[Sarah]

Grocery delivery options!
Give me your best advice for grocery store delivery services (such as Instacart and Walmart+), please!

There seem to be tons of options so I’m looking for input from those who have tried many. Which is the best bang for the buck?

I *know* the cheapest option is to go ourselves, but 2 full time working parents with 2 young kids doesn’t always allow that.

We already occasionally use meal delivery services (Hungryroot and Daily Harvest) so not looking for input on those.

Simply the best option(s) for buying my time back by having someone else shop and deliver my staples, while staying FI-minded.

Thank you!

[Mee]

Walmart pickup worked well for me in the past if it is on your way home. They don’t charge extra but you skip the shopping.

[Danny]

Kroger delivery. We don’t have Kroger stores but the delivery and app is great

[Linda]

If you have Stop & Shop in your area you can place a pick-up order for just $4.99, no tips accepted.

I order everything but meat and produce. Then go to the store, shop for meat and produce, and return to the car to get my pick up order.

You can do the same at Target, with no fee at all, but with fewer meat and produce options.

[Katy]

I love walmart+ delivery. The app remembers your favorites so when you Google cheese you see what you really want first and don’t have to wade through every option.

There are lists and favorites you can save if you order similar things each time, or even over time.

There are recipes and/or meal ideas that make easy to shop for although it always takes me a minute to find actual recipes vs prepared meals.

Just be careful of what it recommends and review it or you may end up with the slightly wrong thing or a new container of a spice when you just need a tsp and already had it at home anyway.

Free shipping is also nice when a particular thing is out of stock.
We’ve only had an order canceled once, and issues leading to returns or refunds have always been handled promptly.

[Tammy]

I’ve only used grocery delivery for vacation, but I’ve used curbside pickup at our local store (H-E-B) for no charge.

It’s also quick and easy to copy a past order and add/delete items as needed.

I suspect the “best” local delivery is area specific..

[Maria]

I have the In Home Walmart + that includes no tipping. The first tier of membership is paid by my Amex Gold Business.

I also get free Paramount and .10 off per gallon of gas at Murphy’s, Sam’s and Mobil (I think).

I can’t remember the last time I shopped in a grocery store.

[Laura]

Walmart plus is great. They do not up charge. Just pay tip. Downside is a lot of fresh produce is always ‘not available’ like bananas or strawberries.

For everything else it’s great.

You also get a free Paramount + sub which my kids use

[Bill]

We tried several during the pandemic and all were fine, but had the same basic flaw.

We mostly eat fresh fruits and vegetables. The person pulling your order obviously isn’t going to take the time to pick the best looking produce and is never going to say “the peaches smell great today, get those instead of the pears.” We ended up with way more food waste.

If you are just getting stuff like cereal and toilet paper, all of them seemed to do that just fine.

[Wendy]

I’ve been happy with Giant direct. They’re very reliable and seem reasonable compared to third-party service.

[Jenny]

Not sure if you have harris teeter, but you can do curbside pickup for free.

[Sarah]

Walmart plus but be warned this can be highly dependent on where you live/how good the staff are at that store.

If you order something on insta cart, it may come late but if it does come much later than the time you were given, you’ll be given credit/ small refund at least. With Walmart there’s no consequences for a late delivery.

I’ve had deliveries not show up for days despite calling the store directly and also calling customer service who couldn’t get anyone in the store on the phone.

They offered me a refund plus a $15 credit to use. That was in Memphis TN.

Frankly the quality of workers you get there aren’t great, min wage in TN is still $7.25/h so no surprise nobody’s flocking to work hard at Walmart there.

But I’ve had better luck since moving somewhere nicer.

[Becca]

We get Walmart+ free with Amex platinum. It’s been so great, I would gladly pay the monthly fee if we didn’t get it free. Lots of options for free shipping on stuff you order shipped.

The grocery delivery is fast and easy, delivery is within a 2 hour window. I usually tip $5 as we live 10 min from the store.

I’m a happy user online ordering for groceries, using pick up at other stores or delivery.

I know lots of people dislike online grocery shopping, but it works well for me.

I add things to my cart as we run out of them, or I can meal plan and make a list at night once my kids are in bed.

[Kami]

Walmart+ was 50% off on black Friday and it comes with free Paramount plus, so it was a no brainier.

Their produce isn’t the best, but the convenience is worth it.

[Author]

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