Episode 76 Grocery Pickup or Delivery 101
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You may have been using grocery pickup for a long time, or maybe you just started recently because of social distancing. If you have never used it but were always wondering how it works, then this podcast is for you.
Marie outlines four of the major grocery delivery services in Wichita, Kansas. Many of these are available nationwide. If you have other services in your area, please tell us about them in the Feed Your Family Tonight Facebook group. We would also love to hear how well these services are working in your area.
What are the services available, how much do they cost, and how do they work?
Walmart- Pickup or Delivery
Walmart employees select the items. Delivery is done by a secondary provider like Door Dash.
There is no fee for pickup. Delivery has a $12.95 per month or $9.95 per order fee plus tip. 100% of tips paid online go to the driver.
You can choose which items you are willing to accept substitutions but you cannot give produce selection instructions.
Kroger Click List – Pickup or Delivery
Kroger employees select the items. You can leave instructions such as “I prefer large apples or I prefer green bananas.”
There is usually a $4.95 fee for pickup (As of publish date the fee is temporarily waved.) There is a fee for delivery which is done by a secondary provider.
You cannot tip at pickup but tipping is expected for delivery.
You can approve or deny substitutions at pickup.
Insatcart – Delivery
You are assigned a personal shopper who goes to the store/stores and hand selects your items. If you need to have substitutions, the personal shopper will text you options.
You can pay yearly $99.00, monthly, $9.99, or per order $3.99-$7.99.
You can get items from multiple stores in one order.
Items cost more through the website than they do in the store. (Think .20 to .30 per item.)
Tips are expected. The person delivering your items also took the time to go to the store, select your items, paid for the items and delivered them to you. 100% of tips goes to the shopper.
Shipt – Delivery
You are assigned a personal shopper who goes to the store/stores and hand selects your items. If you need to have substitutions, the personal shopper will text you options.
You can pay a yearly $99.00, or monthly, $14.00. Extra fees for orders under $30.00.
You can get items from multiple stores in one order.
Items cost more through the website than they do in the store. (Think .20 to .30 per item.)
Tips are expected. The person delivering your items also took the time to go to the store, select your items, paid for the items and delivered them to you. 100% of tips goes to the shopper.
Tipping
In most cases, tipping is not allowed for pickup items.
Tipping is expected for delivery items. If the store employees selected the items and the delivery was done by a second party 10% is a reasonable tip. If the personal shopper selected and delivered the items 10-20% is the customary tip.
Please keep in mind that the delivery and personal shoppers are taking a higher risk in this time of stay at home orders. Please tip generously. I have read reports from Instacart employees who have said there are times that they are making less than $10.00 per hour by the time they go to the store, select items, text about substitutions, wait in line to check out, load the groceries, and deliver them to you. It is a labor-intensive process.
Other Perks of using a delivery service
Shipt and Instacart can help you get items from stores that require memberships like Sams or Costco. If you have 1 or 2 items that you like from those stores, they can purchase and deliver to you allowing you to get the items without paying a membership fee.
