Denver’s growing grocery delivery market just got a little bigger. Last Wednesday, internet giant Amazon announced its grocery delivery service, AmazonFresh, is now available in Denver. AmazonFresh will compete with a number of other companies hoping to capitalize off growing demand for instant grocery delivery.
People have come to expect everything they could possibly want — including basic household necessities — right on their doorstep as soon as they want it. Many services have jumped to fulfill this demand, but each does so in a slightly different way. We broke down several of the grocery delivery services available in Denver to help you choose which best meets your needs.
AmazonFresh
Photo courtesy of AmazonFresh
Membership Price: Amazon Prime Membership ($10.99 per month or $99 per year), plus $14.99 per month for AmazonFresh
Delivery Fee: $9.99 for orders less than $40; free for orders more than $40
Minimum Purchase: none
The Lowdown: AmazonFresh members can get a variety of foods, household goods and local products delivered straight to their door from Amazon’s own warehouses. Products include fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, baked goods, pet supplies, beauty supplies and baby items. Members can also purchase goods from local Denver shops, such as Pacific Ocean Marketplace, Voodoo Doughnut, Western Daughters Butcher Shoppe, St. Kilian’s Cheese Shop, Wheat Ridge Poultry & Meats and Vert Kitchen.
Same-day deliveries must be placed by 10 a.m and next-day by 10 p.m. Users can select a two-hour delivery window but do not need to be home to receive the order. Unattended orders will be left in temperature controlled bags by the door. Like brick-and-mortar grocery stores, AmazonFresh offers weekly deals and specials.
Unlike its competitors, AmazonFresh does not offer any delivery options for people who are not members. To use the service, you must be signed up for Amazon Prime, making this service most suitable for frequent Amazon users who want to do all of their weekly shopping in one place.
*Update: As of Thursday, June 15, Prime Now is also available in Denver. With Prime Now, Amazon Prime members can get free two-hour delivery— or one-hour delivery for $7.99— on items such as groceries, alcohol, toiletries, household goods and electronics. In Denver, Prime Now will also include grocery delivery from Sprouts Farmers Markets. Beyond Amazon Prime, no extra subscription is necessary.
Instacart
Photo courtesy of Instacart
Membership Price: $149 per year or $14.99 per month (optional)
Delivery Fee: $3.99-$9.99 based on order size and delivery time, without membership; free on orders more than $35 with membership
Minimum Purchase: $10
The Lowdown: Instacart — which launched in June 2014 — allows anyone to order groceries for delivery from King Soopers, Whole Foods, Costco and Safeway. Upon checkout, Instacart users select a one-hour delivery window for the same day or a future date. For those looking for immediate delivery, Instacart can usually deliver within an hour or two, but delivery speeds depend on a store’s specific hours and Instacart’s availability.
Users can note if they want their groceries left at their front door, but Instacart does not provide special packaging to protect the freshness of unattended deliveries. Instacart does not markup most prices. However, they base prices on an average, so users may pay more than the in-store price. Instacart also does not honor in-store discounts but does offer their own coupons.
While Instacart Express members can avoid delivery fees, the service does not require membership for general use. This makes Instacart more accessible to everyday users who only occasionally need groceries delivered.
Postmates
Photo courtesy of Postmates
Membership Price: $9.99 per month (optional)
Delivery Fee: Varies based on order and delivery time, plus service fee (without membership)
Minimum Purchase: $0
The Lowdown: Using Postmates, people can order groceries from Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Walgreens or Postmates General Store. On top of delivery costs, non-members pay a small service fee, meaning the price of groceries is more than it would be in store.
Postmates Unlimited members avoid this fee. However, the membership does not offer any other benefits when it comes to grocery shopping. Unlike AmazonFresh and Instacart, Postmates does not allow multiple store orders, unattended deliveries or scheduled drop-offs. All orders will be delivered as soon as possible, usually within one to two hours.
Since Postmates is open 24/7, deliveries are available whenever a store is open. This feature makes Postmates ideal for someone willing to pay a little extra to satisfy their late-night or last-minute grocery needs.
Direct from the Grocery Store
Photo courtesy of King Soopers
Membership Price: Free
Delivery Fee: $9.95 (Safeway); $10.95 (King Soopers)
Minimum Purchase: $49 (Safeway); $50 (King Soopers)
The Lowdown: King Soopers requires users to schedule one, two or four-hour delivery windows — the larger the window, the smaller the delivery fee. Same-day purchases must be placed by 8:30 a.m. Safeway only offers two-hour delivery windows. For both stores, delivery windows fill up quickly, so users must often schedule days in advance. These direct-from-store services seem best suited for someone who plans to have their weekly groceries delivered from their go-to store.
Only time will tell if the AmazonFresh grocery delivery service will find a place in this established Denver market.