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Boxed
- Boxed offers easy bulk shopping on items like food and home cleaning supplies.
- Prices are usually lower than what you’ll find elsewhere online and it’s a good option for anyone who doesn’t want to pay the fee for a wholesale club membership like Costco.
- After comparing pricing for bulk purchases at Costco and Amazon, Boxed is comparable or better most of the time.
- Due to the novel coronavirus, Boxed, like many grocery delivery services, was previously experiencing delays and low inventory for essentials like cleaning supplies and shelf-stable pantry items, though the operations appear to be normal now.
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My husband and I were looking to simplify our lives so we decided to eliminate our most dreaded chore — going to the grocery store. The time and energy I save make it so worth it and I would much rather spend time with my kids than make multiple trips to the grocery store to get what we need each week.
Why I started using Boxed
When Instacart, a grocery delivery service, started offering service in our area at the time, we immediately latched on and have never looked back. It’s a great service and other people on the team love it (here’s a review), but for my family, I find that there are a few limitations — the most important of which is that bulk supplies like toilet paper, 24-packs of drinks, and bulk food staples can be more expensive than usual.
That’s why I now use Boxed for all of my family’s bulk shopping needs. This service is basically an online version of Costco, except that you don’t need a membership to use it. With Boxed, you can buy all your bulk foods and household supplies and have them delivered in a box to your front door.
While I still order my regular groceries through Instacart, such as meat and produce, some of the basics I order through Boxed include:
- Toilet paper
- Paper towels
- Giant containers of coffee
- Bulk snacks for the kids
- Bulk cooking staples, like extra virgin olive oil
- Laundry detergent and fabric softener
Using Boxed for bulk supplies lets me keep my grocery orders to a minimum while getting good prices on the staples my family loves. I know because I have taken the time to compare pricing for bulk purchases at Costco and Amazon, and Boxed is comparable or better most the time. For example, I really love RISE Oat Milk lattes, which are $10.88 for four on Amazon. A 12-pack of the same drinks on Boxed, on the other hand, is $34.39.
Another example is Fruit Roll-Ups, a fun treat my kids eat. Boxed charges $12.59 for a box of 72, but you can get the same count for $29 on Amazon, which makes the package from Boxed a much better value.
In addition to competitive pricing on bulk supplies across other bulk retailers, Boxed pricing blows Instacart out of the water when it comes to value. Really, it's not even close. This is mainly because Instacart charges a service fee and you have to tip your driver, two expenses you don't have to worry about with Boxed.
And while bulk retailers have their own niche, Boxed is a good option for anyone who doesn't want to pay the fee for a discount club membership — and for people who don't live near one. There's a Costco around 25 minutes from my house, for example, but that means spending an hour round-trip every time plus the cost of gas. And that's just to get there and back. I would also have to walk through the giant store to find what I need, wait in line at the checkout, load all my purchases into my car, drive home, then get it all inside. And that's only after I paid at least $60 per year for a Costco membership.
With Boxed, I don't need to leave my house. I order what I want on their app, and it gets delivered to my doorstep in just a few days. Sometimes my order comes in a few boxes, but it is always packed well, and so far, I haven't received any damaged products. You also get free shipping on orders $79 and up, and there are plenty of coupon codes floating around if you want to try it out. However, with news of the novel coronavirus, some shipments might be delayed four days or more, and certain items might be unavailable.
Holly Johnson/Business Insider
How to make the most out of Boxed
If you're considering using Boxed for your bulk shopping, take note that you can maximize your purchases with the right rewards credit card. Many cash-back credit cards let you earn 1% to 2% back for each dollar you spend, and some travel credit cards let you earn considerably more than that. For example, the Capital One Savor card offers 1% cashback along with a $300 cash bonus after you spend $3,000 on purchases.
The bottom line
I'm under no illusion that using services like Instacart or Boxed saves me a lot of money, but I do know one thing — these services save me time. They save me from having to drive to stores I absolutely loathe, walking up and down every single boring aisle, then waiting in line to buy all of it only to have to lug it all home and put it away.
Boxed makes ordering bulk supplies a breeze, and prices are comparable or better than shopping at Costco. And with the right rewards credit card, you could even earn cash back or travel rewards on each dollar you spend.
