Too Busy to Hit the Grocery Store? There's an App for That

With new apps like Instacart and Postmates, clicking your way to a full fridge has never been more convenient.
Stacked products in open fridge

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Stacked products in open fridge

Photo by: moodboard

moodboard

Stacked products in open fridge

We break down the eight best options for ordering groceries on the go (or in your pajamas). You may never step foot in a grocery store again.

Walmart To Go (Denver, San Francisco and San Jose, Calif.)

  • Delivery Fee: $5 to $7
  • Order Minimum: $30
  • Inside Info: Unlike the other delivery services, there's no dedicated app yet because it's still in testing — but prices tend to be a bit lower across the board compared to other online options.

AmazonFresh (Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle)

  • Delivery Fee: $299 annual fee (averages out to $6/order for 50 trips)
  • Order Minimum: $35
  • Inside Info: Partners with local stores to offer 500,000 everyday essentials, from milk to electronics. Place your order by 10am and have it by dinner, or order by 10pm and have it by breakfast the following day. Available in select zip codes as a 30-day free trial of Prime Fresh.

Google Express (West LA, New York City, San Francisco and San Jose)

  • Delivery Fee: $4.99 (free for members)
  • Order Minimum: $15
  • Inside Info: Think pantry staples, not fresh food. Stores include Costco, Target, Fairway and Whole Foods. For a limited time, you can get three months of free same-day delivery with a trial membership (membership costs $95/year or $10/month).

Peapod (Chicagoland, Connecticut, D.C., Indianapolis, Maryland, Massachusetts, Milwaukee, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Rhode Island, Southeast Pennsylvania, Southeast Wisconsin, Southern New Hampshire and Virginia)

  • Delivery Fee: $6.95 to $9.95
  • Order Minimum: $60
  • Inside Info: One of the oldest online chains. Partners with Giant and Stop & Shop in some areas.

Fresh Direct (NYC metro area, New Jersey, Connecticut, Philadelphia and Delaware)

  • Delivery Fee: $5.99 (frequently runs promotions for free delivery)
  • Order Minimum: $30
  • Inside Info: Special focus on fresh produce, dairy, meat and seafood with plenty of local, organic options. Also offers their own line of prepared meals and sides. Just partnered with Foodily, a social recipe network, to launch Popcart — the first United States Web service that you use to browse recipes across more than 150 million food sites and blogs, and seamlessly add ingredients to a virtual shopping cart.

Instacart (Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Boulder, Chicago, Connecticut, Denver, D.C., Houston, LA, NYC, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle)

  • Delivery Fee: $3.99 to $9.99
  • Order Minimum: $10
  • Inside Info: Groceries on demand. Connects you with "personal shoppers" in your area who pick up and deliver your groceries from local stores, including Whole Foods Market, Costco, Kroger, The Food Emporium, Super Fresh and more. Orders arrive in as little as one hour.

Postmates (Austin, Boston, Chicago, D.C., LA, NYC, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle)

  • Delivery Fee: $5 and up (determined by the distance between pick-up/drop-off), plus a service fee (9 percent of the purchase price of your items).
  • Order Minimum: None
  • Inside Info: Similar to Instacart, but pricier, though you can also order meals from restaurants, office supplies or anything else you might need from a local store. No cash tips allowed (you can tip electronically via the app).

Safeway/Vons (Arizona, California, D.C., Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Virginia, Washington)

  • Delivery Fee: $9.95 to $12.95
  • Order Minimum: $49
  • Inside Info: The Wall Street Journal found this option to be more expensive than others, but it's still a lifesaver if you're under a time crunch and there are no other delivery services in your area. Same-day delivery if you order before 8:30am.

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