Total Before Savings: $127.542 Tropicana OJs - $2.50 ea ($1/2 MFC)
So. I got my $50 Peapod gift card the other day when I went on the Peapod tour in Framingham. I ordered Wednesday and had my delivery on Thursday. Here are some things I have learned or observed from the Peapod experience:
- The delivery charge is $9.95 for orders under $100. There is a minimum purchase of $60. So you're talking at least $70 OOP for groceries. Once you pass $100, the delivery charge is $6.95.
- If you sign up now, you get FREE delivery for 60 days after your first purchase! This would be great if you are an expecting mom, are really busy or just want to try it out. It's actually a $6.95 credit (the delivery charge of an order over $100).
- If you sign up to have the $ come directly out of your checking account (instead of credit card) - you get a $1 discount.
- If you pick funky times, you save a $1.
- Peapod accepts MFCs! Give them to your driver. My driver seemed to know just want to do with them and didn't think twice when I gave them to him.
- There are some Peapod coupons that save you money too. For instance, I got that Starbucks Ice Cream. It's $3. But there is a Peapod coupon for $2. Then I gave them a $2 off Starbucks Ice Cream. This was actually a money maker of $1!
- If you don't have cash, you can place your tip on your order to be put on your credit card! That's great to know. I'm not sure what grocery delivery guys are suppose to be tipped. 10%? 15%? More? Less?
- My delivery guy was really nice. He put all the groceries right on my kitchen floor.
- All the cold stuff was VERY cold. That was nice. I had over 8 lbs of chicken delivered so it was good to see that they were kept very chilly. Warm chicken would gross me out.
- Some of the prices are actually REALLY good! Like I got the Dole Fruit Cups for $1.40 ea! I consider anything under $2 for these good.
- I really DO NOT like how they sell produce by the quantity instead of pound. It just doesn't seem right.
- The website is very easy to use. You can also keep up-to-date with Peapod through Twitter and Facebook.
- It was convenient, I'll admit that - but between the $10 delivery fee and tip, I feel like I'm "throwing away $20" by doing it. Is it really that hard for me to go up to ths store?
- I REALLY like how you can change/cancel your order up to 11:59 pm the day before delivery! I can see myself possibly using this service around Christmas time. This past year, I ran to Roche Bros. for one thing the day before Christmas Eve and I was in the parking lot trying to leave for OVER 30 MINUTES! Now that is worth the delivery fee to have some things delivered. It might also be good to do birthday party shopping - one less thing to worry about during party preps.
- More on the changing order part - So say you are at work and place an order at 10am to be delivered the next day. You talk to your husband at lunch time. He wants to add 3 things. You can just log in and add them to your cart! Your order isn't processed until right after midnight the day of your scheduled delivery!
- I REALLY like how the sale prices of the meat advertised at Stop & Shop match up with Peapod.
- If you enter your Stop & Shop card number, Peapod will suggest things that you might like based on what you bought in the past at S&S.
- If you refer someone to Peapod, you get a $10 credit. If you sign up, put me down as a referrer!! ;) habean (at) gmail (dot) com
- I really like how they take MFCs. Unfortunately, I forgot to give my delivery guy 2 of the ones I had. Oops.
- I got 2 packs of chicken. It said each pack would be between 3 and 4 pounds. Both were over 4 lbs. I really don't care - but I got about an entire pound more of chicken than I thought I was going to get. I don't know if this bothers some people.
So in conclusion, I was very happy with my Peapod service, however, I still feel like as a homemaker, I can do my own grocery shopping. Would I do this on a regular basis, no. But honestly, I never considered this if I was in a rut (kids sick, I get too busy, holidays, birthdays). This would also be a great "gift" if you have kids in college or whatnot. If I was rich and had money to burn, sure I'd do this all the time - my food quality was great, the delivery guy was nice, the webpage is so very easy to use - But at this time in my life, we're just normal schlubs who can find better ways to spend the $20 needed for the delivery and tip.
Have you ever used Peapod or another grocery store delivery service? How was it for you? Do you do it regularly?
4 comments:
I ordered from Peapod once, I had a $10 off your order coupon and they were offering delivery for under $7. Like you I had no idea what to tip the driver. I was happy with everything I got, but I haven't ordered again because I have a hard time justifying the tip and the delivery price. Also, we eat a lot of produce and I like to pick that out myself. And I do most shopping at Costco because it (seems to be) cheaper for the quality even though they don't take coupons.
I did order groceries online more frequently when we lived in the UK without a car. I'd order all my canned goods online and the poor delivery person had to carry them up two tall flights of stairs to get to the door to our apartment. Now THAT was worth spending money on a tip (and I normally ordered enough to qualify for free delivery - not a deal I've seen Peapod offer).
I loved Peapod when I was recovering from a c-section...
I only tip $5, but I am a frugal Fairfielder (and they have to drive all over Greenfield Hill to find my house).... YIKES!I did tip the guys $20 once when they brought in a boatload of soda and heavy stuff and offered to put it in my basement.
The coolest thing is that your lists of regular items is in the system, so shopping is a breeze.
I think that it may actually save money because, even if the prices are a little higher, you don't have to buy your kids junk in the market that they try to sneak in your cart!
If I lived in the city and had no car, I could see doing this more - but like you, I can't justify the tip & delivery charge when I am perfectly capable of going myself. BUT, I like your idea of using it for pre-party madness, holidays, or when everyone in the house is sick. I would never have thought to use it like that, but I could totally see myself doing a big Peapod delivery come Dec. 23.
Thanks for the responses. Frugal Fairfielder - $5 does seem like a "normal" tip - I'd like to know if the drivers are compensated with part of the delivery charge. I usually tip the pizza guys 15% - but on $20 - that's only $3!! If I was to do a $120 Peapod order and tipped 15%, that's $18!
I just don't know the proper etiquette for this. A $18 tip on top of a $10 delivery charge seems kind of high, but maybe I'm cheap.
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