CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Are you too busy to find time to make a trip to the grocery store?
Well, luckily for you, there are plenty of companies now offering grocery delivery service in the Queen City. And NBC Charlotte put them to the test.
For this grocery wars food fight, Ben Thompson and Carolyn Bruck took 10 items and hit the internet ready to click and fill up their online shopping carts, using Amazon Prime’s service and comparing it to Instacart, the delivery service offered by Publix.
The rules were simple: order the same 10 items and see who comes out cheaper and with a better overall experience.
Amazon’s order arrived first, but there were some issues.
"So, I got all 10 items, but I also got a soggy bag," said Thompson.
And the frozen pizza we ordered? We actually got two.
With Instacart, a “certified grocer” provided updates as we shopped and filled our cart. When the order arrived within two hours’ time, there were no issues—no rips, tears or spilled milk.
So who came out on top?
Amazon was cheaper and quicker, but the arrival of the groceries was mediocre to say the least. Instacart, although a bit pricier with those additional fees, was the service that saw our groceries arrive without any missing items and without any packing issues.
Amazon Grocery Delivery
Subtotal: $40.40
Delivery fee: $4.99
Tax: $1.50
Total: $46.89
Instacart by Publix
Subtotal: $37.50
Delivery fee: $5.99
Tax: $1.17
Tip: $5.00
Total: $49.67