Friday Favorites: Grocery Pickup and Delivery

During the pandemic, so many things were different.  Things we took for granted were put on hold.  We had to make adjustments and changes to how we did things. 

When I stopped leaving the house to protect myself, my family and others - I started using grocery curbside pickup and delivery services.  I tried several , and - as is true with most things - some were more trouble than they were worth, some were pretty good, and some were fantastic.  

Grocery Delivery

My least favorite of the delivery services tried was Shipt for Target.  The delivery arrived promptly and went well enough.  The only issue I had was that the delivery person stated several times she was unable to contact me in order to inform me of unavailable items and that I needed to update my contact info.  However when I would check my profile, the information was correct.  With this being the most expensive of the grocery services I sampled - it was an easy decision to stop using Shipt and depend on the others.

I have two favorites of the delivery providers.  Instacart for Aldi and Amazon Prime WholeFoods have been top-notch in my experience.  (Instacart also provides curbside pickup for Aldi, and we'll get to that in a minute.) 

My Whole Foods deliveries were free through Amazon Prime with a minimum order.  Instacart delivery had a low delivery fee and a minimum order, although they also offer Instacart Express where you can pay a flat fee and get free deliveries for the term of your membership.    

With both services, I was always able to get a quick delivery time.  The shoppers were quick to message me with options when an item I had ordered was unavailable.  I was pleased with the produce selections made.  Deliveries were left neatly on my doorstep as requested. I have used both services several times and will definitely continue to do so.  

Grocery Curbside Pickup

I tried the Walmart Pickup a couple of times, and it went well.  But then it became impossible to get a pickup time.  So, that was that.

My very favorite has been the Target Drive-up Pickup.  It's tricky when it comes to grocery items, most perishables are not available for pickup.  But for household, pantry and personal / health and beauty items this is my top pick.  My orders are ready for pick up within a few hours.  Unlike the grocery delivery services, there's no option for replacing those unavailable items, but it has only been a couple of times that an item I requested was out of stock.  

The Instacart Curbside pick up at Aldi has also been a good experience.  The Aldi employee doing the shopping has been extraordinarily helpful.  They have confirmed items with me if there is any question (such as the size/quantity I requested), and I am able to approve any chances if there is an item out of stock.  We did once  have an issue with a glitch in the app during pick up.  After checking in and waiting several minutes,

we received a message to pick up our order inside the store.  But when the Man of the House went inside, the store employee kept telling him that he needed to check in on the app.  You know... like we had already done.  Once she finally contacted the employee doing the shopping, it was cleared up quickly and our order was brought to the car.  

Honorable Mentions

PetSmart has been offering curbside pickup for their order online-pickup in store feature.  It is a bit tedious, because you have to call the store when you arrive and go through the whole automated system to talk with an actual person to have your order brought out to the car.  But it's worth it to avoid going in the store any more than absolute necessary!

When my local library closed, I admit I had a tiny panic attack.  No books?? Unspeakable!  (Sure, there was digital library, but still...)  Fortunately, they also offered curbside pickup!  Put a book on hold through the website, they let you know when it's available, you drive up, call them, give them your name and library card number and they bring it right out. 

What are some of your favorite services you made use of during the Covid-19 pandemic?