- Online grocery delivery services like FreshDirect and Instacart offer comparable product variety and prices as your favorite grocery store, with the added bonus of convenient and affordable delivery.
- Here are their different shopping experiences, promotions and rewards programs offered, and more below.
- Due to the novel coronavirus, many online grocery delivery services may still experience delays fulfilling and shipping orders, as well as low inventory for household essentials, cleaning supplies, and shelf-stable pantry items. Be sure to keep those factors in mind if you’re putting in an order.
- Many online grocery delivery services have also updated their policies to reduce social interactions, support the shopper community, and more.
- Read more: The best meal kit delivery services
In New York City, a city of almost 8.4 million people, navigating the crowds to shop fresh produce, packaged foods, and household essentials is harder than you’d imagine – or like.
When everyone else has the same brilliant idea to shop after work or on weekends, grocery shopping in person becomes a major time, energy, and money suck that doesn’t seem worth it (and undoubtedly contributes to an uptick in Grubhub and Seamless orders).
NYC is slowly opening back up in the wake of the novel coronavirus, but you may still want to avoid brick-and-mortar grocery stores for fears of overcrowding or low in-store stock.
Enter online grocery delivery services to help us maintain our sanity in a world where we already have enough things on our mind and to check off on our to-do lists. During this time, they also help us maintain distance and unnecessary social contact.
There are a handful of major nationwide grocery delivery services that East Coasters rely on specifically, all with different shopping experiences, delivery-fee structures, and special promotions. Read on to learn which one is best for you.
Here are the 4 best online grocery delivery services in New York City:
Prices and links are accurate as of 7/21/2020. We've updated this post to reflect each service's latest news on stock and delivery availability, as well as FoodKick changing its name to FreshDirect Express and adjusting its offerings.
FreshDirect: The best balance of value, convenience, variety, and ease of shopping
Note: FreshDirect is giving shoppers the option to donate to NY Common Pantry, whose mission is to reduce hunger and promote dignity, health, and self-sufficiency in New York City's most vulnerable communities. The recent concern over coronavirus has impacted NYCP's volunteer base.
How it works: Create a free account in under a minute, then start shopping and adding items to your cart. The site is organized clearly into different categories, and it makes it easy to create shopping lists and re-order your frequently shopped items.
For a morning or early afternoon delivery (two-hour time slots), you must place your order by 6 p.m. the day before. For a late afternoon or evening delivery (two-hour time slots), you must place your order by 11 p.m. the day before.
FreshDirect also now offers same-day delivery in select New York zip codes if you order by 1 p.m.
Fees:
- Free to create an account
- $5.99 delivery fee, with a minimum order of $30
Grocery offerings: FreshDirect gets its produce, dairy, and meat straight from the source, but it also carries popular grocery brands such as Pillsbury, Stonyfield Organic, and Boar's Head. You can find everything you normally shop at the store (including alcohol), whether you browse the categories, search exact items directly, or filter by labels like organic, kosher, and top-rated.
Price comparison:
- Fuji apple: $1.12 each (organic only)
- Boneless chicken breast: $5.99/lb
- One dozen large white eggs: $3.49
Special programs and discounts: Chef's Table is FreshDirect's loyalty program. To become a member, you must place 12 orders or spend an average of $500 or more each calendar month during any three-month period. Benefits include preferred delivery access, dedicated service specialists, and exclusive discounts.
DeliveryPass membership gets you unlimited free deliveries. It costs $79 for six months or $129 annually, and if you're a frequent customer, it'll save you on the fees that can add up quickly.
You can also check out the Fresh Deals, coupons, and sale sections to save on products every week.
FoodKick [soon to be called FreshDirect Express]: The best on-demand delivery experience
Note: FoodKick and its website will be discontinued at the end of July 2020 and turned into FreshDirect Express, a new two-hour on-demand delivery service with limited product selection.
How it works: FoodKick, previously a more curated and localized grocery shopping experience for New Yorkers, is turning into FreshDirect Express by the end of July 2020. If you live in an eligible zip code in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and parts of Queens, a new "Express Delivery" toggle will appear at the top left of the FreshDirect website.
Fees:
- Free to create an account
- $5.99 delivery fee, with a minimum order of $30
Grocery offerings: The product sourcing is the same as that of the regular FreshDirect site; the only difference is that you may have less product variety to choose from. Any products not readily available with Express Delivery will be saved in your cart for later.
Price comparison:
- Fuji apple: $1.12/ea
- Boneless chicken breast: $6.99/lb
- One dozen large white eggs: $3.49
Special programs and discounts: It will follow FreshDirect's special programs and discounts.
Peapod: The best shopping assistants, rewards programs, and discounts
Note: As of 7/21/20, shoppers may still experience limited delivery time slots and product availability. Peapod recommends reserving a delivery time slot before you start shopping, and turning on substitutions in My Account in order to fulfill your order successfully.
Stop & Shop has resumed its online pickup service at select locations. Visit the website to find pickup options near you.
For customers ages 60 years and older, Stop & Shop now has designated shopping times of 6:00 a.m.-7:30 a.m. every day. During this time, only members of this age group may shop in the store.
How it works: Create a free account, then start shopping and adding items to your cart. You can browse by aisle and curated categories, or take advantage of features like Order Genius and Express Shop. Order Genius analyzes your past purchases to recommend products you'll like, and Express Shop quickly generates product results for you based on your grocery list.
Peapod offers special discounts of up to $5 off during certain two-hour delivery slots throughout the week, so if you're flexible with when you receive your order, take advantage of this feature. It also lets you schedule deliveries up to two weeks in advance.
Fees:
- Free to create an account
- Free to pick up orders in select areas
- $9.95 delivery fee on orders of $30-$75
- $7.95 delivery fee on orders of $75-$100
- $6.95 delivery fee on orders of $100 or more
Grocery offerings: Peapod carries a large assortment of your favorite brands as well as its own in-house brand. The organic selection is robust, and its seasonal curations are also worth a look.
Price comparison:
- Fuji apple: $1.10/ea
- Boneless chicken breast: $2.99/lb
- One dozen large white eggs: $2.99
Special programs and discounts: First-time customers get $20 off a minimum order of $75 and free delivery on their first order, as well as free delivery on subsequent orders of $60+ for the first 60 days. In addition to weekly promotions, these programs help you save money:
PodPass is a program that saves on monthly delivery fees. The best value option is a $55/year pass that's valid for Tuesday through Thursday deliveries.
Stop & Shop store members should connect their account to Peapod to earn gas and school rewards.
Instacart: The best place to shop local markets and shop as a group
How it works: Instacart brings together local supermarkets on one platform. Create a free account, then choose your store to start shopping. Store availability depends on your zip code, and we saw stores like Costco, Fairway, Whole Foods, Morton Williams, and CVS when we tested different zip codes.
The platform allows you to select back-up items in case the ingredient you want is sold out or unavailable, and you'll have a dedicated shopper who communicates with you via text or app to let you know when items aren't available or when they've been swapped.
Delivery is available in as little as an hour, but you can also schedule it up to a week in advance. Delivery fees may increase during popular times of the week and delivery hours depend on your local store hours.
Instacart is a great grocery delivery option for groups like apartment roommates or families because you can create group carts to shop together.
Fees:
- Free to create an account
- Delivery fees depend on the size of your order and the delivery time you choose. There is a minimum order amount of $10.
Grocery offerings: The online prices can differ from in-store prices, but you can find each store's policy regarding price adjustments under the store name.
Price comparison:
- Fuji apple: Varies by individual store
- Boneless chicken breast: Varies by individual store
- One dozen large white eggs: Varies by individual store
Special programs and discounts: Instacart compiles each store's coupons on to the store page so they're easy to find and use.
Instacart Express is a $99 annual membership for free delivery and reduced service fees on all orders of $35 or more. You can take advantage of a free two-week trial before committing to the program.
AmazonFresh: The best way to get groceries from Whole Foods
How it works: Only Prime members (sign up for a free trial here) are eligible to use Amazon's grocery delivery service. Once you've added AmazonFresh to your account, you can start shopping.
There are two types of delivery available: Attended and Doorstep. Attended Delivery is a one-hour slot where you receive your order in a paper bag, while Doorstep Delivery is a two- to three-hour time slot where your order is dropped off in temperature-controlled totes.
Fees:
- Free membership with a Prime account
- $9.99 delivery fee on orders under $50
- Free delivery on orders of $50 or more, or $35 or more in select areas
- Free to pick up orders in select areas
Grocery offerings: The biggest advantage of using AmazonFresh is the ability to shop Whole Foods Market produce and prepared foods. If you like the organic and natural options at Whole Foods, it's easy to get them through AmazonFresh. The Local Market category highlights local makers like Maple Hill Creamery, Tate's, and Junior's Cheesecake.
Price comparison:
- Fuji apple: $0.76/ea
- Boneless chicken breast: $6.69/lb
- One dozen large white eggs: $2.69
Special programs and discounts: As of publishing time, first-time customers can get $10 off any order of $35 or more with code "GROCERY10".
Coupons change often and are available across categories in the Fresh Deals section.
If you're looking to buy more groceries online, here are other best places to buy them:
- A running list of where to buy groceries online when your local store is out of stock
- The best places to buy groceries online
- Where to buy flour online right now
- Where to buy beef, pork, poultry and more online
- The best places to buy beer online, from local delivery services to monthly subscriptions
- The best places to buy alcohol online now and get it delivered right to your door