Why more shoppers are choosing food delivery
After a long day at work, the grocery store is the last place you want to be. Or, maybe coming up with nutritious meals each night after your kid’s soccer practice is eating into your wallet. Even if you do make it to the supermarket, you supersize your waistline, falling prey to impulse buys of candy bars and chips. That’s why many people are turning to home-delivered groceries and prepared meals—and their options for healthier fare are growing.
Worth the extra dough
For Chicago-area resident Rory Dominick, home-delivered groceries have been a big help over the past few years. She frequently used the grocery delivery service Peapod while she was on bed rest during her second pregnancy, and already had a young child at home.
Dominick is back to traditional in-store shopping now, but still turns to the service, “when I’m in a big pinch, when I can’t get to the store, or the kids are sick, or I’m overworked,” says the real estate agent and mom of two young sons.
She’s willing to cough up more cash for some items, and pay a delivery fee of $6 to $10, which is common for home-delivered grocery services. She says the extra money offsets the gas she’d spend driving, and saves her the hassle of browsing the aisles.
“I personally cannot stand going to the grocery store. The cost-benefit analysis I do in my head allows me to say, yes, it’s worth it,” Dominick says.
A plate for everyone
Beyond bags of groceries, prepared meals can be delivered to your door, too. And most modern services offer more dinner options than the strict diet-based plans of the past.
Many companies now offer subscription packages that provide a box of fully prepared, ready-to-cook meals. Some even give shoppers the freedom to mix and match sides and main courses.
Michael Balducci is owner and founder of Veggie Brothers, an online vegan food ordering service based in New York City. He says being able to shop online even helps vegans stay on track. “There are many people who buy food online, but it’s still a strange concept to some,” says Balducci, who opened the business in 2005.
The company fills a niche for people seeking convenient and tasty vegan food—from lentil walnut burgers to seitan Wellington. Most of the items arrive packed in dry ice, ready for “boil-in-bag” preparation or heating in an oven.
Many of his customers are new to veganism, or are hoping to “educate their friends and family, and their own cooking doesn’t cut it,” Balducci says.
It’s important to remember homedelivered meals and online shopping isn’t a perfect fit for everyone. Some shoppers will always want to inspect their steaks, or gently press on their avocados before buying them. Others won’t want to commit to being home during a two-hour delivery window.