How to Get your Groceries Delivered to your Home (The 5 Best Delivery Apps 2020)

Using a grocery delivery service used to be viewed as a luxury expense. However, as the threat of Covid-19 only increases, delivery services are becoming more of a necessity every day. Here are our top ten grocery delivery services as well as a general how-to-guide for using these platforms.

How do grocery delivery apps work?

The concept is actually fairly simple. Instead of physically going to the grocery store and walking the aisles to pick out what you need, you will create a virtual grocery shopping list by building a “digital cart”. Through your phone or computer, you will be able to see what foods are available and select items to place in your cart. Once you are finished, you will set a delivery date. The delivery date can range from same-day delivery to a predetermined date usually within about a week’s timeframe.

At this point, your task is complete! When the correct delivery day approaches, a delivery service personnel will go to the store in person to complete your order and drive your fresh groceries directly to your doorstep!

Our top ten grocery delivery apps:

1. Instacart

Minimum Order: $10
Delivery Fee: Starts at $4 for non-members.
Membership: Optional, includes free delivery on all orders over $35 for $99/year or $10/month.

Perhaps the most popular grocery delivery app, Instacart is best described as the "Uber for Grocery Delivery". Personal shoppers will take the list you have created in the Instacart app and pick up what you need from the store. A great benefit of Instacart is how quickly they can turn around your order, sometimes in as little as an hour. Instacart also partners with multiple grocery stores and specialty stores so you can continue shopping at the places you love. Instacart allows users to order through their app or website.

2. Walmart Grocery

Minimum Order: $30
Delivery Fee: Up to $10
Membership: Optional, unlimited free delivery for $98/year

Walmart grocery has been making a big advertisement push recently for people to use their service. You may even remember a few of their commercials from the Superbowl. One of their recent initiatives is their membership plan which allows free delivery on all orders for only $98 a year. Walmart also offers free curbside pickup at a number of their locations across the country.

3. FreshDirect

Minimum Order: $30
Delivery Fee: Starting at $6
Membership: Optional DeliveryPass for unlimited free deliveries; $79 for six months or $129 a year.

While only available in NYC, Philadelphia, and Washington DC, members who use this service swear by it. One of the biggest benefits of FreshDirect is their large selection of high-quality meats and produce. You will need to order at least a day in advance from when you need your groceries but generally you will be able to get your groceries delivered within 24 hours.

4. Shipt

Minimum Order: $35
Delivery Fee: $7 for orders below $35
Membership: $99/year or $14/month

Shipt is a little bit different than traditional grocery delivery services, as it lets you choose items from a number of stores including CVS and Petco. The also have an exclusive partnership with Target if you need a quick Target fix! Shipt is available in over 200 cities in the US.

5. Peapod by Stop and Shop

Minimum Order: $60
Delivery Fee: Starting at $7, dependent on demand
Membership: Optional GO Pass for discounted deliveries is $12.95/month or $119/year

Peapod is Stop & Shops in-house delivery service. If you normally do your grocery shopping at Stop and Shop then this is a no brainer for you! As one of the original grocery store delivery services, Peapod has a pretty streamlined process that makes ordering and receiving your deliveries nice and easy.

While these are our current top 5 grocery delivery services, we also wanted to mention Amazon Fresh. Amazon Fresh is a great option for Amazon Prime members as it is included for free with your membership. Amazon Fresh gives users access to lots of fresh produce and pre-packaged goods, with some locations offering delivery service from Whole Foods. However, at this time, due to Covid-19, Amazon has announced that it will be placing all new Amazon Fresh customers on a wait list in order to catch up with their current demand. 

Happy online grocery shopping!