These online delivery services will bring groceries and meals to your door during the coronavirus pandemic
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In the throes of a global pandemic, supermarket shopping has quickly escalated from casual chore to mission impossible. Plenty of quarantined Americans have shifted to the most obvious modern-day solution: the internet. In fact, so many people have been placing online grocery and meal orders that delivery services are breaking records, according to Apptopia.
Whether you’re a newbie or an old pro, reliable delivery services can be a godsend in times like these. Here are the companies that should be on your radar—and the latest service updates and coupons they’ve shared with Yahoo Lifestyle.
Grocery Delivery Services
Amazon Fresh: Free delivery with Prime
Amazon has seen so many orders since the coronvirus pandemic hit that the company recently announced it’s hiring 100,000 more employees. Needless to say, Amazon’s online grocery store, Amazon Fresh, is still chugging away countrywide.
“We believe our role serving customers and the community during this time is a critical one,” an Amazon spokesperson shared. “We’ve seen an increase in people shopping online for groceries and are working around the clock to continue to deliver grocery orders to customers as quickly as possible.”
Click over to Amazon Fresh’s shopping portal to make grocery lists and place orders for everything from produce and meat to cleaning products and toiletries. Your groceries are even eligible for free shipping with Amazon Prime—but right now delivery windows will be confirmed at checkout.
Walmart Grocery: Free pickup
Walmart now delivers groceries to hundreds of cities across the U.S., and it’s still business as usual, all things considered.
“We are monitoring this situation daily,” the company said in a recent statement. “As we do with any unusual event, we will watch what’s happening locally and adjust business operations and policies as needed.”
Stock up on perishable foods, non-perishable household items (like toilet paper), and almost any other supermarket item on Walmart Grocery, but the company asks that you double-check delivery availability in your area before placing your order (the minimum is $30). You can pay a $9.99 delivery fee per order, or sign up for a $98 annual fee ($12.95 monthly), if you plan to be a regular shopper. Remember: pickup is also available, and it’s free.
Instacart: Delivery in as little as an hour
Good news for fans of this national online ordering hub that delivers groceries from local supermarkets including Aldi, Stew Leonard’s, BJ’s, Shop Rite, Costco, and more: This delivery service is gonna keep on trucking.
“Instacart remains fully operational across North America, offering grocery delivery from 5,500 cities and more than half of all grocery stores across the U.S and Canada,” a company spokesperson told Yahoo Lifestyle. This past weekend, the company saw its highest number of orders in its history.
In some markets, that could mean delivery availability may vary during busier request windows, the spokesperson continued. “In the majority of our deliveries over the last week, we’ve been able to meet same or next-day delivery requests for our customers.”
So shop away—anything you need for the fridge, pantry, and more can likely be accessed on Instacart and delivered to straight to your door, no contact necessary.
Costco: Free delivery on orders $75 or more
As you can imagine, this big-box store has been busy. But Costco’s grocery delivery service is still in business across the country—within reason, of course.
A Costco spokesperson did not address Yahoo Lifestyle’s inquiry directly, but acknowledged, “the surge of interest in purchasing emergency supplies in response to COVID-19,” and shared, “As always, our focus is to have merchandise available for our members at low warehouse prices.”
In a statement, the company also said its employees are practicing social distancing, and said that “the circumstances continue to change and we modify our operations as necessary.”
Costco Grocery is still taking orders for groceries and household supplies and advertising same-day delivery in qualifying zip codes nationwide with a minimum purchase of $35. They also offer two-day delivery and will waive the delivery fee for orders $75 or more.
Shipt: Delivery in as little as an hour
Order groceries and supplies from Shipt, and they’ll deliver goods to you from a slew of retailers including Costco, Target, and CVS. In light of the coronavirus situation, they’re promoting no-contact deliveries—in other words, they’ll leave it on your doorstep.
In addition, the company is “providing up to two weeks of financial assistance to shoppers who are diagnosed with coronavirus or placed under mandatory individual quarantine by a public health authority,” according to a recent statement.
They’ve acknowledged that because store inventories are fluctuating and some products are in high demand, delivery services can vary too. “We appreciate your patience as we work to fulfill orders,” the statement continued.
Deliveries can be as fast as one hour from the placement of your order, and Shipt will send up-to-the-minute updates about delivery—they’ll even add something you forgot if it’s not too late.
Meal Delivery Services
Blue Apron: No-contact delivery available
If you’re not the type to stock up and would rather order ingredients as needed, give Blue Apron’s meal kits a spin. Each kit comes with recipes created by chefs, perfectly portioned amounts of fresh, responsibly sourced ingredients for a week’s worth of meals.
Blue Apron membership prices start at $60 for a two-person plan at three meals a week across the country. And there’s no commitment, so you can try it for a week and play it by ear.
“We believe that home cooking is important now more than ever, and our intent is to continue delivering our customers fresh, delicious meals right to their door,” a Blue Apron spokesperson told Yahoo Lifestyle, confirming that the company is adhering to CDC guidelines.“We are not aware of any disruption...as a result of coronavirus.”
HelloFresh: No commitment at all
HelloFresh is a nationwide meal delivery service that offers recipes, meal kits filled with perfectly portioned ingredients—the whole (meal) kit and caboodle for plans starting at $54 a week for two people at three meals each. Go onsite to scroll through weekly menus and do some virtual meal-planning before placing your order.
“There are currently no disruptions to our service and we're working very closely with our network of suppliers and partners to ensure we keep delivering fresh and reliable meals to our customers,” a spokesperson for HelloFresh told Yahoo Lifestyle, adding “All HelloFresh facilities have the highest level of food safety certification and we follow a rigorous process to maintain the safety and quality of our meal kits.”
Postmates: $10 off for new customers
If you want to order on a meal-by-meal basis, now’s the time to sign up for Postmates. The service, which delivers freshly prepared meals and non-food items from 500,000 shops, restaurants, and other merchants across 4,200 cities, is offering $10 coupons to new customers.
In light of the pandemic, they recently started offering no-contact deliveries. Download the app, place your order, and access the Dropoff Options menu to indicate whether you’d like to meet your “Postmate” at the door or have them leave your order outside.
“Postmates is committed to the health and safety of our entire community,” the company said in a statement.
Doordash: $5 off for new customers—and no-contact delivery
Whether you’re in the mood for tacos, sushi or even an Egg McMuffin, Doordash makes your favorite takeout a few clicks away. Just log onto Doordash.com or download the popular app to access all your favorite menus and place orders from more than 300,000 eateries across the U.S. (and Canada!).
The service not only offers no-contact deliveries upon request, but they’re also distributing hand sanitizer and gloves to their delivery people, a.k.a. Dashers. “We are working closely with Merchants to share safety guidelines,” they added in a statement, which include having merchants agree to adhere to the CDC’s and WHO’s current health regulations.
If you’re a new Doordash customer, you’ll even score a $5 coupon.
Uber Eats: Free delivery from local restaurants during the pandemic
One of the nation’s most popular on-demand car service companies lets you order up your favorite local eats and sips delivered to your doorstep. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is supporting local businesses by waiving the delivery fee if you order from local eateries—or as the company said in a statement, “more than 100,000 independent restaurants across US & Canada on Uber Eats.”
UberE ats also offers no-contact deliveries and has gotten merchants to sign off on the safety game. “shared CDC guidance to restaurants to ensure all orders are sealed in tamper-evident packaging. “We’ve...shared CDC guidance to restaurants to ensure all orders are sealed in tamper-evident packaging,” statement continued.
Additionally, the company will give 300,000 free meals on Uber Eats to first responders and healthcare during the crisis. Right now is a great time to support this company and indulge in the cravings you’re having during quarantine—even Starbucks!
Seamless: $5 coupon for new customers
With this local meal delivery service, you can satisfy a craving for any kind of cuisine in your area and feel good about supporting small businesses. Seamless—which delivers to more than 450 cities—announced in a statement that it would stop taking commissions from independent restaurants.
“With dine-in down as much as 75%, local restaurants need our support more than ever," Seamless said in its statement. The company also announced a “Smart Promotions” program in which it will match all promotions run by independent restaurants.
Seamless is currently offering a $5 coupon to new customers and no-contact deliveries upon request.
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