Since 2020, I often get my groceries delivered through Instacart. It's a huge luxury, but one I've been happy to pay for.
I was surprised, though, to learn it could cost me an additional $70 for just a single grocery trip.
Living in Manhattan through the height of the Covid-19 pandemic often meant living in an epicenter of spiking coronavirus infections. But my preferred grocery store, Wegmans, only had one location in New York City at the time — and it was an hour-long subway ride away in Brooklyn. Especially when trying to avoid crowds and public transportation, it was a hassle for me to get to.
I occasionally shop at other grocery stores closer to my apartment, but I prefer Wegmans because of its reliable quality and comparably low prices. Some people obsess over Trader Joes; I obsess over Wegmans.
A new location recently opened in Manhattan, but it still takes me at least 45 minutes on the subway to get to either Wegmans location — another reason I regularly rely on grocery delivery. Wegmans only offers delivery through Instacart, according to its website.
I admit, I got a little spoiled when it felt like I was using Instacart as more of a necessity in 2020. Now, it's so easy to just add all the things I want to my cart and have someone else do the real legwork. But as the cost of groceries has risen since 2020, it's gotten more and more difficult to justify the additional costs of delivery.
So last week, I did a little experiment. I went to Wegmans myself and did my grocery shopping. I then came home and added all the same items to my virtual cart on Wegmans' Instacart storefront to see how much I'd saved by doing the shopping myself. My total savings: $68.
Why delivery costs more
My delivery order would have been more expensive for a couple of reasons. For one, it costs more in general to buy my groceries through Instacart. When I visit the Wegmans page on the app or website, it makes it clear the prices online are higher than they are in-store.
"Some retailers on the Instacart platform choose to include item markups," an Instacart spokesperson told CNBC Make It. "Our goal is to offer full transparency to customers as they shop on the platform so they can make choices best suited to their needs."
Other retailers available to me offer the same prices online as in-store, but my allegiance to Wegmans keeps me coming back. And my commitment to staying home often makes me order delivery.
"We keep our prices consistently low, every day, so you can save on the items your family uses most," reads Wegmans' disclaimer about higher online prices on Instacart. "Our online prices remain about 15% above in-store prices. This includes our costs of shopping your order."
Second, Instacart charges a service fee and a delivery fee, and I always tip at least 20%. I pay $10 a month for Instacart+ which eliminates the $1.99 delivery fee and reduces the service fee, but the latter still adds to my total bill. This fee "supports the Instacart platform and covers various operating costs — including insurance, background checks and customer support," according to the website.
By the numbers
In total, I spent $152.68 on groceries, plus $2.90 each way to get there and home on the subway. I went over my ideal budget of $100, but because Wegmans isn't the most convenient to get to, I tried to stock up on bulk items.
Though I was a little disappointed in myself for going over budget, I was glad to have spent all of that money on food I needed rather than on fees and tips. I don't tip begrudgingly, but it is an additional cost I have to factor into getting my groceries delivered.
My subtotal online with the exact same items came out to $177.99. That's due to the price differences in-store versus online. I paid $1.99 for a dozen eggs in-store, but they cost $2.29 online. A box of Wegmans brand pasta goes for $0.99 in-person, but $1.19 online. So I was already "up" about $25 before I clicked "go to checkout" to see the additional charges.
For this order, my reduced service fee would come out to $12.89 and my 20% tip would be $35.60 for a grand total of $226.48. Overall, I saved $68 by going to the store myself.
The price of convenience
This month, I've been trying to spend more intentionally. For me, that has meant trying to identify areas where I'm overpaying. I've been picking up dinner rather than paying for tips and fees on delivery apps and taking public transportation even when it feels less convenient than an Uber or taxi.
Grocery delivery is another area where I can cut back, and now that I've seen just how much I can save, I feel more motivated to shop for myself. Sometimes the added costs of delivery are worth the time and energy I save, so I will still spring for delivery now and then if I'm in a crunch.
There is one benefit to shopping for groceries online: It forces me to stick to my list. If I don't see all the other things on the shelves that might tempt me to overspend, I'm far less likely to add them to my cart.
Of course, I know I'm fortunate to have both options at my disposal. The choice to pay for delivery is a luxury I'm able to splurge on, and the choice to save by shopping in-person is one I can regularly make without physical limitations. I know many can't afford the additional costs of grocery delivery, while others may not be able to go to the store and carry home several bags of food.
Not everyone has extraneous expenses they can easily cut back on. But if you're like me and want to save a little more money, grocery delivery and other modes of paying for convenience can be good places to start.
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