Groceries to go: How curbside pickup, home delivery services check out

SOUTH JORDAN — With four kids at home, daily life for Liz Larsen can get a little hectic.

“Especially because two of them are teenage boys,” said Larsen, “who always have their friends over.”

Keeping kids and their friends fed means grocery shopping. A lot of it.

“I think if you ask around, grocery shopping is one of the most arduous chores of running a household,” said Larsen. “Especially if you have kids you have to take. It can be something you dread.

Like more and more Utahns, Larsen now does much of her grocery shopping online.

The curbside pickup and home delivery services claim they help save time and money and get you the freshest foods.

CLICKLIST

Larsen uses Smith’s ClickList. One reason: she can shop anytime without the kids knowing, and that means far fewer wallet-busting treats like candy, chips and cookies.

“Usually, when I go to the grocery store, I’m there with my kids who’re saying, ‘Can we get this, can we get this.’  So, if I can just put what I need in the online cart, I don’t have to worry about impulse purchases and that saves a lot,” explained Larsen.

She also likes that she can find and use coupons with just a couple clicks.

“I’m not usually a coupon clipper, but when they’re right there for you, and you can see what coupons they have for your specific shopping needs, why wouldn’t you?” she asked.

After completing her list, Larsen schedules a pick up time. During her window, she pulls into a designated parking spot, and the store will bring the groceries right out to her car.

She and her young daughter, Ellie don’t even need to get out.

“She just sits in the back,” remarked Larsen. “She’s just as happy as a lark. And, so am I.”

The extra fee for this service came to $4.95.

SHOPHERO

Jenny Curtis of Day’s Market in Provo pulls orders for their online customers. They’ve teamed up with another delivery service available in Utah County called ShopHero.

“Every customer is different and they all want something a little bit different,” said Curtis.

With their online orders, customers can specify just how ripe they like their bananas. Or, what exact cut of meat they want.

If an ordered item isn’t in stock, Day’s makes substitutions.

“If it’s something that’s a big change, we always call them to let them know what they’re getting to see if that’s OK,” Curtis said. “We don’t want them to pay for something they didn’t want to get originally.”

ShopHero’s Brian Low says most users of his service either can’t make it out of the home, are busy moms and dads of young families or millennials.

“People who are younger, love using their phones and technology and just saving that time,” said Low.  “We’ve seen that starting to grow as they become familiar with the idea.”

A delivery order from Day’s Market and ShopHero typically tacks on $9.99 in fees to the tab.

INSTACART

Grocery delivery giant Instacart also does the shopping for you, in addition to home delivery. They’ll go to Costco, Sprouts and several other stores.

KSL tested Instacart on its delivery for Smith’s.

KSL News Specialist Debbie Dujanovic bought 17 items, leaving instructions for some, including no green bananas and no mushy avocados.

Debbie’s test found delivery can take time. She needed to be home during a one hour window. Some stores require two. A last minute email notified Debbie her delivery would be up to 45 minutes late, consequently pushing her window to an hour and 45 minutes.

Just for comparison sake, Debbie tested how long it would take her to drive to the same store and shop for the same 17 items.  The total time was 23 minutes.

For Debbie, the biggest downside was the inability to handpick her own produce or meat. While the avocado was just fine, she found the asparagus too thin and the spinach too wilted for her taste.

But when Debbie contacted Instacart about the change in delivery times and poor produce picks, the firm responded with an apology and an offer of a $10 credit or free delivery on her next order.

And like other services, Instacart does substitutions. In this case, the store brand salami Debbie ordered wasn’t available. Instead, she got a name brand product for the same cost.

The normal fee for an Instacart delivery from Smith’s is $11.95, but since this delivery was Debbie’s first order, it was free.

BOTTOM LINE

While curbside pickup or home delivery is convenient, it may not eliminate your need to go to the store completely.

Larsen still runs to the market for perishable staples like milk and bread that can run out in between her grocery pickups. But she calls online grocery shopping, life changing.

“It has made my life so much easier. I don’t know why any anybody wouldn’t do it.”

When it comes to the cost of the food, KSL’s side-by-side comparison found there’s not much difference between delivered items and the same items bought inside the store.  The online tab was just 20 cents less.

But when you consider the extra fees, grocery pickup or delivery will shrink your monthly grocery budget, unless you’re avoiding those impulse buys.