Or you don't drive. I usually just go to the store as needed and fill a backpack, but if we need more than that we get things delivered.

I order directly from the grocery store and they deliver the groceries. The last thing I want to do after I drive an hour home from work (leave 6:20, return home 5:20) is walk all around a grocery store trying to avoid other shoppers. It's infinitely easier to order it while I'm working and have it delivered around the time I get home.

I hope ordering directly from them means a store employee is the one picking the items, so they know where stuff is and are being paid hourly, at least.

Stay-at-home wife has the kids and doesn't feel like dragging them through the store. Proposes that it's cheaper to order instacart or shipped because they don't make impulse purchases. (and for Target I 100% agree)

Ordering for pickup at the store is an option, but they're shopping for the store, not you, so you're going to get the older produce and less attention to replacements.

Personally, I like grocery shopping.

I live in a place that had almost zero public transportation 8 years ago. 8 years ago I developed epilepsy and temporarily lost my driver's license due to this condition. The closest grocery store is 7 miles away and I live far from family and friends so grocery shopping was nearly impossible at times. Grocery delivery was one of my only ways to get food. It can be useful in more scenarios than you can imagine.

I've met delivery app drivers who were literally crying on delivery because they're having trouble with bills and realizing there getting paid $40 to look around a store for 2 hours in addition to driving and delivering the actual food.

I understand that some people find a reason to use these services. I'll do my best to avoid them as long as possible.

I'm working 8-5, 6-10 for the next 6 weeks. Sometimes it's helpful to have basic groceries at your door.

They did used to offer similar services between the 1950s and 1990s - just low-tech. You'd tell the milkman and the grocer what you wanted and it'd be on your doorstep at 7am in the morning.

If you don't own a car, or can't drive (at the moment) for some other reason, in a lot of suburbs in the US you literally don't have a choice.

Where I live in Germany there's also a lot of supermarket delivery, but they're generally picked and delivered by people working directly for the supermarket, not random gig economy dudes of the street, so since they have access to the stores inventory system they will automatically know what is available (and since the order app also has that access, you can't even order anything the supermarket already doesn't have in inventory at the time of ordering), and either automatically cancel, automatically substitute or send you a notification to pick an option if something is out.