Grocery delivery services are gaining traction…but are they actually that beneficial?
Chances are that you’ve seen advertisements for grocery delivery services on TV, social media, or just browsing the internet. And while these businesses may seem to best fit people who are short on time, they can actually benefit anyone!
Grocery delivery services can improve your health, save money, and make a positive impact on the environment.
Health Impacts of Grocery Delivery Services
While there may not seem to be an added health benefit to opting for grocery delivery services, the opposite can actually be true!
Shopping online for your groceries makes scouring nutrition labels and ingredients lists quick and easy, helping you to make healthier choices. Plus, many services specifically cater to healthier choices, offering a wide array of options including organic and low-additive products.
Also, shopping online helps to avoid the conundrum of perusing the grocery store aisles hungry. We’ve all been there, you finally get yourself to the grocery store only to feel the first pangs of hunger set in. This often leads to purchasing more items than you bargained for — and often those extras tend to be less-than-healthy.
Grocery Delivery Can Save You Money
Through making smarter food choices with delivery services, you can also save a lot of money. When we’re just grabbing food off the shelf, oftentimes we’re not actually clocking the price tag or adding everything up as we go. This can lead to a quite the (unpleasant) surprise at checkout. With delivery services, you’re often notified of how your cart is tallying up as you shop, helping to avoid this.
It also goes without saying that if we’re prone to impulsive cart grabs at the store, especially if we’re shopping while hungry, this can jack up costs as well and can often be avoided when grocery shopping online.
Plus, many delivery services have cost savings built directly into them, offering you lower prices than most grocery stores.
Sustainability Considerations of Grocery Delivery Services
For many, grocery delivery and sustainability don’t seemingly go hand-in-hand. But when you dive a little deeper into the inner workings of these business models, you can start to see how grocery delivery can be a smart environmental choice. Here are some top considerations:
- Removal of the Middle Man: At first thought, you may think ‘why would I have groceries shipped to me when they’re sitting just a few miles away at the grocery store?’ But what we don’t often acknowledge is that those groceries were actually shipped to the market from somewhere else. Grocery delivery services effectively remove the middle man of the grocery store and instead shipping those products directly to your home.
These services can theoretically remove much of the need for grocery stores. So, instead of heating and powering hundreds (if not more) of resource-intensive grocery stores, these businesses typically operate out of a small number of warehouses. This significantly cuts down on the emissions of these businesses compared to a conventional grocery store conglomerate. - No Plastic Grocery Bags: While many grocery stores are getting better at limiting plastic bag usage, you’re bound to find plenty at virtually ever grocery store across the country. Even if they don’t offer plastic bags for carrying your groceries out of the store, they very likely utilize them in the produce, fish, meat, and deli departments. With grocery delivery servies, not only will your groceries be delivered in recyclable cardboard boxes, but many services prioritize reduced plastic or even plastic-free practices to decrease their reliance on the ocean-polluting petroleum product.
- Saves on Gas: By getting your groceries delivered, you’re also saving on gas (and the emissions associated with burning it). This will inevitably save you money. But what if you have a fully electric car? Well, unless you’re charging it using only solar energy or another fully renewable energy source, then (unfortunately) you’re still utilizing fossil fuels to power your vehicle. But don’t planes and delivery trucks utilize gas to deliver your groceries from grocery delivery services? Yes, but back to bullet number one, these emissions are already happening to get products to grocery stores.
- Company-Specific Perks: Additionally, some grocery delivery services may invest in bonus sustainability initiatives. These could include carbon neutral shipping, plastic-free practices, prioritizing organic products, selling ‘misfit’ products or produce that would have ended up in a landfill, and more.
Thrive Market
*This section of the post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
This brings us to our highlighted brand of the week, Thrive Market! When it comes to grocery delivery services that champion sustainability, it’s tough to beat what Thrive offers consumers.
Thrive Market is on a mission to increase accessibility to healthy groceries through a lower price tag. They do this through selling 100 percent non-GMO products that are organic whenever possible and contain minimal additives and chemicals on a members-only basis to keep costs down. In fact they have a list of over 500 “never” ingredients ranging from food dyes to preservatives that you won’t see in any of their products, but likely will in many grocery stores across America. Plus, you can shop by dietary preference and restriction as well as utilize the help of their 24/7 health coaches and personal shoppers to answer questions and find the healthiest products.
They guarantee the lowest price tag on products that you likely already know, love, and buy on a regular basis. In fact, if you find one of their products at a better deal, they’ll match your price, guaranteed. Oftentimes you can save upwards of 25 percent per product on their site. And while they are a subscription-based business (as low as $5 per month), you will well make up that money in the steep savings they offer.
On the sustainability front, they offer carbon-neutral shipping, are Plastic Neutral and TRUE zero waste certified, and are a certified B Corp company meaning that they uphold a high set of social and environmental standards as a business.
Here are a few offers if you’re interested in trying out this incredible company for yourself:
FREE gift up to $60 when you become a Thrive Market member!And while Thrive is just one grocery delivery service doing right by humans and the planet, there are many more that also provide the same level of ethical service — hopefully coming soon to a S+N blogpost near you!
