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Does the idea of shopping online for groceries seem too good to be true?
You don’t have to search for a parking spot or wait in line. No more maneuvering a giant cart around the store. No more wrangling fussy toddlers when you’re trying to decide which apples to buy.
What will you do with all that time you save? And without the stress? You’ll be a happier and calmer person, no doubt about it.
Grocery shopping online is growing in popularity, with about 20% of people shopping online for groceries.
Have you been holding out? Waiting for a reason to make the change from your routine? Maybe you’re loving that hour or two each week you spend in the grocery store aisles at your local store.
I actually really like grocery shopping when there’s not many people in the store, a parking spot is easy to find, and my kids are happy. But that’s not how it usually goes, unfortunately.
Three Options
The companies below are not the only options out there. In some cities, your local grocery store might even offer a delivery service.
We’ve personally used Thrive Market, Azure Standard, and Imperfect Produce for grocery delivery and I recommend each of them. Do you have a different online grocery store that you use? I’d love to hear about where you get your groceries in the comments below.
What can online grocery shopping do for me?
We’re all busy. And no matter how much meal planning we do…if we don’t make it to the grocery store, we won’t be cooking a meal at home. We’ll be dining in or doing take out.
Cooking from your own kitchen with simple ingredients will trump eating out any day. Certainly in terms of nutrition, but often with flavor, too. One of my least favorite things is going out to eat and tasting my dish, only to realize I could have cooked something more delicious at home, for less than half the price.
A word of caution
I’m a believer that cooking from scratch is healthier than buying pre-made or processed foods. Only use these grocery shopping options if they can help you in your journey to eating a more nutritious diet.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that just because processed food is labeled “organic”, that it’s healthy. Be sure to check labels of anything you purchase to know what exactly you’re getting (and eating).
Online Grocery Options
One thing each of these options have going for them is convenience. You can shop in your pajamas, and you don’t need to drive anywhere to do it.
1. Thrive Market
Thrive Market is an online marketplace. Their mission is to make healthy living accessible and affordable for everyone. They offer non-GMO, Organic, Gluten-Free, and Vegan foods at 25%-50% below retail.
This is a great option for household goods, pantry staples like flour, vinegar, oils, and also meats (if you want to buy in bulk). They don’t offer produce, so you’ll need to get your fruits and vegetables somewhere else.
There’s an annual membership fee of about $60, but you can try it free for 30 days with this link. They have free shipping on orders over $49.
One thing about Thrive Market that’s pretty awesome is that for every paid membership they receive, they provide a free membership to a low-income family, teacher, or veteran.
Right now they are offering 25% off your first order, if you sign up with this link.
2. Azure Standard
Azure Standard is pretty awesome. It started as a farm, and has grown to be that and so much more. They are dedicated to organic and natural principles, and helping others have access to nutritious food.
We’ve shopped here for animal feed, yogurt, grass fed meat, fresh seasonal produce, and more. They’re based out of Oregon, but they ship throughout the country. There is no membership fee to use Azure.
Learn more about Azure Standard here
You can either have your order shipped directly to you (for a fee), or you can go meet up with the semi-truck at a set time each month (along with your like-minded neighbors) and pick up your boxes for FREE, at the “drop” spot nearest you.
We’ve done the drop pick up for the last couple years, and definitely recommend it. Check their website to see their nearest “drop” locations.
3. Imperfect Produce
There are several produce boxes out there, but I love the model of Imperfect Produce the most. We’ve used a few others in the past. But for one reason or another, they didn’t last long.
Imperfect Produce sells produce that is either the wrong size, wrong shape, or just has a few imperfections that make it unacceptable to sell at a grocery store. Instead of this produce getting thrown away, Imperfect Produce sells it at a discount and delivers it to your door. Doesn’t that sound great?
Use this link to get $10 off your first box.
Not only that, it’s totally customizable. You get to choose which size of box works best for your family. There’s an organic option, too if that’s what you’re looking for.
When you sign up for your box, they tell you the delivery date and the date you can log in to customize the contents of the box. So if you want double the carrots, and no beets. No problem. Just log in and adjust the contents to meet the needs of your family.
This customizing feature is convenient because you are able to see what’s in your box several days before you get it. This makes it easier for us to meal plan around the produce for the week.
And the pricing is very transparent as well. When you log in to customize, it tells you the unit price of each item. So if you take off an item or add an item, the total is adjusted accordingly. If you want extra veggies one week. Add them and you’ll pay a bit more. If you want less one week, take some off and you’ll pay less.
And, BONUS for you…with this link, you can get $10 off your first order.
The only downside I’ve found is that it isn’t available in every city. Check their website to see if they are set up near you. If they’re not, they may get there soon. I know they’re growing like crazy.
Summary
There are many options out there if you want to skip the grocery store, and get the groceries delivered right to your door.
Thrive Market, Azure Standard, and Imperfect Produce are just a few ways to shop online for groceries and household items that I’ve personally tried and would recommend.
How do you get your groceries? Tell me all about it in the comments below!
P.S. Amazon Fresh is one other option that delivers groceries to customers’ doors, but it isn’t available in our location. Since I didn’t have a chance to try it out, I can’t tell you what I think about it. If you’ve tried it, let me know in the comments what you think about it!
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OMG I had not heard about Imperfect Produce. What a great idea. I would definitely shop there. I will also share this information with my parents who shop for produce way more than I do. Thanks for the recommendation.
Yes! It’s been great for our family. I’m glad you found it helpful!
This is a busy mom’s dream come true!! Thank you for this information and recommendation.
Yes! It’s been a huge time saver for us!
This is great for people who can’t get to the grocery store. However, for me, I’m not sure if I would use the service. Mostly because I’m not sure if they would pick the fruits and vegetables that I would choose for myself. There are certain fruits I don’t like too hard and some (like tomatoes) I hate when they are too soft. Maybe I’m too picky.
Yes, it might not be for everyone. I do love that with Imperfect Produce, you can completely customize what you get. You get to see the full list of what’s in your box, and you can add/remove as much as you like.
Great delivery. Great arguments. Keep up the good effort.