prime now vs. peapod delivers, fresh direct, and instacart.

I have tried them all…..all of the grocery school delivery services that is.

Who I have been using most is Giant by Peapod. But they don’t always have delivery availability when you need it, and even with a “plan” their delivery is getting expensive. Oh and don’t forget the fuel surcharge.

I used to use Fresh Direct when it was a special occasion but they are probably almost the most expensive. And then there were those instances of frozen fresh flowers, fresh herbs and vegetables when I needed them to be fresh and not frozen for holiday dinners and parties.

I tried Instacart a few times, but really didn’t mesh with them so I actually deleted the app from my phone and tablet. I also find them hugely expensive.

Recently I have tried Prime Now Whole Foods by Amazon. I have to tell you thus far I am really impressed.

The Prime Now app is easy to use. It is attached to my Amazon Prime account and the customer service is outstanding. I had a couple snafus with my first order and they cleared them right up practically instantly.

The other thing with Prime Now is the groceries come packed neatly, and frozen and perishables are packaged separately in an insulated bags. As a matter of fact if you buy ice cream it comes in an extra insulated bag inside the insulated bag.

Everything comes in environmentally friendly paper bags so I don’t have to remember to give the plastic bags back for recycling. The bags for perishable items are also recyclable.

Now the one thing I don’t like is Prime Now is another grocery delivery service that has delivery people using their own vehicles. Instacart does this too. So unless they’re wearing ID (which my delivery people were), you have to look twice before opening the door. Peapod still does better here in this area as well as Fresh Direct with uniforms on their drivers and business trucks.

So far, Prime Now is beating all of the grocery delivery services on speed and delivery availability. And they also give you options of time frames where they will offer free delivery. Prime Now is also kicking butt in then produce area. Their meat and poultry is as expensive as Fresh Direct but the quality is impressive.

Prime Now also prefers you add your tip into your total before you hit submit for your order – their drivers are not allowed to accept cash tips.

I used Prime Now when we came home from a little time away with family because they were the only people I could get to deliver groceries when I needed them the day of my return. I wasn’t going to use them again so soon, but when I pulled up Peapod yesterday they didn’t have any availability for a couple of days.

I will be honest I never thought I would be a person who would get my groceries delivered. But it’s a nice option when you’re short on time.

Please note my opinions are my own and I have not been compensated in any way by any of these grocery delivery services to write a review.