Author Topic: grocery delivery  (Read 5119 times)

gaiusbaltar

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grocery delivery
« on: October 02, 2014, 10:03:21 AM »
Hi, long-time MMM reader here, new to the forum. I assume grocery delivery has been discussed a good bit on this forum, but I wanted to add my experience.

My wife and I have one car, so it's easy for us to drive to the grocery store every two or three weeks. (i know you're thinking we should be biking, etc. but trust me the route is not bike-friendly.) Anyway, we both have fairly stressful jobs, and our last several trips to walmart have been particularly unpleasant (long lines, crying/yelling children, products out of stock, etc.). So we finally decided to "pay for the convenience" of grocery delivery. (The service in our city is Peapod.) So we filled up our online cart and checked out, and it gave us options for when we would like our delivery to arrive. Some of these delivery windows are discounted, so if you're a bit flexible with your time and you're willing to order your groceries a couple days before you need them, you can get very low delivery fees. Our last delivery cost us less than $2 (how is this company surviving?!) plus we tipped the delivery guy $3. That's probably about the same cost as a drive to the grocery store - only instead of it taking almost two-hours and being stressful, it takes five or ten minutes in the comfort of our home.

So we're getting much more convenience at no extra cost. I only wish we'd known this when we moved here three years ago.

The only real downside is that the online selection is a bit smaller than the in-store selection for some reason. But if you're not picky, then it's not a big deal.

So for those of you with a local grocery delivery service, it's worth looking into their prices - it might be cheaper than you expect.

1967mama

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Re: grocery delivery
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2014, 10:21:02 AM »
I wondered if it might save money in the long run, as you really do "stick to your list" and don't buy any extras since you aren't physically present in the store?

Unfortunately the only stores that deliver in my area are the fancy grocery stores so I just can't justify the added cost, which ends up being much more than just the delivery fee if $7.95.

AJ

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Re: grocery delivery
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2014, 10:33:30 AM »
(how is this company surviving?!)

I could be wrong, but I thought the main profit for these types of services was a slight mark-up on the price of each item. So rather than paying 1.99 for a bag of chips, you pay 2.39 (or something like that). That being said, I do something similar using Amazon Subscribe and Save. It is slightly more expensive than going to Walmart, but it is sooooo worth not having to go into that store.

rocksinmyhead

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Re: grocery delivery
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2014, 10:35:27 AM »
seems like this could potentially be the inverse of Bob Werner's recent post, "Things you thought would be frugal but aren't"... "Things you thought would be exploding volcanoes of wastefulness but may not be" :)

JPinDC

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Re: grocery delivery
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2014, 10:37:34 AM »
I've also used a service called InstaCart here in DC - referral link for $10 off your first order: http://inst.cr/t/xaP7fr

Their grocer choices depend on your area (according to their site, they're in: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Boulder, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose, Seattle & Washington D.C. areas), but I can choose from Costco, Safeway, Harris Teeter, or Whole Foods. I only use it occasionally, but I think you're right 1967mama that I'm more likely to not buy extras by doing it this way. Also, you can shop at Costco without a card and have beer and wine delivered! Delivery is free for the first order and I think something like $3-5 after that.

They don't follow sales from the store, but they deliver on short notice and I've always been pleased with produce and meat that they've picked.

gaiusbaltar

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Re: grocery delivery
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2014, 11:05:49 AM »
Unfortunately the only stores that deliver in my area are the fancy grocery stores so I just can't justify the added cost, which ends up being much more than just the delivery fee if $7.95.

That's a good point. In my case, the deliveries come from Stop'n Shop which is just a bit more expensive than walmart.

(how is this company surviving?!)

I could be wrong, but I thought the main profit for these types of services was a slight mark-up on the price of each item. So rather than paying 1.99 for a bag of chips, you pay 2.39 (or something like that). That being said, I do something similar using Amazon Subscribe and Save.

I don't think there's a per-item mark-up because the prices seem reasonable, and they even have little red flags marking products that are on sale. But, next time I actually go to Stop'n Shop, I'll compare.

One way Peapod might be making money is by taking a small share of the sale from Stop'n Shop I guess.

seems like this could potentially be the inverse of Bob Werner's recent post, "Things you thought would be frugal but aren't"... "Things you thought would be exploding volcanoes of wastefulness but may not be" :)

Exactly :)

Frizhand

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Re: grocery delivery
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2014, 11:12:15 AM »
I agree with AJ.  I'd double check the prices closely.  I also think Peapod is owned/run by Stop and Shop, not a separate company. 

gaiusbaltar

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Re: grocery delivery
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2014, 11:21:37 AM »
I agree with AJ.  I'd double check the prices closely.  I also think Peapod is owned/run by Stop and Shop, not a separate company. 

Will do. Like I said, based on our circumstances, we're willing to pay for the convenience, even if the price turns out not to be negligible. But if I get any more accurate info on price comparisons, I'll post it here.

Of course, the much bigger benefit would be if grocery delivery enabled you to get rid of you car. We're not quite in that situation, but we've thought about it.

Chrissy

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Re: grocery delivery
« Reply #8 on: October 02, 2014, 06:33:43 PM »
I'm a Peapod user, and have found that the prices are comparable to the nearby grocery stores.  I don't have a car, and I loathe grocery shopping, so, for me, it's the BEST!  I bought one of the delivery passes which makes it even cheaper.

sheepgetlambs

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Re: grocery delivery
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2014, 08:47:38 AM »
If you have an Aldi in your area you can save both time and money. No coupons= time saved. No mulling over which brand/size is the best deal=time saved. (Overall fewer choices= time saved and MUCH less stress.) No huge parking lot to navigate= time saved. Lower prices on virtually everything than what I can find elsewhere (we boycott Walmart so I can't speak to that)= money saved. For our family of four I spend 10-15 minutes making a meal plan/grocery list on Sunday evening. Monday is errand day because I need to use the car for other things as well that day. Time from arriving to the Aldi parking lot until I am finished shopping and driving out of the parking lot is about 25 minutes. This has gone down as I have learned the store. It used to be about 10 minutes longer. Some weeks my time is as short as 13 minutes. (It's a personal goal of mine to minimize time in the grocery store.)
I spend anywhere from $25-$75 per week buying food there. Usually it's about $40. This includes the foods for packed lunches. About every other month we stop at a huge independent store to buy meat, which is repackaged and frozen once we get it home. We buy milk in plastic bags from the gas station near our house, which saves us 30 cents per gallon and an additional dollar every ten gallons. We can walk or bike there but mostly just run in when we're doing other errands. That trip takes about 3 minutes, parking lot arrival to parking lot departure.
Total time spent planning for and acquiring food, not including driving time because I always combine errands=40 minutes per week, Maximum. All this while saving lots of money. Our food budget went way down once we learned how to shop at Aldi.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!