The need to save time triggered an influx of door-to-door grocery delivery services. Gary McLaughlin who is disabled relies on WeDeliverGroceries.com to refill his pantry.
We Deliver Groceries owner Chris Fleming says his company specializes in personalized customer service. Deliveries start at $16 in Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.
We recruited Adventures of Tampa Mama blogger, @TampaMama and mother of four Marisa Langford to test three online services that offer food at your door in 1 to 2 hours.
First up Instacart, we ordered 10 everyday items like milk, eggs and fruit. Instacart delivers goods from Publix, Whole Foods and Costco in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Fees range from $6 to $10 per delivery.
Next we logged onto Shipt which shops Publix. Customers pay a $99 annual membership or $14 a month fee.
Last we checked out Amazon Prime Now available to Prime members who pay $99 annually. They did not offer any produce and Amazon charges an extra $7.99 for one hour delivery but two hours or more is free.
All three delivered in under an hour and within minutes of each other. Every item arrived in great condition and well within the expiration dates.
Floridians can also take advantage of Google Express for $5 an order but in most cases delivery is next day.
No doubt these services save time but in the end they may cost you more. Some don't allow you to use store coupons and others charge more per item than the listed price to cover the cost of picking, packing and processing.
