If you’re looking to fill your fridge without the hassle, online grocery delivery is stepping it up, so you never have to step into a store. We tested two popular online grocery delivery services, Amazon Fresh and Peapod, and compared cost, convenience and service to see who came out on top.
Amazon Fresh is currently available in Seattle, California, New York, and Philadelphia. Currently, you must be a Prime member to use Fresh, and there’s an additional monthly membership of $14.99.
Peapod has a wider reach—it’s available in 12 states and Washington, DC. There’s no membership fee, though it does have optional membership programs through its PodPass program. You pay a fee and receive free deliveries. Otherwise, delivery costs range from $6.95-$9.95.
Orders and delivery
When it came to ordering, Amazon has no delivery minimum, compared to Peapod, which had a $60 minimum. Both offer a 2-hour delivery window, but Peapod had some discounted options depending on the day and time you place your order.
We placed our orders the day before at 3 p.m,, and set a delivery window of 9-11 a.m. The Amazon groceries arrived at 9:36 a.m., and we were notified with a text from the driver directly.
Peapod experienced delays and didn’t arrive until 11:22 a.m. While we did receive text updates from customer service, we couldn’t reach our driver directly. a We were told the driver couldn’t find our address, so anytime we wanted an update on delivery time, we had to go through customer service, who would call the driver, and then call us back. So this round goes to Amazon for promptness, and more direct communication.
When we got our groceries, Amazon gave us coolers, which get picked up with your next order. The frozen items were packed with dry ice and ice packs in a separate cooler. Peapod puts everything in regular plastic bags, which means no ice packs! Peapod customer service told us the groceries are kept in insulated coolers and packed with dry-ice on their delivery trucks, and our frozen items were still well-frozen on delivery. Still, Amazon takes another win in this round.
Price
When it came to the price of our groceries, it was a tie for the two grocery giants. Amazon Fresh was cheaper for produce, meat and fish, and dairy items. A 4-pack of avocados on Amazon was $3.49, $2 less than Peapod’s price of $5.49. Their chicken was also a bargain buster, at $4.42 per pound, compared to $7.33 at Peapod.
But Peapod inched ahead it when it came to staples, grains, and frozen items. A 25-ounce container of olive oil was $12.99, compared to Amazon’s price of $14.19. Their brand of frozen peas was just $1.09, slightly cheaper than $1.39 at Amazon.
That spare change adds up: We spent $74.77 at Peapod and $81 at Amazon Fresh.
They both had a $10 delivery fee, though Peapod varies from $6.95-$9.95, depending on the size of the delivery. But Peapod offers coupons through the mail, which often negate the cost of delivery. Peapod snags a last round win, for being more affordable overall, with no monthly fee.
So who reigns supreme? If you don’t mind the extra fees or are already a Prime Member, our money’s on Amazon. But if you’re looking at your bottom line, Peapod is the better bargain, and is available in more states. It’s a grocery toss up…cleanup on aisle 3?
Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn
WATCH MORE
How one woman saves big by living a “zero-waste” lifestyle
Cut your food budget in half with these 10 money-saving tips