With quick delivery apps, ordering groceries has never been easier than calling a restaurant. You can have it delivered to your door in just 30 minutes.
There is a catch of course, delivery charges for such convenience range from around £1.99 right up to £9.99, and the choice is often much smaller than you’ll find on the shelves in your local supermarket.
According to the app boom, we are more than happy with fewer options and lower prices, as long as it means that we can get our groceries delivered at home in under an hour.
According to the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD), the instant grocery market is already worth £1.4 billion, a figure that’s set to rise to more than double that in the next few years.
Tesco and Gorillas announced their partnership in October. If you don’t know about the Weezy, Fancy, Fancy, or Getir instant grocery apps, you will soon.
Pandemics have increased the demand for self-isolation. It has been difficult to find slots in standard supermarket delivery service such as Ocado and Sainsbury’s.
FEMAIL interviews three shoppers about their conversion to grocery delivery.
“When couples drag each other about supermarkets it hurts me. Get a hobby.
MONTHLY SPEND: £220
Elisa Roche is a food writer and chef.
Eco-friendly too? Elisa said that she prefers one person to make multiple stops than many households driving to the supermarket.
Elişa Roche, 42, a chef and food writer, hasn’t looked back since instant grocery apps arrived – having progressed from Sainsbury’s and Ocado to Deliveroo Groceries…
What are the additional costs of using an app for instant grocery shopping?
FEMAIL has compared the delivery service from Deliveroo to an in-person trip to the same grocery store.
How much convenience is that? A pack of six all butter Taste the Difference mince pies, normally priced at £1.50 in store, gets a 70 pence mark up on Deliveroo’s grocery app
DELIVEROO INSTANT GIFT DELIVERY TO SAINSBURY’S
Sainsbury’s mince pies £2.20
Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Rose:£47
Sainsbury’s Pink Lady apples: £2.25
Medium ripe avocados x 2: £1.75
Kingsmill 50/50 sliced loaf: £1.05
Semi-skimmed milk (2 pints): £0.95
Delivery charge: £2.99
TOTAL COST: £58.19
COST OF SAME GOODS IN PERSON TOTAL AT SAINSBURY’S STORE
Sainsbury’s mince pies: £1.50
Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Rose:£39
Sainsbury’s Pink Lady apples: £2.25
Medium ripe avocados x 2: £1.50
Kingsmill 50/50 sliced loaf: £1.00
Semi-skimmed milk (2 pints): £0.89
TOTAL COST: £46.14
Deliveroo Groceries works well for chefs who work late and don’t want to order takeout. In half an hour, I can get my week’s worth shopping for the price of a curry.
Roche claims that she is addicted to instant grocery shopping. She doesn’t believe she has spent more in the past than when she went to physical stores.
“I am certain I will spend less because there is less selection than in a shop. You have to choose the right products and avoid temptations.
“That being said, luxury is possible if you wish it. The next day, I may shop at Co-op grocery stores. Another time I might go to an artisan shop. You can still get a meal prepared by yourself, which is cheaper than ordering takeout.
Elisa said that this shopping style is better for the planet.
“When I saw all these food apps, it was like a dream. Because I don’t drive, it means that I can avoid lugging heavy goods like potatoes sacks and washing powder around.
I don’t always need to have a full tank of petrol in my car before going to the grocery store. A single delivery driver is likely to see many customers. I think that this is more environmentally-friendly.
She says that a cash-savvy buyer can find easy ways to lower the prices of instant grocery items, which are often high.
Discount coupons and codes are my favorite thing about me.
There are great discount codes to save money on all new apps, such as Getir and Gorillas. You can save a lot by using all of them if you are smart.
“Retailers have attempted to make shopping more enjoyable and exciting to attract customers back. Selfridges, for example, does a great job at being original with its food market and in-house cinema.
This is the only place I’d go for a day. However, I will still shop in the store and then search online for a lower price.
Elisa Roche will host a podcast called Careers Conversations in 2022. Food Matters Live
“Moving to the supermarket every 20 minutes has become a chore – Weezy is my addiction”
MONTHLY SPEND: £280
Nichi Hodgson is 38 and lives in East London. She claims that being poor in time has made instant grocery app irresistible…even if her husband disagrees.
To get you through a tough day, how about a glass of Moet? Nichi Hodgson (38), a writer who lives in East London says that she has become an avid fan of instant grocery stores.
Hodgson finds it hard to believe that Weezy, an instant grocery store app, can allow him access to groceries even when he’s been working for long hours.
Her explanation: “I have worked from home for many years, but I recently moved into a house just 20 minutes away to the grocery store. This has forced me to realize how lazy and inefficient I really am!”
“I love the fact that I can order food, wine or medication in a matter of seconds.
The price increase is a great thing. It gives me something to be happy about, and one less thing I have to think about.
“It has been a great tool for me to get my work done. I use it up to 4 times a week.
It’s addicting to see that you don’t necessarily need to be organized or highly motivated to achieve what you desire.
Hodgson continues to shop online every other week from major supermarkets. However, Weezy delivery is available for select items when she runs out.
It’s usually missing ingredients, such as alcohol or chocolate. My husband is always having a chocolate attack.
“We still shop online once every two weeks but I realized that I have been topping up on my Weezy orders a lot more frequently.”
Nichi states that Weezy eliminates all the effort of being organised and offers a greater selection than off-licences or local shops.
Although she admits to sometimes being at odds with her husband about her habit, it’s not the issue of their disagreement on the mark-up.
To be truthful, my husband cares more about my inefficiency than I am! While he disagrees with me not having to fore-think as much, I sometimes work 60 hour weeks and do not want to have to organize.
“I was more than pleased with the mark-up as it gave me something to think about when I got to dinner. It’s also great for hangovers.
A Curious History in Dating: Jane Austen, Tinder, and Other Stories (Little, Brown), is now available by Nichi Hoopson
‘The pandemic has made me anxious about going to supermarkets – and instant shops are great when you can’t get a regular slot…’
MONTHLY SPEND: £40
Viva Andrada O’Flynn, a cafe manager from Gloucestershire, says Covid has made people think twice about going to the supermarket in person and she loves the fact she can pick up necessities on Amazon Fresh without venturing out…
Viva Andrada (originally from the Philippines) says she was anxious about the possibility of shopping online with other people due to the pandemic.
Cafe manager Viva Andrada O’Flynn, from Gloucestershire, says that anxiety is one of the reasons she’s come to rely on instant shops – because she’s no longer keen to mingle with shoppers in supermarkets while Covid is ongoing
She explained:Since the outbreak of the pandemic, I have been frightened by the idea of waiting in line at supermarkets with other people.
‘The way I see it, I’m paying extra for groceries to be delivered to my door but I don’t have to have the stress and anxiety that often now comes with shopping alongside lots of other people.’
Viva Andrada believes that the Covid crisis has changed her way of shopping.
“Before pandemic, I didn’t order groceries online. I was not tempted by the offers of supermarkets to place orders online.
‘I prefer to go directly to the supermarket and purchase the products I wanted off the shelf.
Convenience is a huge part of the appeal too, says Viva Andrada, because the likes of Amazon can deliver in a short space of time – and they have slots where some of the bigger supermarkets don’t
“But, as many others, I bought online when the pandemic hit. I often used instant apps to do so and have not looked back.
She also mentions that convenience is key. While many major supermarkets can be booked weeks ahead during festive and new-year season, Amazon Fresh allows her to order groceries online.
The New Year slot is often full, however it can be reassuring to know that my groceries will arrive quickly at the touch of a button.