Delivery Apps and Services
Welcome to the era of delivery. Delivery apps offer a way to have almost anything delivered right to your doorstep. From food, groceries, office supplies, gifts, furniture, essentials, and almost anything else you might purchase, it's probably available for delivery.
While online-shopping services like Amazon have made delivery commonplace, you might be curious about what other delivery options are available. Many brand-name products like Apple have Amazon store listings, and prices are the same as direct ordering. Amazon owns Whole Foods so you can order groceries from within your Amazon app, although for groceries, a minimum order may be required, even with a Prime membership.
Fortunately, besides Amazon, you have an abundance of choices, and I've listed some of the most popular ones you can use to arrange delivery of almost anything.
Delivery Apps and Websites
NOTE: All of these websites are available as mobile apps for Apple or Android devices in their respective app stores. If you visit the sites, they usually have an Apple App Store and Google Play store link.
All require that you create an account with your email and a password for their use. You only enter a credit card for payment when you place an order.
Some offer annual memberships that include unlimited deliveries (except for tips). For most of these delivery services, tips go to the person doing the delivery. They aren't necessarily employees, and as contract workers, they rely on tips in addition to the delivery fees paid to them through the service.
Prices: Stores set up the items that they want to make available for delivery and the prices. You may see prices that are a little higher than in the store since the store has to pay a delivery fee to the service.
shipt.com
Shipt has delivery arrangements with specific stores and is owned by Target. Type in your zip code, and you can see what stores you can use for your order. Select the store of your choice, then shop the items and add them to your cart.
In my zip code, I have a choice of CVS, Gelson's, Office Depot/Office Max, Pavilions, Petco, Ralphs, Smart & Final, Target, and Vons. Kroger owns Ralph's, so you may see Kroger in your area, and Safeway owns pavilions/Vons, so you may see Safeway or Albertsons in your area.
Select the store, and then you'll see the items and prices you can add to your cart. After adding items to your cart, you select a delivery date and time, then pay with your credit card.
Instacart.com
Instacart is similar to Shipt in having arrangements with specific stores for shopping. Some stores are available in both Shipt and Instacart. Instant includes CVS, Ralphs/Kroger, Safeway/Vons, and Petco. The list of stores is more extensive than Shipt and includes Total Wine, Smart & Final, Sam's Club, Costco, Stater Brothers, Spouts, and a few more depending on your area.
Using Instacart is virtually the same as Shipt. Put in your zip code to see the specific stores available, select your store, add items to your cart, select delivery date/time, and checkout with your credit card. In addition to delivery, a pick-up is sometimes an option depending on the store.
Meal Delivery
Postmates, GrubHub, and DoorDash are three of the most popular meal delivery services.
They're all similar, but your favorite restaurant might have an arrangement with one service, in which case you'd need to use that for delivery. Some restaurants use all three of these since they all offer membership programs for their customers. A restaurant needs to have a contract with one of these services to be listed in their app or website.
Postmates.com
Postmates is a general-purpose delivery service that has arrangements with restaurants, grocery stores, and retailers. Some restaurants are exclusive, and some stores offer free or discounted delivery. Many fast-food chains use Postmates. While focused on food, Postmates provides pick-up and delivery services for some other retailers like Old Navy and the Banana Republic.
Estimated delivery time is displayed for each restaurant/store, so you know how long your delivery will take after ordering. Postmates offers an unlimited delivery membership program for about $10 a month. Most restaurants participate in the plan, but not all do so check to see if a location you plan to use often is part of the program before enrolling.
GrubHub.com
GrubHub is almost exclusively restaurant delivery and includes coupon discounts (called Perks) for their clients. Their membership is currently $12 a month for unlimited delivery with participating restaurants.
DoorDash.com
Doordash is similar to Postmates and GrubHub, with restaurant listings, delivery times, and menus on their app or website. DashPass, a $10 a month membership program, is available for unlimited deliveries from participating restaurants.
How to choose?
If you have a favorite restaurant and want to order delivery, find out what service they partner with for delivery, then use that one. You'll typically find many restaurants using multiple delivery services, particularly the larger chains and brands.
Direct Ordering
If you have a preferred restaurant or retailer, they may offer direct delivery. Panera Bread, Dominoes, Kohls, CVS, and Bed Bath & Beyond are all examples that provide their delivery service. If you have a favorite locally owned restaurant, pharmacy, or retailer, they may offer their own direct delivery service.
To my way of thinking
Delivery is a convenience, and in times of stress, a way to have more of the world brought to your door.