Well Fed On the Town

As a busy mom with two kids, having our groceries delivered is something I sometimes indulge in.  For me, the delivery fee is offset by the savings of all those not-on-my-list, spontaneous purchases that we might make if we were actually at the store.  When I do use the service, I use Shop Rite, but recently I had the opportunity to give Stop & Shop’s Peapod service a try.

The Good:
- Their delivery fee is a little cheaper than Shop Rite’s, and they give a small discount if you pick some specific time windows (presumably when they’re already going to be in your area), which is nice.  Anything to save a buck or two.
- If you have coupons (and I’m the kind that always has lots of them), they will take them when your order is delivered, and credit the amount of the coupons on your next order.
- Everything that I ordered was delivered, and the produce was as requested.

The Bad:
- The store’s prices are a little higher than Shop Rite’s, and Shop Rite’s sales are better, so for us, the average bill is always more at Stop & Shop, which is why I rarely go there/use Peapod.
- When I placed my order on Friday afternoon, the next available delivery window was a choice between Monday afternoon and Monday night, which is a little bit of a challenge if you can’t wait three days for groceries (like me).  With Shop Rite, it would have been delivered the next day.
- They have a $60 minimum for delivery.  Shop Rite has no minimum.

Will I use them again?  Perhaps, in the right circumstance.  To me, it’s one of those things that it’s nice to know it’s there if I need it, but I’m not rushing to use again.