How To Get Groceries Delivered: 3 Easy Ways and How They Work

Thanks to technology, many conveniences are available to fulfill the needs of customers.

Whether you live in San Francisco, New York, France, or Mexico, online grocery shopping is the norm for a majority of people.

The dawn of the pandemic forced or encouraged homebound people to use groceries delivery.

Thanks to contactless delivery, everyone can get fresh groceries on the doorstep without risking exposure to a crowd.

Today, several companies offer grocery deliveries, but some stores may need to be convinced to participate.

Let’s look at how to get groceries delivered.

Can You Get Groceries Delivered?

Yes! You can have groceries delivered.

Matter of fact, grocery delivery is one of the more common services available in modern times.

Customers get groceries delivered from several apps willing to work with your neighborhood grocery store.

Some stores have their own service such as Amazon Fresh delivery.

Other stores rely on a 3rd party app to provide the service.

Unfortunately, don’t expect delivery from Trader Joe’s anytime soon.

The popular chain of affordable health food stores has not decided to allow grocery delivery service yet.

How Long Is The Delivery Time?

The delivery time depends on certain variables:

• How far is the store from your home?
• How busy are they at that time of day?
• Weather conditions (especially for perishable goods)
• The time of day you ordered the groceries
• Is it a holiday or special event

To get a better estimate of when you will get your groceries, contact the grocery store directly or check their website to get more info on their grocery delivery times.

Most stores promise the groceries will be delivered within a certain time of day, like morning or afternoon.

Some places like Amazon and Whole Foods allow you to choose a two-hour delivery window.

Once you place your online grocery order, you can use the online tracker to see things such as :

• The time your personal shopper starts packing the order
• Notification that an item on your list is out-of-stock
• When the rep has finished packing the order
• When the order is out for delivery
• How away the delivery driver is from your house

What Services Deliver Groceries?

Instacart Grocery Delivery

This app allows you to order from over 300 grocery stores.

A personal shopper will pick the items out and you will receive them the same day.

Uber Eats

In addition to getting takeout from restaurants, this app also delivers groceries from select stores.

Uber eats is available in several countries such as Spain, France, Japan, Canada, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Australia, Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

Shipt

Shipt is a great service loved by millions.

From Costco to Target to Kroger, get grocery delivery from different stores.

Use your zip code to see what stores are nearby for Shipt delivery.

Shipt also makes it easy to send groceries to other people.

If you think you will use this service often, you may want to invest in an annual ($99) or monthly ($10) membership to reduce delivery fees.

Peapod

This delivery service mostly operates in large cities on the East Coast.

This company has made grocery deliveries for over 30 years.

The bigger your delivery is, the less fee they charge.

In addition to standard groceries, you can also get ready-to-eat meals.

Grocery Store Delivery Services

In addition to these services, grocery stores, such as Walmart grocery (through Spark delivery), offer delivery options.

In some cases, your local store is already partnered with a delivery service.

In other cases, you may have to convince them to work with a service.

Your local grocery store may offer delivery through another company – if so, you will have to pay the delivery fee.

Ideally, you should also budget to tip the person making the delivery.

Big chains such as Giant have their grocery delivery or pickup service you can use.

Where Can You Get Groceries Delivered?

Before you get your heart set on grocery delivery from a particular store, check to see if you live within their delivery radius.

How Far Away From the Grocery Store Can You Live?

The store may offer delivery or pick-up to certain neighborhoods only.

You can query your location with the grocery delivery service you are interested in to see if they service your area.

The larger a grocery store is, the greater its delivery range will be.

In most cases, the grocery store offers delivery or pick-up within a certain number of miles from their location.

If you live in a densely populated area, you may have a grocery store or delivery service within a 5-mile radius.

A suburban grocery store may offer delivery within a 10-mile radius.

In a rural area, the store may only be able to service a 15- or 20-mile radius.

What Size Grocery Order Do You Need to Make Delivery Worth It?

When getting groceries delivered, the size of your order determines if it is worth it for you or the store.

Many grocery delivery services require a minimum amount to deliver groceries to you.

This minimum can be anywhere from $30 to over $100, depending on the service you use.

Many services offer special memberships.

For example, if you are an Amazon Prime member, one of the benefits includes discounts for in-store and online shopping at Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods.

Amazon Fresh does not charge a delivery fee on orders above $35.

Does Grocery Delivery Cost Extra?

The rates of delivery fees may vary and here is a general overview:

Instacart Grocery Delivery Costs

Instacart delivery fee starts at $3.99.

This fee pertains to same-day orders over $35.

You must also pay an additional fee that helps with the app’s operating costs.

This service fee is relative to the amount of your grocery order.

If you need your order fast, you can pay an additional $2 – $4 for a Priority fee that gives you a shorter delivery window.

A long-distance fee applies on store orders that are 30-60 minutes from your home.

Uber Eats Grocery Delivery Costs

The fees for Uber Eats depends on the restaurant.

You can check their delivery fee before you place your order.

They usually start at $1.99 with an additional cost per mile to cover gas.

There is also a 10% service fee.

Shipt Grocery Delivery Costs

The cost of Shipt is fairly reasonable for what you get.

For Shipt you will pay a $7 delivery fee on orders less than $35 if you have a membership.

With a membership, the delivery fee is $10 per order along with service fees.

Drink wisely with Shipt.

When you order alcohol, expect a $7 alcohol fee.

Peapod Grocery Delivery Costs

A delivery fee with Peapod depends on the number of groceries you need.

The fee goes down as your order increases.

For example, while you will pay $9.95 delivery for the minimum order of $30, you will pay $7.95 for a $75 grocery order.

Do you think you will frequently have $100 grocery bills with Peapod? If so, you may want to sign up for the PodPass.

A $119 annual membership grants you free delivery on any order over $100.

How Can You Pay for Grocery Delivery?

Most grocery delivery services accept credit cards as a form of payment.

In some cases, you can pay with a gift card as well.

In addition to paying for the order on your app or the website, many grocery delivery services allow you to tip the driver separately.

So, you can wait until a satisfactory delivery to tip the driver after delivery.

Paypal has also become a popular payment method for online grocery orders.

If you have a Paypal account, you can use your credit or debit card that way.

What Payment Methods Are Not Accepted?

Most delivery services do not accept cash or checks as payment.

You will need to use a guaranteed form of payment like a credit or debit card to finalize an order at checkout.

How To Sign Up for Grocery Delivery

Instacart Sign Up Steps:

1. Go to Instacart.com on your Desktop
2. Click the green “Sign Up” button in the upper right corner
3. Enter your email and create a password (or link with social media)
4. Download app to your mobile device

Uber Eats SignUp Steps:

1. Go to Ubereats.com
2. Enter your email address and phone number
3. Create a password
4. Wait for SMS verification
5. Enter payment info. You can enter several payment options and highlight your preferred one.

Shipt SignUp Steps:

1. Go to Shipt.com on your Desktop
2. Enter your full name, email address, and password (create one)
3. Enter delivery address
4. Select from stores you want to shop at

Peapod Sign Up Steps:

1. Download the app
2. Enter your email and payment information
3. Enter zip code

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP-viIoLndE

Do I Have To Home For The Delivery?

For regular grocery delivery, you do not need to be at home.

Use the “Contactless delivery” or “Leave at Door” option just as you can for a restaurant order.

However, if you order anything with an age restriction like alcohol, you will have to be present.

Whenever you order anything perishable, it is a good idea to not leave your items on the step too long.

While your personal shopper will wrap cold products in special cooler envelopes, try to time those types of deliveries close to your arrival time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Online Grocery Shopping Makes Life Easier

In summary, you no longer have to fight crowds every weekend to stock your kitchen.

You can get groceries delivered the same day – sometimes within an hour or two.

Multiple services are available to order groceries online, including Amazon Fresh, Instacart, UberEats, Shipt, and Peapod.

 As you review this list, find a store or app that you like and quickly sign up in a matter of minutes.