Kroger Delivery: 4 Things to Know Before Your First Order

Once you've placed your order, a personal shopper from a third-party partner will pick up your items, notify you of any substitutions or out-of-stock products and deliver your groceries during a time slot that you select. In addition to delivery, you can also choose grocery pickup at many locations.

Before you get started, make sure Kroger Delivery is available in your area. Once you’ve confirmed that it is, follow these steps to place your first order:

[ Watch the video ]

What Is Kroger Delivery?

Kroger Delivery lets you shop for groceries online and have them delivered directly to your home for a fee ranging from $9.95 to $11.95.

To see if Kroger Delivery is available in your area, visit Kroger.com and enter your ZIP code.

How Does Kroger Delivery Work?

Kroger Delivery works by sending your grocery list to a personal shopper with a third-party service who will pick up your items and deliver them to you.

1. Download the App or Create an Account Online

You'll need to download the Kroger app (iOS or Android) or create a free account online. To get started, you simply need to enter your name and email address and then create a password. If you have a Kroger Plus Card, be sure to enter your account number or alternate ID as well. This will allow you to collect fuel points and take advantage of exclusive savings while shopping online.

2. Enter Your Location and Fill Your Shopping Cart

3. Select Your Substitution Preferences and Delivery Time

4. Enter Your Payment Information and Place Your Order

You can make changes to your order right up until your shopper begins working on your list. While shopping is in progress, you can still chat directly with your shopper if you need to. Just make sure you've signed up for text message alerts in order to do this.

5. Be Available to Receive Your Order

Lastly, be available to receive your order within the time frame you selected. If you opted to receive updates about your order, you'll get a text when your shopper is en route to you.

How Much Does Kroger Delivery Cost?

The typical delivery fee ranges from $9.95 to $11.95 depending on your location. When I placed my order, it was on the lower end of the spectrum at $9.95.

Tips are optional and separate from the delivery fee. The default tip is 5%, but you can adjust this during checkout or up to three days after your delivery is completed. Other than the delivery fee and tip amount, you shouldn't have any additional charges.

As far as product prices go, you'll most likely see the same prices online that you would if you were shopping in-store at the same location. Still, pricing may vary from one preferred store to the next.

If I had placed my order directly through Instacart (the third party that ended up shopping for my order), I would have saved $3.96 in delivery fees. However, I wouldn't have been able to earn fuel points for my purchases or take advantage of Kroger's exclusive sales. Because of those sales, I saved $5.32 on my Kroger order.

Pros & Cons of Kroger Delivery

Pros:

Convenience: Kroger Delivery certainly helps you save time shopping for groceries and other household items. You can place your order from your phone or laptop, receive updates and get your delivery without having to leave your home. That also means you'll be less tempted to make impulse purchases.
Same-Day Delivery: You can get your groceries in as little as two hours after you've placed your order. You can also schedule your order in advance to receive it at a time that's convenient for you.
Plus Card Benefits: If you're a regular Kroger shopper, you'll get to take advantage of all the same benefits you're used to in-store. Kroger Plus cardholders will earn fuel points for purchases and have access to exclusive savings. Unlike other grocery delivery platforms, you'll also have access to in-store sales.

Cons:

High Delivery Fee: The $9.95-$11.95 delivery fee is a bit higher than other grocery delivery services. You can avoid that charge by shopping in-store or choosing grocery pickup instead of delivery.
Limited Substitution Preferences: When you review your Kroger Delivery order, you can either choose to allow substitutions or not. Whatever you choose will be the same preference selected for all items, and you can't specify alternate products. Instead of being asked to approve or reject substitutions, I was just alerted that they were taking place via text message.

Have you had your groceries delivered from Kroger? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!

More Clark.com Content for Ordering Groceries Online:

[ This article was originally published on Clark.com ]

The post Kroger Delivery: 4 Things to Know Before Your First Order appeared first on Clark Howard.