The Joy of Grocery Delivery

As someone who cooks most meals at home but hates food wastage, I probably visit the grocery store at least 2–3 times a week. As sad as it sounds, grocery shopping became how I spent many of my non-working hours. I just kept telling myself I like browsing the aisles, so it’s not too bad.

A few weeks ago, I was chatting with some friends about how frustrated I was feeling with the frequency of our grocery store visits. My friends revealed to me they no longer go to the grocery store and get everything delivered instead. This was so surprising to me. Of course I knew about the existence of grocery delivery, but I just never considered using it. I’ve used grocery pickup during the lockdown but haven’t used it since. Grocery delivery just sounded like a luxury service that I could go without. Even when I order takeout, I’d opt to pick it up instead of getting it delivered. These same friends told me about a promo at one of the local grocery chains that is about $30 a year for unlimited deliveries. I signed up that night when I got home, even though it’s not where I normally shop, as I mostly go to a different neighbourhood store for convenience.

I’ve been using it for a few weeks now, and I can’t say enough good things about it. At this point, I’d definitely continue my membership at full price. Everything I was worried about turned out to be non-issues. The produce I get has mostly been fresh, and the few times it wasn’t, a full refund was issued immediately. The delivery window is one hour, and it’s either same day or next day, so I can set it for a time that I know I am free. If an item is out of stock, I can choose my own preferred substitution or opt for no substitution so I am not worried about getting stuck with something I didn’t want.

I’ve also been able to be more intentional with my shopping. Instead of just grabbing whatever looks good, I now keep an ongoing list using their app and website and plan for grocery deliveries twice a week. I do a midweek delivery and have another delivery set for Sundays, so we’re always ready for school lunches and snacks for the week. I am even noticing that the amount I am spending on groceries is less than before, just because there are fewer impulse purchases.

With all the time I’ve saved, I’ve been able to add more walks and workouts into my week. I’ve also been going out with friends more. This is not an ad for grocery delivery, so I won’t even share which one I am using (ask me if you really want to know), but I do feel it has been a great addition to my life to live more intentionally and have more time for other activities that spark joy. And of course, a big thank you to our friends R & G for introducing me to this life-changing service. 🙏✨