So you've seen the trucks in your neighborhood, and you are ready to try online grocery shopping with home delivery.  Here are a few tips and tricks for online grocery shopping newbies to start taking advantage of your area's delivery services. 

Step 1) Identify Delivery Providers

First, you need to identify which providers deliver in your area. You can visit websites for providers such as Instacart, Amazon Fresh, Shipt, and Peapod to get an idea of which providers are available in your town or city. 

You can also visit your local grocery store to inquire whether they offer a delivery service. You can ask a staff member or look for delivery stickers at the entry/exit as many will advertise the service providers with whom they have a contract.

Lastly, you can make a mental note of which company vehicles you see delivering around your town to see which providers have a heavy presence in your area. 

Step 2) Compare Delivery Windows

Grocery delivery provider turnaround time will vary from town-to-town and city-to-city. To find out who is fastest in your town, do a little upfront scouting around to compare delivery windows. Visit each provider's website and check their delivery windows. 

Scout around before adding all your groceries to your online cart, or you may end up re-shopping elsewhere if the provider you choose doesn't have a delivery window available for several weeks. 

Step 3) Be Reachable on Delivery Day

As shoppers navigate a store shopping on your behalf, they will inevitably encounter items that are out of stock or vary from your original request. You can save them time, hassle, and stress by being available to take calls or texts during their shopping trip to providing answers to any questions. Simply being reachable will ensure you'll get a shopping order that looks as close as possible to your original list. 

Step 4) Take Advantage of New Shopper Deals

Now that you understand the process for setting up online shopping, you can start taking advantage of the new shopper perks many delivery services offer for new customers.

Happy Shopping!