There is a little secret that I have never told you before. I loathe grocery shopping. I avoid it at all costs, in fact. I would rather eat a PB&J or Cheetos for dinner than have to run out to the store. It is just not my thing. So, it has become one of my husband’s tasks. He likes grocery shopping.
However, there is a little problem. He works full time. Which means that if I need anything from the grocery store during the weekday, like milk or diapers for the baby or dark chocolate with truffles in it for me, I am forced to go out. And do you know what I loathe more than grocery shopping?
Grocery shopping with my kids. I love my kids. I just don’t like the whole shopping cart, lugging bags, stuffing kids and peaches into that front section with the foot holes…
So, usually I either make due without whatever item I need or I wait until either my husband comes home, my mom offers to pick something up for me or my Mommom shows up on my doorstep with a delivery.
So, you can imagine my initial (hesitant) excitement when I started to see the buzz about Instacart filling my newsfeed.
As it states on their website,
“Instacart is a grocery delivery service that delivers in as little as an hour! We connect you with Personal Shoppers in your area who pick up and deliver your groceries from your favorite local stores.”
In my area this means that I can get fast and efficient delivery from stores including Acme, Super Fresh, BJ’s Wholesale, READING TERMINAL MARKET (Famous 4th Street Cookies, HI!!!!!) and, wait for it, Fine Wine & Good Spirits.
As much as the shopping-hater in me wanted to believe in this mystical app, I was realistic. How could something as fantastic as this really exist? So I placed my first order, a small list of essentials from Whole Foods, with some hesitancy.
20 minutes later I got a call on my cell from a number from California.
It was my Instacart personal shopper. She told me that they were out of organic strawberries at our Whole Foods, and asked if I would like her to buy the regular strawberries. Yes. This happened. For the most low key, normal person, this made me feel fancy, like I had a butler! I’m so fancy now.
Another 20 minutes later and the lovely woman was at my door, with the groceries perfectly packaged.
So yes. This Unicorn of an App does exist. I have used it twice now, because yesterday I was home with the baby and out of his whole milk and OJ and ketchup and it is just so easy. Once again, I got a call (there was no steam in the bag cauliflower at Acme) and had a sweet woman at my door within 30 minutes of that phonecall.
So, readers. I have a little treat for you.
For your first order on Instacart, you get $10 off and Free Shipping (that’s a $14.00 discount!) if you use the code word
“mommy” at checkout.
So don’t say I never hook you up.
And don’t ever send me to the grocery store ever again.