Numerous local delivery services make grocery shopping easy
Published: December 31, 2023
By: Paige Townley
When you have children, the pace of everyday life never seems to slow. It doesn’t always leave time for much else, from school events to sports games, and recitals to after-school activities. Luckily, multiple delivery services across Birmingham make feeding the whole family a bit easier.
Kats Delivery
Since 2014, Kat’s Delivery has been a locally owned and operated delivery service focusing on the Over the Mountain areas of Birmingham. The company focuses heavily on grocery delivery from Walmart and Publix, but is often willing to accommodate other stories, such as Target or Piggly Wiggly, notes Maurice Mercer, owner of Kats Delivery. “If someone has a preference on the store, we do our very best to accommodate that,” Mercer says. “Customer satisfaction is very important to us—it has been since we started nine years ago. We know people have options, and we appreciate customers giving us the opportunity to serve them.”
Customers can place orders through the company’s website, and there are a few convenient options. Customers can select Kats Delivery to do the traditional shopping for them, providing a list of what should be purchased, including a minimum of $30 for the shopping and delivery fee. If a customer would like to place their own order for pickup—for example, place their own Walmart pickup order—Kats Delivery will pick it up for them and deliver for a $4 fee. Though Kats Delivery can handle same-day orders, being a smaller organization, it does prefer advanced notice, Mercer adds.
A benefit of Kats Delivery is that customers can often have dedicated drivers. “We have a number of clients, particularly our senior citizens, that prefer to have dedicated drivers, so typically once we assign a driver to a client, that’s normally going to be their driver moving forward,” Mercer explains. “That means you aren’t having to worry about someone learning how ripe you like your tomatoes or if you’re ok with substituting a certain brand. We also will put groceries up for you if you choose. You can gain some comfort in having that same person assigned to you, when possible obviously.” Kats Delivery has also branched out to deliver restaurant orders and can deliver practically anywhere within its delivery zones. “We can do dorm deliveries or office deliveries, too,” Mercer adds. “We can even accommodate customers who need someone to pick up their groceries at the store along with picking up dinner and then delivering.”
till
Birmingham’s grocery delivery services even include the option of enjoying locally grown produce, at least now that till is on the scene. Four years ago, Will and Hayley deShazo saw the need for an option for grocery delivery that didn’t mean shopping from big box stores only. “We thought it was sad that you couldn’t conveniently shop and support local farmers like you could the big box stores,” Hayley explains. “That’s when we got to work. We did the research to find that others were interested in it too, so we started till.”
till has a weekly fresh list from which customers can log on and shop. It’s mostly organic produce and always depends on what’s in season. “We typically have between 15 to 20 farmers featured in the peak summer season, but for fall and winter it does slow down a bit,” Hayley says. “Right now we have about a dozen farmers on the site right now.”
Through till, customers can make their purchases between Sunday and Wednesday. Farmers harvest the items on Thursday, and then the items are delivered to the customers’ doors on Saturday. “It may not be as quick as other options, but it’s extremely fresh,” Hayley adds.
Currently, till is open to Over the Mountain residents, and all orders have a flat rate delivery fee of $4.99. “It’s a more meaningful experience when you know where your food comes from, exactly what you’re putting in your body and how the food was raised,” Hayley says. “We can provide that, which we love.”
Shipt
Shipt started in Birmingham, and it’s practically impossible to go in a grocery store around the city and not see one of its shoppers fulfilling orders. Customers can ship via the website or the app at various local stores, from Target and Winn Dixie to even Petco and Sephora. In addition to the opportunity for getting same-day delivery, depending on shopper availability, customers can also take advantage of the preferred shopper program, which allows them the chance to have the same person shop for them each time they order. “It’s called the preferred shopper,” explains Erin Slay-Wilson, corporate communications associate manager at Shipt. “If you love the shopper that completed your order, you can rate them five star and then you’ll be prompted to add them to your preferred shopper list. From there, they will get priority on your future orders. It creates a great relationship and adds that personal touch to a technology that can feel a little disconnected at times. We want our customers to feel they are getting that personalized delightful experience each time they use shipped.”
That personalized experience goes beyond the preferred shopper program at Shipt. The company is always looking for ways to improve upon its services, such as a recent product update known as Hosting Hub, which pulls décor, supplies food, and other commonly purchased items needed for birthday parties and seasonal events to store in one easy location to help customers shop faster and easier.
Customers can enjoy it all with a monthly price of $10.99 or an annual membership of $99, which offers unlimited free delivery on all orders over $35. “That also gets you access to preferred shopper, the member dashboard, sales, and other specials we have for members,” Slay-Wilson adds. “But of course first you can take advantage of the 14-day free trial to check it out first.”
Another Shipt bonus: students can take advantage of the monthly student rate of $4.99. “This is a great option for parents or caregivers who want to set their students up for success with easy access to groceries, personal essentials, school supplies, and more,” says Slay-Wilson.
Kroger
Kroger Delivery expanded into Birmingham in September 2022, and with its 50,000-square-foot facility in Jefferson County, the company is able to serve numerous communities across the Magic City, including Hoover, Highland Park, Vestavia Hills, Oxmoor, Woodland Park, Center Point and Grayson Valley. “Kroger Delivery is your go-to source for every day, as well as life’s special celebrations,” says April Martin, head of e-commerce corporate affairs and communications for Kroger. “We are passionate about delivering a fresh, convenient customer shopping experience with zero compromise on quality, selection and affordability.”
Customers can shop online or on the Kroger app for more than 30,000 items, from fresh produce, meat and seafood to pantry items, frozen foods, cleaning products and other household items. After selecting their items, customers can select a one-hour time slot to receive groceries the next day or later in the week. Eligible customers can try the membership with a free 30-day trial and subscribe for as little as $7.99 per month or $59 per year, which waives delivery fees on orders of $35 or more. Without the membership, Boost by Kroger Plus, the delivery fee is $6.95. “Once the order is placed, and ready for delivery, customers will experience a trained, friendly and uniformed Kroger Delivery associate who will arrive in a refrigerated van,” Martin explained. “This unique delivery van is customized as part of Kroger’s end-to-end cold solutions which keeps groceries fresh. This means, if you ordered ice cream, your ice cream will arrive at your door; freezer-cold and solid.”
Instacart
Dozens of stores across Birmingham offer delivery via Instacart. Customers can shop major grocery store retailers such as Publix, ALDI, and Sprouts Farmers Market, along with other big brands such as Walgreens, Lowe’s, DICK’s Sporting Goods, and even Costco.
According to Instacart, the company has a membership program, Instacart+, for $99 per year or $9.99 per month provides customers with unlimited free grocery delivery on orders of $35 or more (per retailer), lower service fees and other exclusive benefits. Other benefits of membership include credit back on eligible pickup orders and even a family account so that the entire can enjoy and share the benefits of shopping.
To make shopping as simple as possible, through the Instacart app customers can personalize their grocery selections, specify preferences, and even leave comments on items in their cart, whether it be suggesting a replacement if something is out of stock.
DoorDash
DoorDash has long been known for its prepared food delivery, but the service also provides delivery of items from grocery stores, convenience stores, drugstores, and even pet supply stores and retail shops. With DashPass, members receive $0 delivery fees, reduced service fees on eligible orders, members-only exclusives, and even 5$ back in DoorDash credits on eligible orders. Membership for DashPass is $9.99 per month.
An added benefit of DoorDash is their Package Pickup option. Customers can request for DoorDash to pick up a prepaid package from their home and deliver to the post office, UPS or FedEx.
Whole Foods Market/Prime
https://ww.wholefoodsmarket.com
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you have exclusive options at Whole Foods Market. Through Prime, customers can shop for all their favorite items online or through the app at Whole Foods Market and select either curbside pickup or have them all delivered to their door via prime. And, of course, a delivery window can be chosen so that it’s not delivered until you’re ready.
Paige Townley is a Birmingham Parent staff writer and area freelance writer.