I’ve Started Using Prime Now For Grocery Delivery And Here’s What I Think

I’ve Started Using Prime Now For Grocery Delivery And Here’s What I Think

This may be more a millennial thing, but I hate going to the grocery store.  Particularly living in a city, it’s always a pain to go.  I have yet to find a time where the stores are not crowded, and it just becomes very annoying to go every week to get groceries.

So as grocery delivery services started to really take off, I was pretty happy.  It’s much easier to schedule a delivery for shortly after getting home from work and focus on doing other things that would otherwise be occupied by grocery shopping.

Other Delivery Services

Peapod

In the past, I’ve relied on Peapod and Instacart.  While they are relatively convenient, every time I ordered from Peapod, there were issues.  It was completely normal for my deliveries to be late — oftentimes stretching an hour or two later than my delivery window.  On top of that, on almost every order I had items missing that I’d then have to contact them to get a refund.  That kind of started defeating the purpose of convenient.  I always had to ensure the order was at a time I could be home an extra hour or too just in case.  On top of that, going through customer service took as much time if I just went to the store.

Instacart

That led me to Instacart, which is a service that works with many different stores.  Unlike Peapod, they don’t give as many free delivery coupons.  However, they regularly had deals where if you spent a certain amount on certain products, you got free delivery.  Similar to Peapod, there were normally items that the shopper forgot to get from my list.

On top of that, I once saw a receipt from the shopper.  The receipt showed the actual cost of the shopping, which was significantly less than what I actually paid Instacart.  When I contacted the company about it, they said it’s their policy to not include receipts to customers because they have different prices with the vendors.  It seemed grimy to me because I was then paying a fee to Instacart as well as paying a premium on the groceries.

Prime Now

Last month, I started using the service when I saw it is available in the Washington, D.C. metro area.  After four orders, I haven’t had a single item missing, and it’s always been on time.  Even better, it’s always delivered at the beginning of the delivery window.  Keep in mind that an Amazon Prime subscription is required to be eligible to use Prime Now.

Free Delivery

The best part about Prime Now is that the delivery windows are free if you choose a 2-hour delivery window as long as I spend over $30.  That makes it affordable because the only added cost from getting delivery through Prime Now rather than going to the grocery store is the cost of adding a tip.  For the convenience, a 20 percent tip is well worth it.  The free delivery is my favorite component.

At the times I’ve ordered, I’ve seen fees between $3.99 and $5.99 in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.  I haven’t paid the fee because I have yet to need it delivered within an hour.  Delivery fees are based on the size of the order, according to the Prime Now website.

Cost Comparison

The prices are very comparable to what I paid through other grocery services.  While Whole Foods can sometimes have more expensive products, particularly in relation to organic produce and meats, the prices aren’t that different.  I’m paying around the same amount I would for a week’s worth of groceries.  That being said, the fresh produce I receive is better quality and lasts longer.  With other delivery services, I often faced getting produce that was nearly rotten.  That has not been the case with Prime Now.

Shopping Experience

When the shopper is going through the store, they have a live chat function that allows for them to talk to you.  This means if there is a need for a substitute item or an item isn’t available, they can let you know and you can inform them of another option or to take the item off the list.  Mostly, I have not needed to substitute very many items.  That’s also very different from my experience with other services.  Of my four orders, I only needed two substitutions.  You can also select substitutions with your order or choose to not substitute an item if it’s not available.  That’s a good option for somebody who won’t be available to chat with the shopper.

Bottom Line

I would definitely suggest trying this service if you’re new to grocery delivery or if you’re looking for a different company.  I really enjoy the service so far, and I’ve been impressed with the timeliness and quality of the products I receive.  It makes it significantly easier than going to the grocery store, and the only cost difference is leaving a tip.  I plan on using this service going forward.  You can check the Prime Now website to see if it’s available in your city.