Instacart Warning - be cautious

[Cudedog]

Since I don't want to go out just now (who does?) I decided to try to have a grocery delivery via Instacart. I made two orders online, one order coming from Safeway, the other from Sam's Club.

The online "cart" prices per item for Safeway were $2.00 - $3.00 more (often more than this) for each item compared to Winco Foods where I "used" to shop (which does not deliver, and which Instacart in my area does not service). Prices on Sam's Club were also very high.

But here is the kicker: Istacart charges a "service fee" and a "delivery fee" and a percentage "tip fee".

For my two orders, all these "fees" added up to over $75.00!! For just the "fees"!!! Makes for a dang expensive load of groceries, if you ask me!!

Then I found out that my local Walmart delivers. For free. Low prices. I placed an order for delivery for tomorrow (and cancelled the Instacart ones). I'll post tomorrow afternoon to let everyone know how it goes.

Last week I had a delivery from Raleys. They charged me for two cross-rib roasts, but only delivered one. Since I didn't want to open the door, and just instructed that the groceries left on my front porch, I am out the $15.00 for the missing roast. Because I am "responsible" for deliveries that are "left", (that I don't check as they are delivered), because items might be "stolen" if they are left on my front porch.

By the way - I watched through my blinds as the guy unloaded his car and brought the bags to my front door. So I pretty much know who "stole" my roast.

Also, this guy from Raleys brought me a single, small, bruised tomato which cost a fast $1.25 (I was afraid to eat it because the skin was broken - couldn't be sanitized), so I tossed it.

It's basically "Gouge City" out there right now.

Be careful, everyone. Stay well! Stay safe!!

Anne

[MandysMom]

I haven’t even tried delivery yet because of all the reasons you state!

[asirimarco]

Hope you have a good experience with WalMart - we got a delivery from Smith's the other day and it was a good experience - they charge 9.95 and add a tip for the driver. When they are filling your order they are in constant text contact - tell you what is not available and what substitutions they can make. Left the stuff in the garage - we were home. Today we are getting out first Walmart delivery. I ordered some stuff besides groceries so not sure how that will work. Ours in not free. costs 7 dollars. Not sure how they handle tips.
Different times we live in now.

[retiredhappy]

I shop on line with Walmart all the time. Pretty much trouble free but you can't order meats or fresh veggies. Our local Brookshires has curbside pickup BUT the delivery time is now about 3 weeks. Walmart has been out of toilet paper on line for weeks. Before all this virus crap I used to order bulky items like toilet paper, paper towels, and heavy things like my dog food and juice. I haven't been able to find toilet paper anywhere unless you get there at 6 am nor has my daughter who is going from store to store and doing all the shopping for her and me. I finally, today, ordered TP and paper towels on Amazon. They had them but the 99 cent shipping means I won't get it until MAY 20th!!! Here's hopiing all the TP hoarders get the virus.

[Irmi]

Karen, if there is a Camping World or General RV near you, we have found toilet paper there. I know it's much more expensive, but at least we have some. Not so sure who is hoarding the crap, but like you, I'm a little miffed that we can't buy it from our local groceries stores.

[JudyJB]

Karen, I also found 4-packs of RV toilet paper in the RV section of Walmart. I already had some, but picked up another couple of packs to last me a while. Regular TP was gone, but RV section had a ton of it.

[SnowGypsy]

If ordering online for delivery from Wal-Mart, I ordered and have seen at other times since, that earlier in the morning they offer a choice, and RV toilet paper is usually the last to run out, but going early to look is imperative. I also noticed this with some other items. Here in central KS, with the pickup service at Wal-Mart, they had just 2 days always filled, but now are up to 3 days of pickup (down from the original 7 days) and if one gets their order in early, a time on the 3rd day is often available now. I am not sure this would work in all areas though. Also, for items being delivered through FedEx, time for delivery on most items we order has went from 2 or 3 weeks to a week or less. Hopefully, this is an indication that the supply lines are improving.

[Redetotry]

Something doesn't sound right Anne, maybe you got into a fake site. Nothing I've seen has fees that high. The delivery fee and the tip are usual but not the service fee. Did you go to the store you wanted to shop at like Safeway and set up a cart there and then go to Sam's and set up an account on their web site? Also prices have increased and yeast especially has gone up or can't be found. Sorry this happened.

[Cudedog]

I am happy to report that I have now had good success with delivery from both Walmart and Instacart.

Instacart being my second choice due to their being quite expensive to have items delivered. However, Instacart has a greater variety of places they can/will shop. Yesterday they brought me a small order from a local restaurant supply store (who knew that one didn't need to be a restauranter or reseller or a wholesaler to shop there - I certainly didn't!!).

Prices from this restaurant supply store are very comparable to Walmart prices, but the fees Instacart charges puts them over Walmart by quite a bit - BUT!! I have been searching for flour for at least 4 weeks - both online (none available!) and through delivery (order the flour, but it doesn't show up). Anyway, I was THRILLED to receive a fifty-pound bag of flour from the restaurant supply store via Instacart yesterday!!

When you need something, and can't get it any other way, it is certainly worth the increased price to have it delivered by Instacart. At least it is to me.

I will leave the flour and other items in my "quarantine" room for several days while the items "cure" then I will break the flour down into zip-lock bags and store it in the freezer. Baking my own bread every few days certainly runs through the flour!

I am now on the hunt for a one or two pound package of active dry yeast, which is also very difficult to find at the moment, with doing sourdough as my back-up option. I still have a small amount of yeast left, and there is a way to "extend" the yeast from baking day to baking day that I might try if I get close to running out.

I guess I got over-excited by ordering delivery from Walmart - I somehow ended up with twenty-five pounds of apples! My fault, what I will probably do is slice them up and dry them in the oven (watching YouTube videos to see how it is done), then ziplock the dried apples and put them in the freezer as well.

Anyone have suggestions on how best to dry apples?

Thanks.

Anne

[Cudedog]

Something doesn't sound right Anne, maybe you got into a fake site. Nothing I've seen has fees that high. The delivery fee and the tip are usual but not the service fee. Did you go to the store you wanted to shop at like Safeway and set up a cart there and then go to Sam's and set up an account on their web site? Also prices have increased and yeast especially has gone up or can't be found. Sorry this happened.

Thanks, BJ. The Instacart order where the fees were so high was because (I think) it was a pretty large order. Again I "think" that their fees are somewhat proportional to the size of the order. Maybe this has changed a bit, or maybe I wasn't doing something right at the time. Yesterday's order that had my flour, the fees were not so bad, maybe because it was a small order. And, again, the fees were worth it to me because I was able to get my flour.

I would definitely order using home delivery from Instacart again. (LOL - crow eating time!).

BJ, are you saying that I can (for example) set up a cart on, say, Sam's website, and then have those items delivered by Instacart? If yes, this is good information - I didn't know that. Thus far, when using Instacart, I have just ordered through the Instacart website, specifying the store I wish to shop.

Still looking for yeast. Don't need any for a bit, most references I have read state that the yeast is there, the supply chains have just been overwhelmed.

This might not be the same thing for flour. If four is actually "out", likely there won't be more until later in the year. Midwest wheat harvest is somewhere mid-to-late summer, the grain has to be processed, etc. But there will be more flour, even if not right now.

Thanks, BJ!!

Anne

[Rufflesgurl]

I've noticed very high prices on several items from Amazon and deliveries out
a week or two some times even a month. All indicative of these times I guess.

Linda

[JudyJB]

Since yeast is a growing organism, you can use half or even less of what the recipe calls for, then just let your bread rise longer. The little "yeasties" will multiple and continue growing, especially if you add a little bit of sugar or honey to your recipe to feed them--a tablespoon should be adequate.

[Cudedog]

Since yeast is a growing organism, you can use half or even less of what the recipe calls for, then just let your bread rise longer. The little "yeasties" will multiple and continue growing, especially if you add a little bit of sugar or honey to your recipe to feed them--a tablespoon should be adequate.

Excellent advice, Judy!! You are 100% correct, I just wasn't thinking this through.

GOOD NEWS! I just found some yeast online - after spending five (5!) hours searching online. It is coming via Walmart through a Walmart reseller. I HOPE!! This will be a pound (16 oz) of instant yeast, should last me quite a long while. It was expensive - more so than usual - but the best price I found.

I've noticed very high prices on several items from Amazon and deliveries out
a week or two some times even a month. All indicative of these times I guess.

Linda

Linda, the gougers are out in force on Amazon - there are two "kinds" of Amazon - Amazon itself, and Amazon resellers. It is the Amazon resellers that are really driving up prices. I mean - $43.00 for a 5-pound bag of King Arthur flour?!?

I just paid $14.00 for my 50-pound bag of flour that came from a local restaurant supply store, delivered by Instacart. LOL. I looked it up - this flour is from the same miller (ADM Milling Company) that mills flour for King Arthur!!

I'm staying away from Amazon for foodstuffs. It's getting to be a jungle out there. . .

Anne

[snowball]

Anne did you try the restaurant supply place for yeast??? unless they are out they should carry it if they carried flour wouldn't you think?
sheila

[Cudedog]

Anne did you try the restaurant supply place for yeast??? unless they are out they should carry it if they carried flour wouldn't you think?
sheila

Thank you, Sheila.

Yes, I did. It was part of the Instacart order that brought my flour. The store was totally out of yeast.

Did find some yeast online yesterday, via Walmart and one of their resellers. It should be coming next week - the price of yeast right now, if you can find it, is over the moon. A one-pound package of active dry yeast in "normal times" is about $3.75 at the store. The "best price" I was seeing online was $10.00 for the pound, with $17.00 for shipping (!), for a total of $27.00.

The deal I found on Walmart was three one-pound packages for $25.00, with free shipping. Red lettering under the ordering button said "Only one left". You can bet I clicked on it as quick as I could. What will I do with three pounds of yeast? I don't know. Yeast will keep up to a year in the freezer - often a lot longer than that. It is nice to have some to maybe give to a neighbor that might need some.

An interesting thing I am finding out in all of this is that if I want something, I need to be persistent and just not give up until I find what I want - even if it takes a while.

For example, when speaking to my daughter a week or so ago she said that she did not have any bleach, and couldn't find any anywhere, online or off. Bleach being critical these days for disinfecting. After our telephone call ended at about 8:00 p.m. I got online and began the hunt for deliverable bleach ("available in stores" just doesn't work - sometimes it is there in the store, more often not).

I looked everywhere online I could think of - nada - then checked everywhere I could think of a second time, and then a third time. Finally, at around 1:00 a.m. (five hours of searching), there was a listing for deliverable bleach on the Walmart website that had not been there before.

I phoned my daughter - at 1:00 a.m. - and told her to get online and order it (I could not figure out how to order this from Walmart myself and have it shipped to her - I was wasting time diddling, and feared the bleach would run out before I could figure out how to get the order made - so I telephoned her).

My daughter had been sound asleep, didn't at first know why I was calling, or what I wanted her to do (I NEVER make calls like this to my kids in the wee hours). But she did get online and order bleach for herself - and had the presence of mind to order bleach for my son (who didn't have any either!) and have it sent to him (their bleach arrived a few days later).

About 1/2 hour after she ordered, I went back online - and the bleach was sold out. The "window of opportunity" had been 1:00 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Had the same experience with the yeast - checked, checked, checked - suddenly it was there, ordered it - then it was gone again. About 5 hours online to find the yeast.

So if you need something, and can't find it online - don't give up. Be persistent. It just may turn up - if only for a few minutes.

A WORD OF WARNING: As I am doing this I am only using places that are known, that I have a previously-existing account with, mostly this is Walmart, Target and Walgreens drug store.

BEWARE: there are LOTS of bogus websites popping up allegedly selling stuff - they are just angling to get hold of your credit card number.

It's getting to be very bad out there. Use supreme caution.

Stay well, everyone.

Anne