By Lori Bosworth
The lead-up to the holidays can become a juggling act of balancing a whole range of activities including shopping for last minute gifts, baking holiday treats, cleaning the house for company and looking after yourself and your family. If there are ways to save time on these tasks, I will be the first one to try them and that’s why I was excited to learn about Instacart’s new partnership with Loblaws to offer grocery delivery, straight to your home.
Once your place your grocery order online at Instacart, a personal grocery shopper is assigned to fulfill your grocery order. You can have your groceries delivered to your home in as little as two hours. Currently, Instacart’s fee is $7.99, as well as a small service fee.
Torontonicity was invited to try Instacart’s new service by placing an order on their website for grocery delivery from my local Loblaws. I created an account on Instacart and began shopping for my groceries by clicking “Add to Cart” on the items I wanted to buy. There is an option under each item to add instructions for your personal shopper. As well, before you check out, you can indicate what your grocery shopper should do in the event that your product is not in stock, including: 1) Find Best Match; 2) Pick Specific Replacement and 3) Don’t Replace.
I placed my order at 10:40 a.m. for a delivery window of 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. the same day. My order included 16 items such as fresh vegetables, yogourt, juice, Ultimate Kale Chips, frozen shrimp, PC Swedish Meatballs, Balsamic vinegar, and two Happy Planet Soups, one in Butternut Squash and one in Thai Chicken. I received a text message at about 12:30 p.m. advising me that my shopper had begun shopping for my order. I was pleased with the update. At about 1:20 p.m., I received another text message advising me that two of the items I had ordered were not in stock: Ultimate Kale Chips in Cheddar and Happy Planet Soup in Butternut Squash and that I would be refunded the cost of these two items because I had indicated that I did not want my shopper to pick a specific replacement.
I received another text message at 1:30 p.m. advising that my shopper was at the door with my groceries. This was great since it was within the window of time I had requested. I greeted him at the door. He explained that he was sorry that he didn’t get me the Happy Planet Soups, but he had walked all over Loblaws and couldn’t find where they were located. I told him they were in the deli section as they are freshly-made soups. I thanked him and then went to unpack my groceries.
I was pleased that he had purchased mostly everything on my list and I liked the quality of the fresh vegetables including broccoli and organic kale. In place of the Happy Planet Thai Chicken Soup, my shopper had purchased President’s Choice World of Flavours Thai Chicken Ready To Serve Soup, a canned soup.
All in all, I was pleased with my first Instacart order and know that I can add specific instructions for my personal shopper in the event that a product is not in stock.
Our Giveaway of a $75 Gift Card for Instacart / Loblaws Grocery Delivery has closed. Congrats to Christine B.
This contest appears on Contest Canada
I love how it will simplify grocery shopping.
I like that it could save me time!
I like that I don’t have to haul the groceries home with me.
It looks so simple! Saves you time so you can spend more time doing things you love!
I love the convenience!
It helps make things easier.
I like that they refund you if the item you chose is out of stock. Also that it’s convenient.
I love the convenience and the time saving.
I love the convenience, that simple.
I love the convenience!
The convenience is great to have for sure.
I’m having a baby soon so a service like this would be super helpful & convenient.
This service is a great gift and is also very convenient!
I like that they keep me up to date via text messages
Love the convenience of it.
I don’t drive and I have a one year old son so I haul my groceries in my stroller. This would simplify my life, lol. Thanks for the chance!
I shop at Loblaws all the time. It is my favourite store.
CONVENIENCE IS GREAT PLUS SOMETIMES IM TOO TIRED AFTER RUNNING AROUND TO GO TO THE STORE ITS NICE TO COME HOME ORDER WHAT I WHAT AND ITS DELIVERED TO ME
I love that they communicate via text message. Loblaws carries great produce!
I’ll spend less because when I go into the store I see things that aren’t on the list and toss it into the cart. If I see broccoli discounted I grab it and then have to buy heavy cream and extra cheese to make a cheddar broc soup, this way I won’t be tempted to spend more. I won’t have to wait forever to find parking or stand in line. And there’s nothing worse then driving all the way into the city only to find that the shelves are empty. (I only go in to shop every 6-8 weeks for groceries)
I like how easy it is to do at home and no lines
I love that I don’t have to drag the kids into the store!
I love the convenience – not spending time going up and down the aisles!
I love that I can give myself a break from doing grocery shopping for my elderly mother, once in a while.
I can’t wait to use it. it’ll save me so much time
I love the idea of getting what I need without having to leave the house
That it fits into your timeline.
The ease of shopping for groceries!
fabulous when I am very busy and I need this service
I like the Same-day delivery
Interesting one
Getting updates along the way.
I don’t seem to have time to grocery shop anymore. Delivery would be awesome!
The convenience of it.
I love how it would make grocery shopping at Loblaws so much easier, especially when I have to take my 3 & 5 year olds!!
That’s so simple and convenient. Great idea when you are pressed for time.
i love how it makes shoppig so much easier, shop from home and getting it delievered.
It’s definitely a time saver!
I love that it is same day delivery.
Looks really quick and easy
It definitely saves me time and I don’t have to lug all the groceries
I love how it will save you time!
It is very convenient
I like that it could save me time
Same delivery is great!
Some days, this would be very useful. Great that the delivery is so fast.
convenience
I like the short delivery time.
I like how convenient it is.
I love the same day delivery.
It can save alot of time for me
Saving time!
I love that they communicate via text message.
i love how easy and convenient it is!
What I like about Instacart / Loblaws’ grocery delivery is the fact that you have the option to pick 1) Find Best Match; 2) Pick Specific Replacement and 3) Don’t Replace.
I like that they keep you updated by text.
I like the convenience and it saves time!
Sounds amazingly convenient!
So convenient, it would be nice to have one less thing to do.
I love that it saves me time!
I love the convenience, thanks!
I love that I don’t have to juggle groceries and chasing after my kids in the store.
I love the convenience!
Time saver!
Without a car this would be a huge help for big shops, especially in winter!
I love that this service will give me time to do other things I would rather be doing.
The mark up on products is outrageous! I had over $30 difference between what I was charged and what it actually cost. My shopper was lovely and left me the bill. She also texted me to say some of my items were on sale – of course I wouldn’t benefit from a penny of it! So with the price difference and the service fee (even with the free delivery for first time users with Loblaws) it cost me over $50 difference!
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