Deliveroo etc for groceries

[ThinkAboutItTomorrow]

I see hundreds of Deliveroo / Uber drivers picking up in my local supermarket. I needed a few bits and it's cold & dark so I thought I'd give it a go.

The prices! With charges etc (but no tip) it'd be about £40 on Deliveroo for stuff that'd cost £30 if I bought it in the shop.

Am I doing it wrong? Is it good for some things but not others?

How come so many people are using this when there's so much worry about prices?

Or is it just loads of people using it very rarely as an emergency / treat?

I suppose if people don't have a car then they save on public transport, but I can't see it being that much difference. You've got me wondering too now!

It’s a rip off as most products are more expensive- £1.50 in store £1.85 on Just Eat etc. Then if it’s under £20 or £25, another charge then bag charge.

My friend works for a supermarket that has Just Eat. A customer ordered a pack of cigarettes which cost £12.25 in the store. With the extra charges. These cigs were £17.90. Courier turns up - just has an order number- nothing about size of bag(s) and looked at my friend when handed him a bag with a pack of cigarettes in with ‘is that it?’

Some people will pay £10 to stay at home.

I’ve used it in the past when I had some money off and ordering the groceries is cheaper than ordering a takeaway. Also used it when we’ve run out of wine or got the munchies.

I don’t think people use it as a replacement for a normal online supermarket shop though.

Forgot to add that the handset app for Just Eat has a map where customer lives - gives an idea but not to the exact location. My friend showed me a few of that day’s orders. I live 7 min walk from the supermarket and most lived nearer to the store!

Surely that’s just the price you pay for convenience? I think it’s unrealistic to expect someone to pick, pack and deliver a few last minute groceries to you for just the Deliveroo delivery charge. So while it’s more expensive, I’d struggle to call it a rip-off. No one’s forcing anyone to pay those prices. If you’re happy with delivery next day a regular grocery delivery would get you ‘normal’ prices.

I used it from time to time. I'm happy to pay extra for the convenience.

Some of the deals are actually quite good. This week I’ve had a 30% off code. If you have Deliveroo plus the delivery is normally no more than a couple of pounds. I only use it if I have deals and the costs kind of level out to me going to the shop. To caveat this I also have a chronic illness and sometimes I can’t get to the shops very easily.

But I guess you have kids and can’t / don’t want to take them with you, or are in the middle of cooking for a dinner party and have forgotten something, or are immobile / elderly / disabled then it’s a useful service. I’ll admit to using Deliveroo if I’ve forgotten or run out of something and I have people coming round. A 5 minute walk is 20 minutes by the time you’ve trawled round the shop and queued to pay!

My friend had huge orders from Just Eat. 70 items. Problem is that the courier has no indication of how big the order is going to be. They get frustrated as I believe the JE system is designed around takeaways and places like McDs. Where the food is prepared in a small area. Not to be picked across a medium sized supermarket! As it was quiet another colleague worked out that the customer would have saved £28 if they had ordered online. They could have ordered for same day delivery online as the cut off time was another 20 minutes to go. Probably not aware of this plus could get different flavours etc as done at a larger store.

it’s a good job the courier had a car!

If someone else has to pick your order, pack it and deliver it to you, of course you'll pay more than if you go to the shop yourself.
You wouldn't be surprised to pay more for food in a restaurant where someone else needs to cook it, plate it up, serve it to you, wash up your crockery than if you cooked and washed up for yourself at home.

I used to use it occasionally when DD was little and it meant I could get stuff to the house without disrupting her, and then I could be productive with cooking whilst she napped. It was never the main shop, just a top up. Or if the main shop was missing something, rather than drag her to another supermarket I would Deliveroo it from an alternative.

It all depends how much you value your
own time, I think. For me that changes depending on what else I have on, but everyone will have different thresholds.

I use it often for groceries.

Yes, costs way more. But it's just me here and I can't actually leave the house at the moment.

I think it's a god send!

I had some delivered to a friend who was stuck home with a poorly dd. She had no shopping in for tea as was meant to go that day . Her dh was abroad. I paid around £25 iirc . Ordered her calpol for her dd as she was low. Pizza wedges coleslaw her favourite chocolate ,some odd extras.
I guess if I went to supermarket myself and got it it would have been around £18/20 but by time I would have waited for dh to get home. Gone to supermarket then driven to hers and back it would have been a) late and b) over hour round trip

I use it all the time - I seem to get 7, £7 off a £20 spend codes per month, which also works on Coop/Sainsburys etc and works out slightly cheaper than in store prices (after the discount). UberEats does 50% off fruits and veg on Monday which is a massive steal if you plan accordingly to need a top up around then. So much shame around it but realistically if it saves money/costs the same as nipping into the shop and makes hectic family life a smidge easier, why not?

Yes exactly you're also paying for the time. I got Uber eats to deliver some fruit and veg today; I was busy with work and didn't have 45 minutes to go to the shop. It was a bit more expensive than if I went to the shop myself but not loads.

Until recently all Waitrose fruit and veg was half price on a Monday on Uber eats, amazing bargain

X post on the Monday deal!

I do it when there is an offer on. Usually 50% off fruit and veg on a monday. Got a £7 off voucher at the moment and had a £10 one a few weeks back.

If you add in petrol, time, convenience, people will use it.

And not everyone is worried about prices. That’s a media myth.

Fair enough, I guess if it's just a few ££ I can understand it for the convenience, just a move on from walking to the local shop that's more expensive instead of driving to a big one.

Totally understand it's brilliant if you're stuck at home for some reason.

I was just shocked at the idea loads of people are happy paying 30% more for things, given all the noise in the media about cost of living crisis. But I guess that's not a problem for everyone.

I get Deliveroo groceries about twice a week for top ups. They have really good flash sales, so some things end up being cheaper than if you went in to the supermarket.

I get a delivery once a week from Ocado or Waitrose, but inevitably all the meat and some of the produce goes off in the first three or four days. So I use Deliveroo to top up on perishable things, and it saves money on food waste.

I also have Deliveroo Diamond membership, so the whole lot is free if it's late.

They also sometimes give substitutes that aren't what I want (eg a pizza with meat on for a vegetarian DC). You can claim the cost of these back. I eat anything, so I will usually eat it...