Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Grocery Delivery Service Instacart Reviewed

Easy App For Grocery Delivery

I would like to review an App today that assists you in grocery delivery to your door that is easy to use and affordable. In this trying time, many of you reading this are under orders to stay at home except for essential trips that you need to make. Well, getting groceries is essential but when you fall into the age group that is vulnerable it might be that it isn't the safest trip to make. 

grocery delivery
Grocery Delivery Made Easy
First, I would like to be transparent and let you know that my recommendation for this service is not something that I will earn any money on. It isn't paid for by the company nor am I given any kind of credit for it's recommendation. I am doing it as a public service to offer an option to our readers for not having to leave the safety of their homes to get food. I am also hoping that if just one person decides to use it that I have given someone the opportunity for employment. With millions of people unemployed at the moment, a job like this might be just what they need.


Not All Delivery Services Are The Same


To your door delivery service for groceries isn't new, many areas have had one or another available for a while. Some are easier to use than others. Some are more costly than others. Currently with the demand as it is, some are almost impossible to order from. My daughter has used Shipt for over 18 months. She loved it until recently. With more people using the app, she found that every time she tried to order a delivery that all of the shopping slots were filled for days ahead. I tried to sign-up for it to use in the area that my 87 year old father lives in but it wasn't available there yet. 

I tried to use the Walmart App to order groceries to be delivered to my Dad but finally gave up. It was easy to place things in the virtual cart but after that it became very frustrating. You have the option of home delivery or pick-up with their service. The rub comes in when you are ready to place the order. They only got 48 hours out...in other words if they are booked up for the next 48 hours you can't order the things you need for delivery OR pick-up. I think it is wonderful that so many people are using the service so that they can comply with social distancing and staying at home but when you need groceries delivered or are willing to pick them up at the curb, well, this wasn't much help. 

So, I looked for other options. I mentioned my father is 87. He really shouldn't be out risking exposure but the thing is, neither should I. My age falls into that vulnerable area, too. I did find a solution that was good for both of us. The app is called Instacart. You will need to download it to your phone in order for it to work the best. The app is free so no problem there. There is a small fee for using the app but it is less than $4. Another fee is added on that amounts to 5% of your grocery total and you have the option to leave a tip for your shopper. 

Depending on your area, there will be different places that your shopper can shop for your groceries. For my Dad's area there were two well known grocery stores, a bulk type retailer and a pharmacy. I chose one of the grocery stores and began to add items to the virtual cart. Once I had all of the items that Dad needed, I proceeded to the next step. It gave me possible delivery times for that day and several days into the future. I liked that! So, I opted for a time and day for his items to be delivered, filled in the payment options and closed the app. Easy, peasy, lemon squeezey!

OK, so delivery day arrives. Dad's order was supposed to be delivered between 10 AM and Noon on that day. At 9:23 AM, I got a message telling me that my shopper was at the store and working on the order. Cool beans! It showed me his avatar which I thought was neat. Anyway, as he worked his way through the aisles, I would get a message through the app that they were out of something and he gave me an option for a substitute. I had the option to approve or decline. I must say, his choices were spot on as a substitute. There were only 3 things that needed to be changed. When he was finished, the app let me know that he was done and that the groceries would be delivered at Dad's door at 11:05 AM. I called Dad to let him know they were on the way. At exactly 11:05, the app let me know that the shopper was there. Bingo! That was so easy! The frozen and refrigerated items were brought in a thermal container to keep them at the proper temperature, too. The shopper was so sweet to my Dad. He let Dad take the thermal container in, remove the items and place it back out the door. He waited patiently because Dad moves kind of slow. 

Was I pleased? You bet! Will I use it again? You bet! I loved that everything went through the app. The shopper could contact me and I could answer through the app. At the end of the transaction, I was given the total that would be charged to Dad's card with a breakdown of what was charged. A virtual receipt. It was so easy and very pleasant to use. 

I highly recommend this particular app for grocery delivery if it is available in your area. It might even be an opportunity for employment for full or part-time work if you are looking for something like that. It is turning out to be a blessing for me and my sweet father.






Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


7 comments:

  1. Bev, excellent review on Instacart. My daughter has used Instacart for a couple of years. She would order groceries from work and then they would be delivered right after she got home. She has always been pleased.
    I have used them a couple of times when I was not able to get out and I too was very pleased.

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  2. Good review of a service that is becoming vital, especially to those who cannot easily get out or are housebound for any reason.

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  3. Wow! What a great recommendation based on actual experience. I wonder if your Dad's delivery guy would be willing to travel to Tennessee :) I have tried our local store delivery. I had to wait 5 days. It was extremely disappointing for us because they only thing the shopper brought were the sodas. None of the groceries that were available on the day I placed the order were there when she actually shopped for them days later. That was not cool since I had the pay the $9.95 delivery fee for something we easily could have done without. Therefore, I won't be using our local store's service again. I think my biggest disappoint about that whole experience was the loss of time. I could have done something completely different.

    I'm so glad Instacart worked for you! I have wondered if they would be worth trying. After the store delivery experience, I have been hesitate to try anything else. I'll see if I can load their app on my ipad and give them a try. Thank you!

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  4. What a perfect time to review this Bev. We used them last week for the first time because we didn't want to go into any crowded stores. A fantastic service, we were very pleased. My son delivers for Instacart, he works when he wants to, and makes pretty good money doing so. He has made up to almost $500.00 in one week even before all of this started. Thanks!

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  5. So glad to hear that Instacart is still working well. I will be using this app for my mother and myself as well. We also fall into all those categories that are at risk. So this will be so helpful to my mother and myself. Thanks for giving me the heads up on a service that works well.

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  6. I've been wondering whether I should try this. So far I've been blessed that my younger neighbor across the street offers to pick up what I need when she shops. Thanks for this helpful review based on your own experience. Hearing from someone I know is telling the truth gives me more confidence to try something new.

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  7. Sounds like an excellent app. Wonder if it's applicable in Canada? We have grocery delivery services here but right now the delivery dates take a week - so I've avoided them. You're right, they're great to order food for the elderly. You have me wondering if there's a service in my mom's area now. Thanks for the heads up on this app.

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