Should You Have Your Groceries Delivered?

You may recall, from other posts I’ve written, that my daughter moved a little over a year ago. When I go to visit her, I usually end up working as well as helping her with home improvement projects.

As I write this, I’m on a “girlfriends” trip to Nevada/California for a close friend’s birthday. I get back the day this post goes live. But I’ll be leaving again a few days later to visit my daughter and help her with some painting. That gives me just enough time to do laundry, work, and repack my suitcase.

It seems like I’m getting a bit off topic here. The point is that when life gets super busy like that you need to find shortcuts to help you out. For instance, my daughter’s schedule is crazier than mine, and she’s discovered grocery delivery as a time saver.

Have you ever wondered whether it’s worth it to pay to have your groceries delivered? Here are a few things to consider before deciding whether or not to pay for this service.

Should You Have Your Groceries Delivered?

Saves Time

Having your groceries delivered instead of having to shop for them yourself can save you a significant amount of time. Think about not only shopping time, but travel to and from the store and making buying decisions.

But once you’ve decided what you buy you still aren’t done. You may have to wait in line anywhere from 3 or 4 minutes to 15 minutes or more. Then you still have to take everything back out of your cart so it can be scanned and paid for.

After that, it’s sacking – either by you or someone else – and then loading everything into your car. Once you finally drive home you must lug all of your purchases into your house and put it away.

Most people average at least 45 minutes for just the shopping part per trip. Once you add up going to and from the store, waiting in line, and everything else it can add up to significantly more.

Take that figure and multiply it by at least 2. That’s the usual number of trips people make each week to buy their food and other items. Therefore, having your groceries delivered instead of shopping for them yourself could save you lots of time.

Yet, even if you have your groceries delivered, you must first choose the items you want to buy. Generally that’s done online and it will still take a certain amount of your time. But, it’s generally much less than walking around a store and selecting each item on your own.

Limits Hassle

Certainly you can already see that buying your own groceries is a hassle. I know it’s definitely not one of my favorite activities.

Of course, the buying process isn’t the only hassle you might encounter. There are also crowded stores, weather, traffic, and other situations that can add time and stress to your shopping experience. These are all good reasons to have your groceries delivered instead of shopping for them yourself.

Save Money

Believe it or not, having her groceries delivered actually saves my daughter money and lowers her food budget. If you’re scratching your head over that statement, here is her reasoning: Since she’s self-employed, she uses the extra time she saves to make money through her online business.

It makes perfect sense. She makes far more money per hour at her job than it costs to have her groceries delivered. Consequently, she comes out ahead by paying to have her groceries delivered.

That being said, there are times she has to do some of her own shopping. But, she makes those trips count and shops far less frequently by using a delivery service.

If the money offset isn’t enough to convince you to have your groceries delivered, here are a couple more benefits. By not going to the store herself, she doesn’t spend extra money on impulse buys. Instead, she’s better able to stick to her list, limit bad shopping habits, and save money. She also spends less money on gas for her car.

Drawbacks

Naturally, as with many things, there are also drawbacks when you have your groceries delivered. Some of them include:

• Higher product prices – some stores charge higher prices for each item you order online. Buying it in the store may be cheaper.
• Delivery fees – an employee must gather the items you’ve ordered and deliver them to you. Stores often charge delivery fees to offset their labor and transportation costs. In addition, sometimes there are minimums you must meet before they will deliver to you.
• Product freshness – produce and bakery items ordered online and delivered are chosen by an employee. They may be unripe, too ripe, or not as fresh as you’d like.
• Product returns – how are returns handled when the groceries you’ve received are not satisfactory?
• Timeliness of Delivery – The other issue I see with grocery delivery is timeliness. Will you be able to get your items timely and when it’s convenient for your schedule?
• Location – I happen to live in a rural area. Grocery delivery is not offered yet in my hometown and may not be available where you live either.

In conclusion, there are clearly a lot of both positives and negatives about grocery delivery. The best way to decide if you should have your groceries delivered is to consider all of them carefully. Then, check out the stores near you to see if one is a good fit before choosing this service.

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Do you have your groceries delivered? If not, what is holding you back from trying this service?