In 2018, I was eagerly awaiting availability; today, I have a grocery delivery update.
Delivery finally became available in my zip code just before the pandemic. Ordering was easy. It was a natural extension of the grocery pick-up I’d been doing for a couple of years. The first available service was Walmart. Next came Kroger® via Instacart®. Then Whole Foods Market entered the picture.
My first delivery order with Walmart went smoothly and the merchandise was consistent with my pick-up experience. Whether you choose Walmart, Instacart, or Whole Foods, the ordering experience is similar. Each interface has a feature that shows items previously ordered, allows for substitutions, and has a space for special delivery instructions. The look is different for each, and the items captured by a search will vary in range.
Walmart’s search captures a wider group of products than I would prefer. A search for gluten-free cereal yields many varieties that aren’t gluten-free. That’s annoying, but okay. I want search results to be wide. The problem is that the gluten-free items aren’t always grouped together at the top of the list. Instacart works similarly. Whole Foods captures items beyond gluten-free cereal but seems to group and prioritize better.
September 13, 2021 update: I feel compelled to note that Walmart recently updated its website. Now you must choose pickup, delivery, and (for most items) shipping for each item before you add it to the cart. It’s cumbersome. It’s easy to accidentally end up choosing multiple delivery methods. And it feels like there are less products available for delivery. I don’t know if there are fewer, but it seems that way. Because of additional delivery problems and this website update, I have subscribed to Imperfect Foods. My first order will be delivered this week. We’ll see how that goes.
Online shopping carts have taken the place of my grocery lists. When I recognize the need for an ingredient or cleaning product, I add it to the cart. I also add personal care products, flowerpots, potting soil, garden trellis, tools, hardware, RV supplies, and toys when shopping Walmart grocery delivery. At the end of the week, I review the cart and place my order.
Walmart, Whole Foods, and Kroger carry basic grocery items and store brands. And all three rotate through other offerings. During the pandemic, it’s sometimes been hard to tell if an item has been discontinued or will be back when inventory is available. We all experienced the shortages of toilet paper, paper towels, and disinfecting wipes. Laundry sanitizer, rice, beans, and other staples were also in sort supply. That has gradually improved.
But while some things have gotten better, the Walmart produce quality has continued to deteriorate to the point some items are now spoiled upon delivery. The good news is that my garden, the farmers market, and Whole Foods have filled the gap.
Whole Foods delivers cold food in insulated bags. Some frozen items come in additional wrapping. I recently threw away a pint of ice cream that was so well wrapped I missed it. (Oops.) Today, I received some pre-washed lettuce from Whole Foods that has some browning on the stems, but still smells fresh. The sugar snap peas and raspberries in my order are perfect.
Occasionally, I try ordering produce from Walmart to see if they have fixed the freshness problem, but last week, the stench of spoiled vegetables greeted me when I opened a bag of sugar snap peas minutes after they were delivered. I empathize with the difficulties working around a pandemic brings, but I’d rather not have to throw away food the minute it arrives at the door.
For the past month or two, I’ve been splitting each week’s groceries between Walmart and Whole Foods. I order the majority of my produce from Whole Foods along with Imagine Chicken Stock and raw nuts.* While I sometimes supplement with a Kroger order, those instances are limited. I don’t enjoy the voluminous number of texts included in the Instacart experience. I also feel like there are always more substitutions from Kroger.
There are rare exceptions, but most orders arrive within my chosen time frame no matter which store I choose. Walmart sometimes sends me surplus items or doesn’t deliver my whole order. I haven’t had this problem with Whole Foods or Kroger.
For the past year, I’ve relied on three vendors. I now have more options. Natural Grocers, The Fresh Market, Costco, and another locally owned franchise recently joined the mix of available delivery. Drugstore delivery choices have also multiplied along with discount and big-box warehouse stores.
I’m happy the choices are increasing because I like grocery delivery as much as I believed I would. It’s allowing me to stay in when the heat index is 110⁰ and that feels good.
For younger moms, it can mean shopping while the kids are asleep or working on virtual school. And it eliminates the need for putting a toddler in a hot car seat.
There are so many pluses to this service, grocery delivery will remain my primary means of shopping when in-person purchasing becomes safer. If you live in a location where it’s available, I recommend giving it a try.
*Raw nuts from Walmart are another item that’s become questionable. If I need a variety of gluten-free flours as well as nuts and/or dried fruit, I order from Nuts.com. My whole family gets excited when they see a bright colored bag from Nuts.com. It’s one place I can find dried mango and papaya without added sugar.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
