Community Chat

[songbird]

When you go over to the instacart site, you can pick one supermarket or more then one.  My problem is this.  One supermarket "Giant" has a very wide supply of frozen meals, while another "Wegman" has wide variety of salads.  Neither store has both.  I'm not talking about what each store actually has, but what Instacart says what they have.  I assume they have a price barrier for free delivery.  I have one supermarket with over $65.00 in cost.  The other Wegman with less.  I can't go to the cart at the end, because I will be charged an extra $10.00 for not meeting the free delivery charge.  With Amazon Fresh, you don't have to signed to a different supermarket.  It's just one.  Instacart must be expensive.  You have to pay to join ($99.00 per year)  and have to pay hidden fees.  So what do you do if you want food from more then one supermarket?

[SilleeMee]

@Spurt 

We need your help here.

I'm a new IC customer and I have used it just one time at one store so I can't help. 

[bikerbabe]

I believe the $35 minimum applies to each location to avoid a delivery charge.

[GenXmuse]

Yes, you have to reach the threshold for $35 from each store for free delivery.  I'm often in the same boat as you though. 

[bikerbabe]

With Amazon Fresh someone is pulling your items from a warehouse. With Instacart, someone is pulling items at each store and then driving them to you so I can understand why there would be a minimum for each location. You can also speak to the person who is pulling your order via text if there are questions or substitutions.

Amazon Fresh stopped delivering here a long time ago.

[suzyQ3]

@songbird, that is exactly the problem I discovered today. And Amazon Fresh has no available delivery dates since I started checking.

I think we are going to have to go to the physical market once or twice a week and hope for the best. That is our only outing or than walking the dog.

[Spurt]

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@songbird wrote:

When you go over to the instacart site, you can pick one supermarket or more then one.  My problem is this.  One supermarket "Giant" has a very wide supply of frozen meals, while another "Wegman" has wide variety of salads.  Neither store has both.  I'm not talking about what each store actually has, but what Instacart says what they have.  I assume they have a price barrier for free delivery.  I have one supermarket with over $65.00 in cost.  The other Wegman with less.  I can't go to the cart at the end, because I will be charged an extra $10.00 for not meeting the free delivery charge.  With Amazon Fresh, you don't have to signed to a different supermarket.  It's just one.  Instacart must be expensive.  You have to pay to join ($99.00 per year)  and have to pay hidden fees.  So what do you do if you want food from more then one supermarket?

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@songbird  @SilleeMee  @bikerbabe 

There is a $35 min to avoid the delivery fee on Instacart per store.....

Dont forget your Amazon Prime Membership is $119 a yr ....and you have to have 35 orders or more to make it profitable....

Here's a comparison of Amazon Fresh VS Instacart from a Consumer Support Blog---Gigs Done Rigt

In this article, we will review two grocery delivery titans: Amazon Fresh vs Instacart.

What is Instacart?

Get groceries delivered in as little as 1 hour. Get free delivery for 14 days with Express only at Instacart.

Bottom line: Founded in 2012, Instacart is an American technology company valued at nearly $8 billion that operates as a same-day grocery delivery and pick-up service in the U.S. and Canada. You can have your groceries delivered in as little as one hour.

Instacart costs

• All orders have a minimum of $10 with no delivery fee if the order exceeds $35.
• Instacart has an optional membership called Instacart Express ($99 per year / $10 per month), with unlimited free deliveries on orders exceeding $35.
• Orders placed without an Instacart Express membership incur a service fee of 5 percent of the order total with the minimum service fee being $4.

Instacart pros

• One of the fastest grocery delivery services on the list and you can have your groceries delivered in as little as two hours, or you can pick them up at your local store.
• Instacart serves over 4,000 cities, delivers from over 15,000 stores and partners with more than 300 retailers.
• Instacart has the ability to chat with the shopper and real-time updates.

Instacart cons

• Many reviews state that the pricing may be higher than in-store retail costs and higher than Amazon Fresh.
• Many people claim that there are often missing items or poor substitutions.
• Many different fees to watch out for so the costs of using Instacart can quickly add up.
• Instacart uses a percentage-based service fee in place of list price markups, so the price can seem lower before you get to the checkout and see the fees get applied.

What is Amazon FreshAmazonFresh is a grocery delivery and pickup service in select cities. Prime members can get the benefits of AmazonFresh for an additional monthly membership fee of $14.99.

Bottom Line: AmazonFresh customers in select cities can shop for groceries, everyday essentials, favorites from local shops and restaurants, and more with AmazonFresh. AmazonFresh offers Attended Delivery and Unattended Delivery, with Pickup options in select cities. You can check to if its available in your area via their website......

Amazon Fresh costs

• Amazon Fresh is now FREE with your Prime membership. There is no longer an additional membership fee to get groceries delivered to your doorstep. It’s now another benefit that comes with your Prime membership. Prime is $119 per year or $12.99 per month.
• Additionally, delivery is free for orders of at least $35; orders of less than $35 have a $10 fee when choosing a 1-hour delivery window or $6 fee for a 2-hour delivery window.

Amazon Fresh pros

• If you are already an Amazon Prime member, you have access to Amazon Fresh.
• Delivery times are super fast as quick as two hours from the time you order.
• You can order essentially everything you can get from your local Whole Foods from Amazon Fresh.
• You almost never encounter unavailable items when using Amazon Fresh. Instacart may require you to substitute items in the event of unavailable items which can cause delays.
• Packaged foods like chips or snacks are 10% to 30% cheaper than Instacart prices.
• Amazon Fresh prices in most areas are on par with nationwide grocery prices. However, some items (such as meats and dairy) typically are higher priced and can lead to a more expensive bill compared to in-store grocery shopping. However, prices are generally lower than Instacart.

Amazon Fresh cons

• The minimum order to avoid a delivery fee is $35 per order.
• You may not be in a city that Amazon Fresh currently delivers to. Amazon Fresh delivers to shoppers in Boston, Baltimore, Seattle, Stamford, Philadelphia, Dallas, Chicago, New York Metro, Northern Virginia, London and parts of California and New Jersey.
• You can’t use digital or paper coupons with your order.

Amazon Fresh vs Instacart: Availability

Your choice in the Amazon Fresh vs Instacart battle can easily be decided if one of them doesn’t service your zip code.

Amazon Fresh services shoppers in shoppers in Boston, Baltimore, Seattle, Stamford, Philadelphia, Dallas, Chicago, New York Metro, Northern Virginia, London and parts of California and New Jersey. However, Amazon Fresh has shut down in cities it used to operate in. The only way to know if Amazon Fresh is available in your city is to check their website. 

Instacart is available in 4,000 cities in North America, more cities than Amazon Fresh.

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Winner for Availability: Instacart

Amazon Fresh vs Instacart: Grocery Stores

Now, who wants to use a grocery delivery service that doesn’t partner up with your favorite retailers like Costco, Kroger, or Target?

Amazon Fresh only works with Whole Foods, which means you can select from discounted Whole Foods’ 365 Everyday items to help on savings.

Instacart takes the cake by partnering up with so many more stores such as Walmart, Aldi, Kroger, H-E-B, CVS, Publix, Food Lion, Costco, Sams Club, Petco and more.

You can see more retail partnerships in the graphic below.

Image Source: CBInsights

Winner for Grocery Stores: Instacart

Amazon Fresh vs Instacart: Deals

Buying groceries can get expensive so you want a grocery delivery service that offers money-saving deals.

Both of Amazon Fresh and Instacart offer occasional promotional codes to use to save money on your order, which you can receive via email or through their social media pages.

In terms of membership and delivery fees, Instacart has the upper hand. As you can get same-day delivery or next-day delivery without any extra charges. Instacart has more membership options and an optional Express membership. Instacart wins in terms of membership options and fees.

Winner for Deals: Instacart

Amazon Fresh vs Instacart: Customer Service

You will find that you use any food delivery service sometimes an item will be out of stock or you will need to reach customer service to file a remedy an issue.

Having responsive and helpful customer service is always important.

Amazon Fresh offers live customer support and the messaging assistant can quickly solve many issues or direct you to the right person or place. You can also submit a few details about your issue and then someone will call you right away. Amazon is known for putting the customer first and is very lenient with refunds and credits.

Instacart also has key lines of support with its help line  email support  and in-app support.

Winner for Customer Support: Amazon Fresh

Which is Better?

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Having used both grocery delivery services, Instacart wins hands down.

While both of these companies get groceries delivered to your door, Instacart has a slight edge as the pricing and fees are better, and you don’t have to buy a membership to use it.

[GenXmuse]

I've been pleased with Instacart myself though we do not have Amazon Fresh in our city so I can't compare the two. 

Whole Foods delivers through Amazon and that has been an occasional option for me though unsurprisingly more expensive. Now if only Trader Joe's would deliver!

thank for posting all the information on the two, @Spurt it is very helpful. 

[Spurt]

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@GenXmuse wrote:

I've been pleased with Instacart myself though we do not have Amazon Fresh in our city so I can't compare the two. 

Whole Foods delivers through Amazon and that has been an occasional option for me though unsurprisingly more expensive. Now if only Trader Joe's would deliver!

thank for posting all the information on the two, @Spurt it is very helpful. 

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@GenXmuse 

You are welcome!

And Ive been pleased with Instacart too....I just make sure I spend over $35 and the service fee is not that much....and worth it to me anyway....

[Spurt]

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@SilleeMee wrote:

@Spurt 

We need your help here.

I'm a new IC customer and I have used it just one time at one store so I can't help. 

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@SilleeMee 

When I did mulitple stores PetCo and HEB BOTH orders were over $35....My cats' Advantage Flea protection with PetCo and of course my groceries with HEB....