Need that pint of milk but can’t make it to the shops? There’s now a handful of services offering same-day grocery delivery.
More and more of us are switching to online shopping in the wake of the pandemic.
According to a new poll by Waitrose, more than three quarters us now do at least some of our grocery shopping in this way.
Thankfully, the massive backlog of online orders – which left many of us unable to place an order – has now ease.
In fact, it's now possible to get your items delivered on the same day.
Whether it’s just a few emergency items needed for that night’s dinner, or a decent supplement to your weekly big shop, there are a host of options if you need your shopping delivered today, from supermarkets and independent delivery firms alike.
Let’s take a look at how they compare.
Beelivery
Beelivery is an on-demand grocery service, which it says relies on using “crowdsourced” delivery drivers.
Effectively it’s like using Uber, but rather than booking in a lift you’re instead booking in a driver to go and pick up some items for you.
Customers are offered a range of typical convenience store products.
This can range from things like loaves of bread and frozen chicken nuggets to fresh fruit and toiletries. You fill up your shopping basket and then checkout and pay through the website. Alternatively you can use the free app.
Your order then gets sent to registered drivers in your area, which they can then choose to accept or decline.
Drivers who accept the job then have 90 minutes to pick up the items you’ve selected and deliver them to you.
Delivery costs start at £1.99, while you can order 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
You can order booze and cigarettes too, so long as you are over 18, though your delivery driver may ask to see some ID if you look a little young.
You can check if Beelivery drivers are operating in your area by entering your postcode on the website.
Grocemania
Grocemania says it operates in London and Brighton, but in truth its reach is a little further since I can use it in Hertfordshire.
Again, you simply have to stick your postcode in to check whether you can use the service, as well as what stores are open to you to use.
For example, when I use my own postcode I can only use the ‘Grocemania essentials’ service, but if I was in central London I’d have the option of specific stores and restaurants.
With the ‘essentials’ range, shoppers are presented with a host of typical items you might want to pick up from a grocery store, from a Hovis loaf to a box of six medium Happy Eggs.
There’s a £2.50 delivery cost unless you spend over £30, in which case it’s free.
Payments for your shop can be made by credit or debit card, or by PayPal. And the food is delivered within an hour too.
You can cancel an offer, though you’re against the clock ‒ you need to cancel within five minutes.
Tesco
Supermarket giant Tesco did offer same-day deliveries, though the service has been paused as a result of Covid-19. Tesco has said it plans to bring back the service “when we can”.
Previously the service meant that so long as you ordered by 1pm, you could get your order delivered after 7pm that same day, with same-day slots costing £2 a pop.
Sainsbury’s Chop Chop
Chop Chop is a bike delivery service offered by Sainsbury’s in select areas, with Brighton and Bristol recently joining Manchester, Reading and parts of greater London on the Chop Chop map.
The Chop Chop app brings you together with a “grocery personal shopper”, with deliveries then taking place during a one-hour slot.
There’s no minimum spend, but you can only pick up a maximum of 20 items.
Delivery charges vary, but are displayed at the checkout.
Asda
Asda is offering same-day delivery as part of a trial with Uber Eats, and for now it’s only available to customers within delivery distance of Pudsey in Leeds and Barnes Hill in Birmingham.
With Asda so long as you book a slot before noon you can get same day delivery after 3.30pm.
Shoppers have the choice of over 300 Asda own-brand items, from fresh fruit and vegetables to beer and wine.
You can order through the Uber Eats app, with your order picked by Asda staff before being collected and delivered by an Uber Eats courier.
Standard delivery charges apply, with a £2 supplement if you’re going for same-day delivery, and there’s no minimum basket size.
Ocado Zoom
At the moment Ocado Zoom is pretty limited in terms of availability, as it’s only open to shoppers in certain parts of West London like Ealing, Kew, West Kensington and Chiswick.
If you happen to live in one of these areas, you can go for delivery as soon as possible, or else choose a specific slot that day.
Shoppers have around 10,000 items they can choose from, and there’s a minimum order of £15, but no limits on how many items you can order.
Your order is delivered by a courier firm called Stuart. The cost will vary depending on the slow you opt for, but starts at £1.99.
Importantly, if you have an Ocado Smart Pass, Zoom deliveries aren’t included. Similarly products sold through Zoom are not covered by Ocado’s low price promise.
You can pay with credit or debit card, or with PayPal.
Morrisons and Amazon
Amazon has offered Morrisons products in a host of cities throughout lockdown, via its Amazon Prime app. But it’s now extended this by putting the full range on its website.
Amazon Prime members can get same-day deliveries on orders over £40, with access to the full store range rather than the restricted range which had been on offer through the app.
This larger range is only available in Leeds for now though as part of a trial.