8 Ways to Save Time and Money by Automating Your Grocery Shopping
I have a recurring dream: I wander into the kitchen, looking for something to eat. While there, I notice we’re out of a few things. I say aloud, “Buy paper towels.” A little while later, the paper towels show up at my door. And somehow it doesn’t cost any more than if I’d driven to the store.
Actually, this isn’t a dream at all. It is, in fact, how I keep my shelves stocked right now.
I haven’t been to a grocery store in months. I order all my food either via voice commands or mouse clicks. I save hours every week, and I also save money — there is little or no extra charge, plus I save on gas. I can also see exactly how much I’m spending while I’m shopping; if I exceed my budget, I just cull the list before I check out. So, perhaps for the first time ever, I stay within my grocery budget.
Here’s how I do it.
Amazon Echo
When I installed the Amazon Echo — Amazon’s voice-activated home automation and control-everything bot — it made my dream come true. Talking to her, I speak my order like a queen to her minions. She then hunts through my past Amazon Prime orders, finds what I’ve bought before and summarizes my options, including the delivery day and price. Then she asks (in the best text-to-speech voice ever) whether she should place the order. I say, “Yes,” and she places the order; the paper towels show up in a couple of days. If, for some reason, she can’t order it for me (it happens), I ask her to put it on my shopping list. That list shows up on my phone and at Amazon.com the next time I log in.
Amazon Prime Pantry
If you subscribe to Amazon Prime, you already have access to Amazon Prime Pantry, Amazon’s awesome grocery-delivery service. For things like soda, cereal, cookies, canned goods, and other nonperishables, you order a big box and it shows up at your door within a couple of days. And the prices are fantastic — it’s like shopping at a big-box retailer without having to buy in bulk. (There is a $6 shipping fee.) And I’ve discovered that getting a Prime Pantry box as close to 100 percent full as possible is one of my favorite games.
Your Local Grocer
Safeway is my nearest real-world grocer and luckily for me, it delivers — saving me gobs of time and hassle. I shop online at Shop.Safeway.com from my computer or phone whenever I have a free minute.
The site recalls everything I’ve ever purchased online or in the store (one benefit of using that rewards card), so I can quickly assemble an order from a list of the things I’ve bought before. I schedule a delivery time, and someone driving one of Safeway’s fleet of nifty refrigerated trucks brings the food (including beer and wine) right into my kitchen. The delivery fee is $10 (drivers don’t take tips) — but I’ve never paid it, thanks to Safeway promotions that waive it.
Safeway is the part of Albertson’s family of grocery stores, and some of the other stores — in some regions — deliver, too. Go to Safeway.com, Vons.com, or Albertsons.com, click on “grocery delivery,” and enter your zip code to see whether one will deliver to you.
Walmart
Walmart delivers too, but not in every neighborhood. If yours isn’t in their delivery area, you can still order online and pick up your order at the store — no wandering up and down those endless aisles. Instead, someone puts your choices into bags and holds them in a refrigerated, frozen, or ambient-temperature waiting area, as appropriate. You drive to a designated space at your closest Walmart at an appointed time and call from your cell phone. Someone will hustle out and load your groceries into the trunk — no need to wake the baby or get out the stroller. The pickup service is free.
Community Supported Agriculture
Once I gave up going to the store, I thought I’d have to relinquish the pleasure (and necessity) of hand-selecting good fresh produce. It seemed a reasonable bargain. Then I discovered that a fantastic CSA (community supported agriculture) service delivers right to my door. I subscribed, and now I shop for produce (and farm-fresh items such as eggs, honey, and olive oil) online, too.
I don’t get to inspect the peaches myself, but the produce is selected by the farmer who grew it. The selection is amazing, and much fresher than I was getting at the store. It’s so good, in fact, that I build my menus around it. It’s convenient, high-quality, and also cheaper than produce at the grocery chain (unless I spring for something especially fabulous). Go to LocalHarvest.org — or just ask Google — to find a CSA near you.
Amazon Fresh
As I’ve said, I already purchase a lot of essentials through Amazon. So I’m hopeful that someday the Amazon Fresh service will come to my neighborhood. With this same-day (or early morning) grocery delivery service, you can choose from 500,000 items: meat, cheese, dairy, essentials, even goods from local farmers. If you place your order by 10 a.m., you can get it by 10 p.m. Prices are low. But there is an annual fee: $299 for both your Prime and your Amazon Fresh membership. Go to AmazonFresh.com and enter your zip code to find out whether it’s available where you live.
Jet.com
Jet is a bit like a virtual big-box retailer. So if you like to stock up at Costco or Sam’s Club, but could do without the shopping cart and parking wars, check it out. It carries a lot of that same stuff itself, but it also has a “smart shopping engine.” Partnering with other retailers, it calculates where you can get the best price on the goods you want; if you then buy those goods through Jet, prices drop on other things you want. In other words, it’s like getting instant cash back, which you can spend on Jet.com. Shipping is free if you spend $35.
Instacart
Want your groceries delivered, but your local grocer doesn’t offer that service? Try Instacart. If it is available where you live, someone will run to the store — or many stores, if you wish — buy the items on your shopping list, and bring them to you. It’s available in 18 markets in the U.S., and its people will shop at Whole Foods, Target, and Costco, among other stores. Go to Instacart.com and type in your zip code to see what (if anything) is available, and what it’ll cost.
