Should you include online grocery shopping as part of your routine? Questions to consider before shopping, the best grocery stores online, and pros and cons to help you decide.
There is no doubt in my mind that you are busy. I’m busy too, and it’s why I go through the time of doing cost comparisons, like ALDI vs. Costco or Trader Joe’s vs. Whole Foods.
I want to make sure I’m getting the best bang for my buck every time I shop, without driving all over town to do it.
With the invention of the internet and online grocery shopping, now you can go grocery shopping without ever setting foot in the supermarket. Does it sound too good to be true? Or are you done heading to the grocery store?
Let’s dig into online grocery shopping.
4 QUESTIONS BEFORE CONSIDERING ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING
It’s easy to hop online and start ordering everything on your shopping list. But online grocery shopping is NOT a good fit for everyone, nor for every item on your grocery list.
Before you jump in, ask yourself these four questions:
1. WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET?
Online grocery shopping needs to fit into your grocery budget (here’s how to make a grocery budget, if you don’t already have one). Just like your local stores, online retailers compete to give you the best prices and services they can offer.
Look at several grocery stores online to see which one has the best prices and will fit your budget. Take into consideration if they have a membership fee, service fees, restrictions, shipping costs, home delivery, or group drop-off. Include these additional costs when determining if ordering online fits into your budget because that money will be spent too.
2. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES WHEN IT COMES TO QUALITY?
Amazon is my go-to for online shopping. I can find a lot of my favorite products and foods for the best price without sacrificing quality.
Some companies focus not only on price and quality but also on products that are eco-friendly and sustainable (companies like Grove Co, Thrive Market, and Vitacost).
Are you looking for non-GMO? Grass-fed and/or organic? Read about the companies you buy from to know whether or not you want to support them.
3. DO YOU WANT TO BUY FRESH FOODS ONLINE?
There are services available where you can get fresh groceries shipped straight to your door.
If this is something you want to do, look into their delivery methods and the requirements for each order. Do you have to be at home? Can you leave a cooler out? Do you have to pick it up from a truck at a community center?
Make sure to compare these prices with your local in-store prices too using a Price Book. You may be able to save more if you shop locally.
4. HOW QUICKLY DO YOU NEED YOUR ITEMS?
There will be a delay with online grocery shopping because it needs to be shipped. Yet some of the best prices out there are online.
You have to think of online shopping like bulk shopping at Costco. Order once a month or so to ensure you get free shipping (if available) and don’t wait until the last minute to order. You don’t want to run out of toilet paper!
And remember that not all services are available in all areas – if you live in a rural area, online delivery may not be an option for you, or it may be hard to determine when Amazon deliveries will actually make it to your house.
Psst! We dug into everything about buying groceries online in November 2024 in Grocery Budget Mastermind. You can join today to watch the replay and go through the baby steps to help you figure out the best way to incorporate online grocery shopping into your budget to save you time and money!
BEST GROCERY STORES ONLINE
When it comes to the cheapest online groceries, there’s no one right answer for which is the best online grocery store. It will depend on what you’re buying and what your priorities are. However, I’ll give you a few examples of places I’ve done online grocery shopping to start you off.
AMAZON
Amazon is the largest online marketplace with a wide variety of food items available. Although they are not specific to natural foods, you can find some amazing prices on quality food and products for the entire home. You can also use SNAP and EBT benefits on Amazon for specified food items.
No membership is required unless you join Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime offers free 2-day shipping, streaming music and video, and cloud storage. But for me, the 2-day shipping seals the deal.
Here’s a link to try Amazon Prime FREE for 30 days! To sign up for the Prime free trial, go to Amazon Prime. Then, select Start your free trial and follow the on-screen instructions if prompted. While you won’t be charged for your free trial, you’ll be upgraded to a paid membership plan automatically at the end of the trial period.
WHAT TO BUY FROM AMAZON
I typically buy non-perishable food items and household goods from Amazon. I prefer to shop every other month or so, and I’ll get things like rolled oats, cashews, ketchup, sponges, dishwasher soap, and aluminum foil. When it comes to stocking my real food pantry, Amazon is my go-to store. Subscribe and save gives me greater discounts on my regularly purchased items.
GROVE COLLABORATIVE
Since we’re talking about ordering things online, I’m going to throw Grove Collaborative in here even though they don’t sell groceries. Grove Collaborative is an online marketplace for natural home products and toiletry items. They feature many brands that are committed to high standards and quality ingredients.
You can select products you love and get them in scheduled shipments or try new products anytime. I love that you can have recurring shipments with them AND the fact that you can skip or stop shipments at any time. It’s nice to have my shopping cart full of the things I already love but to be able to skip shipments if we’re having a tight month or don’t need refills yet.
There is a minimum of $29 for all orders at Grove Collaborative. You get free shipping with your first order. If you join the VIP membership for $20/year you get free shipping and free gifts throughout the year too.
Exclusive for Crumbs Readers, new members receive free shipping and a free starter set with your first order, including Mrs. Meyer’s products and more! Join Grove Collaborative HERE!
WHAT TO BUY FROM GROVE COLLABORATIVE
Grove is great for bathroom and kitchen cleaning supplies. I get shipments about every two months and a typical order for me includes toilet bowl cleaner, tub and tile cleaner, hand soap (sometimes), surface scrub, and dish soap. Read my honest review of Grove Co here.
THRIVE MARKET
Thrive Market is a membership community that offers a large selection of organic foods and options for specific dietary preferences. You must enter your email to view the online shop, but your first order is 15% off and can be placed without joining the membership. Click here to see the Exclusive Offer for Crumbs readers!
They offer free shipping for orders over $49, plus various sales and promotions throughout the year. They also offer $10 off when you invite 10 friends to join.
WHAT TO BUY FROM THRIVE MARKET
I’ve ordered from Thrive Market on a few occasions, and they have really great prices on spices and certain snack-type items (made with real food though, not processed snacks). What I think they’re best known for though, is their extensive selection of high-quality foods. I mean, I can’t find certified gluten-free purple sticky rice anywhere locally! If you are looking for allergy-friendly or specialty food items, Thrive Market is one of the grocery stores online you might consider.
BUTCHER BOX
Butcher Box delivers grass-fed beef, pasture-raised and organic chicken, and heritage pork directly to your front door each month. It’s a great option if you have a hard time finding the quality of meat you would like locally. Choose from a box filled with a specific type of meat or create a custom box with a mixture.
You can read my honest review of Butcher Box here, where I break down exactly how Butcher Box works and what you can expect in each box you order. And check out the exclusive offer for Crumbs readers here!
WHAT TO BUY FROM BUTCHER BOX
We typically get larger cuts of beef, as well as seafood and pork (and free promotional items!) in our orders. My goal is always to get as many pounds of meat as possible in my custom boxes. Read more about how to make Butcher Box worth the cost here.
GROCERY DELIVERY THROUGH INSTACART, SHIPT, OR DOORDASH
These services offer grocery delivery from your local stores for an additional fee. Since you place the orders online or through the mobile app, they’re in the same realm as online grocery shopping.
Order your items and a personal shopper will go to the store, get all your groceries, and bring them to your door within a certain timeframe.
Keep in mind that someone else will be picking your items, so if you prefer to pick fresh items like produce yourself, you may choose to use grocery delivery services only for pantry items (and then you don’t have to worry about them sitting outside your door for too long). You may also end up with substitutions or missed items if what you want is not in stock at the store. But it doesn’t get much more convenient than this!
I wrote all about my experiences with grocery delivery here.
A similar option is grocery pickup. They still do your shopping in the store, but you can pick up orders instead of paying for delivery. I like the pickup option when I don’t have a lot of time to physically be in the store to shop. You would place these orders through your specific grocery store website, like Kroger.com.
WHAT TO BUY FROM GROCERY DELIVERY SERVICES
Since shoppers go to your local grocery store, you can do all your typical grocery shopping through them. I will caution you to compare prices because some items are priced higher than they would be if you had gone to the store yourself. Having someone deliver groceries is a great option when you’re sick (or taking care of sick kids) or are in the middle of a crazy schedule and just can’t get to the store that week.
CHEAPEST ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING FAQS
Is the best online grocery shopping, grocery delivery, or grocery pickup?
What is the best place to order groceries online?
Whichever one offers the best deals that make sense FOR YOU. I wish there was an easy answer for this, but so much depends on what groceries you are buying and the prices in your area. Do your research to figure out where to get the best online groceries.
ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING PROS AND CONS
So, should you start online grocery shopping? Let’s break it down.
PROS TO BUYING GROCERIES ONLINE
Buying groceries online can be a great idea for some people!
1. No impulse buying.
If you’re tempted to add extra items to your cart and you have a hard time sticking to your grocery list, online grocery shopping could be a great way to curb that impulse spending.
2. Easy to get everything on your list.
Search up your items, add them to your cart, and put your order through. Shopping online is quick and easy.
3. Don’t have to go out.
Sometimes, I just don’t want to leave the house. Buying groceries online means I can shop while I sip my coffee in my pajamas.
4. Can shop at multiple stores in less time.
While it can save money to shop at multiple stores, sometimes I don’t have the time to run to multiple places around town. But I can definitely make multiple online orders!
5. Easy to repeat orders.
For the pantry staples you buy all the time, it’s easy to repeat orders or add the same items to your cart that you’ve previously purchased.
CONS OF ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING
Online grocery shopping is super convenient, but I think there are a few big drawbacks to it:
1. You can’t compare prices.
This is one of the key lessons I teach in Grocery Budget Bootcamp because it’s a grocery saving tip that works – always compare prices. But it’s not that easy, or even feasible, when you’re shopping online.
2. Your options are limited.
Walk into any store and chances are there’s a store-brand version of what you’re looking for. This isn’t the case when you’re shopping online. You’re limited to what the online store offers, which can be good if you don’t like having many options.
But it can be bad if you’re more focused on reading labels than you are on brand names.
3. You have to know exactly what you want.
One perk to physical grocery shopping is browsing the aisles and seeing what’s new. You CAN do this with online grocery shopping, but it’s significantly harder.
4. There is no clearance section.
I’ve saved HUNDREDS of dollars over the years just by shopping the clearance section in my local grocery stores. But these sections don’t exist with online grocery shopping, and even the cheapest online grocery shopping is likely still more expensive than the clearance shelf.
5. You can’t necessarily read the labels.
If you’re on a budget – like me – and prefer to read labels rather than be loyal to brands, then turning a package over to read the ingredients isn’t always possible. Some sites have the ingredients listed, but some don’t.
And as you may know, just because it’s labeled a healthy term (like natural or even organic), doesn’t mean it fits with what you want for your family.
THE BOTTOM LINE: SHOULD YOU GET THE CHEAPEST ONLINE GROCERIES?
Online grocery shopping is a personal choice with both pros and cons. Do your research to find the best deals and keep convenience in mind.
I’ve ended up with a mixture of doing local grocery shopping myself and buying groceries online to save the most money and the most time without sacrificing quality. Because ultimately, those are our goals!
Have you tried online grocery shopping yet? If so, where do you shop and what do you typically buy from there? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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