note
Delivery Fee – One-time delivery fees, purchased in the app as a “Shipt Pass,” costs $10. Shipt offers a small discount for pre-purchasing “Shipt Passes” at three for $27 or five for $40.
Membership – The Shipt Everyday subscription gives you a full year of unlimited free same-day deliveries on orders more than $35. It costs $99 per year (month-to-month is $14/month). You can use this option for any retailer, and it includes everything you usually get with Shipt. With membership - $7 for orders under $35.
Although you don’t have to pay for a membership plan on Peapod, we recommend that you do.
The PodPass plan offers you three options: $119 a year, $49 for 3 months, or $69 for 6 months. With PodPass, you get free shipping on orders over $100.
When you initially sign up with Peapod, you get a $20 discount on your first order and 60 days of free delivery.
Another perk of Peapod is that it offers diverse delivery times. If you’re in a hurry, you can go for next-day delivery. Alternatively, you can schedule a delivery up to two weeks in advance.
If you live in New England or several other Mid-Atlantic states, you can get all your vegetable, fruit, dairy, and meat needs from Peapod. They also offer ready-made meal kits for your convenience.
To put the icing on the cake, Peapod has an app that makes it a breeze to use the service.
Other Things to Note
Other Costs – No additional fees now, but Peapod could impose fuel surcharges in the future
If you live on the East Coast, specifically New Jersey, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., or New York, FreshDirect is an excellent option to consider.
If you’re not a member, FreshDirect charges you a $6 delivery fee. Members can rejoice, though, since they get unlimited free deliveries!
FreshDirect’s membership plan is called DeliveryPass. You can get it for $129 a year or $79 for 6 months.
Although it doesn’t have partnerships with specific stores, FreshDirect can be your one-stop shop for all your high-quality meat and produce needs. You can also get prepared foods and party platters, but you have to order them at least a day in advance.
To many people’s surprise, Google has a grocery delivery service—and it’s a pretty cheap one too.
You can get your groceries delivered for only a $4.99 delivery fee if you’re not a Google Shopping member. If you are, that delivery fee drops to $2.99.
The membership fee is $95 a year.
Whether you’re a member or not, Google Shopping will deliver your groceries within two hours of your order as long as you don’t wait until it’s too late in the day to order.
Like many of the services on this list, Safeway’s grocery delivery service offers you the option to use it as a member or non-member.
For non-members, the delivery fee is $9.95 for orders under $150 and $7.95 for orders over $150.
If you subscribe to Safeway’s delivery pass, you get unlimited free deliveries. You can subscribe for one month for $12.95 or a whole year for $99.
If you’re in a hurry to get your groceries, Safeway can be a lifesaver. You can get your groceries the same day you order them as long as you order before 8:30 am.
That means all your meat, dairy, fresh produce, and seafood can be at your doorstep in the nick of time.
Here are some of the states where Safeway’s grocery delivery service is available:
Arizona
California
Colorado
Maryland
Oregon
Virginia
Washington D.C.
Other Things to Note:
Other costs – N/A
Location – Safeway has over 1,300 stores across 19 states
Thrive Market is a membership-based online grocer that specializes in natural and organic food products.
A membership to Thrive comes with a smaller grocery list of items than other services offer, but Thrive Market discounts the things that they do carry.
So, Thrive may be a good option for particular brands or dietary preferences, although their selection may consist of more shelf-stable items.
For those who are looking for organic or non-GMO foods, or other special dietary foods, Thrive Market may help in savings and adherence.
All Thrive orders typically ship within one business day, and grocery orders ship seven days a week.
Other Things to Note:
Fees – Aside from shipping and the annual membership, there are no other fees. And, if your membership fee isn’t paid for by the savings (which they calculate for you), you may be eligible for a refund of the difference between the membership fee cost and the amount you saved.
Location – Thrive Market currently ships to all residential and commercial addresses in the contiguous U.S. While they don’t currently ship to P.O. boxes, Puerto Rico, Alaska, Hawaii, or Canada, they hope to do so soon.
Choosing the Best Grocery Delivery Service for You
When deciding which grocery delivery service to use from the ones we described above, there are some factors to consider. They include:
1. Cost
Each grocery delivery service has different fees, and the same service can have varying fees depending on your order’s size. We recommend subscribing to a service in which the membership plan gives you unlimited free grocery delivery.
2. Delivery Options
Make sure you’re familiar with all the delivery options a service has before using it. If you need your groceries in a hurry, go for a service that offers same-day delivery.
3. Product Offerings
Not all grocery delivery services will have the products you need. So, make sure the products you want to order are part of what the service offers.
4. Availability
Some grocery delivery services are only available in certain states. Is your state one of them? That’s something you should check out.
5. Customer Reviews
The online reviews of past users will give you a good sense of whether a grocery delivery service is worth using. It’s important to explore if the people who’ve used the service before were satisfied.
What Size Grocery Order Do You Need to Make Delivery Worth It?
To make grocery delivery worth it, order size matters. Most services have a minimum delivery requirement, ranging from $30 to $100+. Amazon Prime members enjoy benefits with Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods, with no delivery charge on orders above $35. Delivery costs vary:
Instacart charges a base $3.99 for same-day orders over $35, with additional service fees and a priority fee for faster delivery. Long-distance fees apply for distant stores.
Uber Eats fees depend on the restaurant, starting at $1.99 plus mileage and a 10% service fee.
Shipt offers a $7 delivery fee for orders under $35 with membership, $10 otherwise, plus service fees. Alcohol incurs a $7 fee.
Peapod‘s fee decreases as orders increase: $9.95 for a $30 order, $7.95 for $75. The $119/year PodPass offers free delivery on orders over $100.
The Rise of Grocery Delivery Services
Some people enjoy going on grocery shopping trips, while others look at the trip to the grocery store as a thorn in their sides.
If you belong to the second group, you’re likely a person who prioritizes convenience.
To provide their customers with this convenience, many grocery stores and e-commerce platforms have started offering online grocery delivery services.
Although the industry was trending in that direction even before 2020, the COVID pandemic made online grocery shopping not only a luxury, but also a necessity.
Once people realized how hassle-free online grocery shopping was during that time, many of them completely shifted to it even after the pandemic was over.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions people commonly have about grocery delivery services:
Walmart and Google Shopping are among your cheapest options for grocery delivery. You can also check out grocery stores with curbside pickup if you want to save on delivery fees.
How much should I tip my grocery delivery driver?
For grocery delivery, a tip should reflect your experience and the service level provided. We suggest a 5-10% tip for personal shoppers. Consider a larger tip for exceptional service. Some services allow tipping after delivery, enabling you to assess the groceries first.
Wrapping Up
After reading about all the grocery delivery services we mentioned in this guide, you may feel you have too many options.
Use the guidelines we described to choose a service that suits your needs and gives you peak convenience.