I heart Instacart!

Since August I have ordered groceries from the online delivery service Instacart more than 10 times. Crazy, right? Not at all. I am absolutely thrilled with their service and here’s why:

Choice

I can choose from among several stores. Not just big box stores like Costco and Target and supermarkets like Safeway and Whole Foods, but also smaller local stores like Rainbow Grocery that offer lots of bulk ingredients. 

Price

For most of the stores, the prices are exactly the same as they are in the store! 

Service

The service is amazing. You can not only track your order, but chat in real time with the shopper who is shopping for you. If they can’t find the item you want, they get in touch immediately with suggestions for replacements that you can approve. Also if you decide you want more or less of something or if you forgot an item or can’t find it in the database you can communicate that too. 

Accuracy

They get my orders right, which not something I experienced when I tried ordering directly from a supermarket unfortunately. 

Time

It’s a huge time saver for me to be able to skip going to the store. Of course, I do still go to the farmers market and shop for some things like fresh produce, but there are many items I really don’t need to personally pick out such as eggs, dairy products and cleaning supplies.

Convenience

I love being able to not just shop, but comparison shop at multiple stores to see who has the best prices on items I want to purchase. In the time it takes me to make a list, I can place an order online. The detailed receipts are also extremely helpful when I’m creating recipes for clients and need to keep track of my expenses. Last but not least, no looking for parking, no waiting in line to check out and no schlepping heavy bags of groceries.The groceries come right to my front door (up two flights of stairs).

The Instacart website, iPhone app and iPad app are super easy to use and after just a few deliveries I was sold. I gladly paid $99 for an Instacart Express membership and now get free delivery within 2 hours for any purchase over $35 (good for one year). Want to try it? Use this link and get $10 and free delivery to try the service.

Do they deliver near you? So far they are operating in California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington. But you can check with your zip code.

Disclaimer: I was not paid to write this post although I do get a tiny credit towards my account if someone signs up using the link provided.