Distancing from coronavirus? How to order groceries online in Columbia and Lexington
Frantically, people are swiping the last items on once-filled grocery store shelves as COVID-19 takes hold of our world. Shoppers also are concerned about social distancing in stores or touching contaminated services. How can they safely get the food and supplies they need?
Online ordering and delivery services can help you beat the long lines and avoid distressed buyers.
Some grocery stores are also offering special shopping hours for senior citizens and those at higher risk, including Dollar General (8-9 a.m.), Fresh Market (8-9 a.m. weekdays) and Target (the first hour of shopping each Wednesday). Publix is designating 7-8 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday as senior shopping hours beginning March 24, as well as opening its pharmacy for those over 65 at that time. Whole Foods is allowing customers ages 60 and older to shop one hour prior to the store opening.
New York Butcher Shoppe of Columbia, which sells fresh meats, wines, prepared meals and specialty items, offers delivery of goods through Shipt. Visit the shoppe’s website and scroll down to the “order now” button.
Shipt is an online service in which a personal shopper hand-selects your items and sends you a text if the shopper needs to adjust your request. Your groceries are delivered. You’ll receive a 4-week free trial on non-same day deliveries. After the 4-week window, an annual Shipt plan is $99 for unlimited orders of $35 or more. Same day delivery is $9.99. BI-LO, Lowes Foods, and Target also use Shipt.
Rosewood Market in Columbia is finalizing its curbside pickup service and hopes to have the pickup option running by March 27 or 28. Find updates about pickup options on the store’s Facebook or Instagram accounts.
14 Carrot Whole Foods, an organic and health-focused grocery store in Lexington and unrelated to the nationwide chain Whole Foods, is taking grocery orders over email and phone. After placing your order, the store will respond when your order is ready for pickup.
If you are interested in jumping on the virtual shopping bandwagon, we’ve got a few tips to navigate the process more smoothly.
Also, The State recent published an article comparing prices of grocery stores in Lexington and Richland counties. The story includes a spreadsheet of how the stores’ prices stacked up.
Most grocery stores use Shipt or Instacart to prepare your order for delivery. Grocery stores offering take-home delivery or in-store pickup include:
ALDI
Here’s how to order delivery:
Visit the ALDI delivery webpage, type in your ZIP code, then sign up for a free Instacart account. Add your groceries to your cart and then proceed to checkout. You’ll receive your order in as little as 1 hour. If your order is less $35, then you’ll pay $9.99 for the service. If your groceries cost more than $35, the delivery cost lowers to $5.99.
AmazonFresh
AmazonFresh offers access to over 500,000 items with same-day delivery. If you don’t have Prime, you can get a 30-day trial to test out your virtual shopping skills. Order more than $35 to avoid a delivery fee.
Here’s how to order delivery:
Visit the AmazonFresh website or use your Amazon app (open your app then select “fresh” under the search bar). Click “Add to Cart” on items you would like to purchase. Then, select “Proceed to Checkout.” Input your information, including your shipping address and secure credit/debit card information (if you’re a Prime member, all of this should be stored already), and place your order. Orders are expected to arrive within 2-3 hours from time of purchase.
Editor’s note: AmazonFresh has been overloaded for the past several days (for obvious reasons). So McClatchy reporters with The Charlotte Observer waited until after midnight to place an order for two days later in order to get an available delivery window. All of the other services may experience similar delays, so try to plan ahead, and if you need to — stay up late to place your order.
PRO TIP: Prime Now is also available in Columbia. Instead of just lemons and guac, you can also throw in a pair of headphones if you need them (helpful if your spouse now has to work from home like you do).
BI-LO
Here’s how to order delivery:
Visit BI-LO’s online shopping site. Like many grocery stores, BI-LO uses Shipt, a subscription service with a free trial period, to deliver your groceries. See above for details on Shipt. Through BI-LO’s Shipt site, you pick out the produce, meats and items you want and they’re delivered to you.
Costco
Here’s how to order delivery:
Visit Costco’s grocery site, make sure the delivery ZIP code is correct, then select the “Grocery” drop down for Instacart. Choose “Same Day Delivery” or “2-Day Delivery.” Sign in to your Costco account, then add your groceries to your cart and check out. Orders $75 or more are free, or pay the $3 delivery fee if you’re under the $75 mark.
No pick-up options are available.
Food Lion
Here’s how to order delivery:
Visit Food Lion’s delivery site. Enter your ZIP code in the search bar via Instacart. Fill out the form to sign up, then start shopping. Click “Add to Cart” on your preferred groceries. Proceed to checkout when complete. For orders over $35, the service carries a $3.99 fee for two-hour delivery and a $5.99 fee for one-hour delivery.
Here’s how to order pick-up:
Access the Food Lion To-Go mobile app and select a store based on your ZIP code. After loading groceries into your mobile cart, choose a time window for pickup, and then proceed to checkout. Park in a designated spot and an associate will arrive at your vehicle door.
The Fresh Market
Here’s how to order delivery:
Visit The Fresh Market’s delivery site. Type in your ZIP code and sign up for a free account via Instacart. Then, browse for your foods and add each to your virtual cart. Complete the checkout process and receive your groceries the same day. The company offers free delivery on your first order.
Curbside pick-up is not available.
KROGER
Kroger offers delivery and pick-up options for groceries. Visit the company’s site.
Lidl
Lidl, a German-based bargain grocery store chain which has a location on Sunset Boulevard in Lexington, offers grocery delivery through Shipt.
Lowes Foods
Lowes Foods offers grocery pick-up through its website and delivery through Shipt and Instacart.
Publix
Here’s how to order delivery:
Visit Publix’s delivery site. Enter your ZIP code and click “Start Shopping” with Instacart. You’ll then log in with a valid email and password. Then, you can “Add to Cart” and “Proceed to Checkout” with your groceries. A $99 annual membership is required, or you can pay a $14 monthly fee. You get free shipping on orders over $35, and shipping costs for deliveries less than $35 are usually $7 per order.
Here’s how to order pick-up:
Once you check out, you’ll request to have your groceries picked up at a specific Publix store of choice at a certain time, and then you’ll park in a designated curbside spot. A store associate will hand-deliver your groceries to you, or you can stop inside.
Piggly Wiggly (Devine St.)
The store known as the Social Pig offers pick-up and delivery options for groceries. Visit The Pig’s shopping site and scroll down until you see the Devine Street location and the “Shop Columbia” button to get to the online store. Pick-up is available Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and groceries are delivered various times on the same days.
Target
Here’s how to order delivery:
Visit Target’s delivery site. Click on the “Categories” drop-down menu and select which delivery timeline you prefer. Then, click “Start Shopping.” Once your order is complete, a personal shopper from Shipt will hand-select your items and send you a text if he/she needs to adjust your request(s). You’ll receive a 4-week free trial on non-same day deliveries. After the 4-week window, an annual Shipt plan is $99 for unlimited orders of $35 or more. Same day delivery is $9.99.
Walmart
Here’s how to order delivery:
Visit Walmart’s delivery site. Find your favorites and click “Add to cart.” Go to your virtual shopping cart, then check out with your shipping information and card information.
Here’s how to order pick-up:
Once you set up an account online, place an order and reserve a delivery date and pick-up time, go to the store’s parking lot and look for signage where groceries are delivered to your car. If you would like to check in via your mobile phone, open the Walmart app, select, “I’m Ready,” and go to the store’s pickup area. (Pickup areas are indicated in orange). Scan your barcode at the kiosk, which notifies store associates that you’re waiting, and someone will bring your order to you.
Whole Foods
Here’s how to order delivery:
Order your Whole Foods delivery through the Amazon app or the Whole Foods website — but you have to be an Amazon Prime member to utilize either. On the website, you’ll click ‘Shop with Prime,” add your items to your cart, and then proceed to checkout. On the app, select “Whole Foods” at the top and fill up your cart. Load up your cart with $35 or more to avoid a delivery fee.
Items are delivered within a two-hour window that works best for you.
Site out of Stock? Explore these Options
Toilet paper, hand sanitizer and other high-demand items have been stocked out across the U.S. If your go-to food or supply is not available at a delivery service, first check other sites to see if they have restocked the item. If you have no luck exploring other sites, find a comparable brand and always check reviews. If you see the item is positively rated with multiple reviews, you can better guarantee the item is of high quality and will be shipped on time.
If you are playing the waiting game, keep checking back daily to grab the item as soon as it’s restocked, and buy in bulk if you can. The benefit of online delivery services is you can purchase several items with only one shipping cost.