AmazonFresh Review 2016
Disclosure: I was provided with a gift card to facilitate this AmazonFresh Review, but my words & opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.
I’m a big fan of systems that help busy moms get it all done. Grocery delivery can be a big help! I’ve used grocery delivery for many reasons over the years since I had the twins. Sometimes it was for convenience–not taking three toddlers to the store. I’ve used it to stick to my tight budget–with a $100/week it’s easier to shop online and watch the amount add up, plus I avoid impulse buys that occur in-store. And I always schedule a grocery delivery for the day after we arrive home from a big trip. No one needs to run to the store! So I was really excited when Amazon reached out asking me to do an AmazonFresh review. They’ve just opened in the Northern Virginia & DC area.
How it works
Each time you start an AmazonFresh order, you first choose your delivery time and method. They offer same-day and early morning delivery–very helpful! In fact, with two of my four orders, I ordered a little before noon and received the delivery between 4:00–6:00pm–loved that! Choose between attended and unattended delivery. Attended means that the delivery person will ring your doorbell and make sure you receive the bags (which was fantastic on a dark, stormy night when I didn’t want to head out to the store). With unattended delivery, your bags can sit safely for hours because of the ice packs inside the large green totes. I have a tip for the totes–it’s in this quick video.
Next, start clicking on each category to add food to your cart. The total adds up in the right sidebar.
What they offer
In addition to fresh dairy, produce, meat and baked goods, AmazonFresh offers the Local Market program. They partner with local farms and small businesses to include their products in your order. I found the selection of organic and specialty foods excellent, with the prices comparable to local stores. Selection of other foods was small compared to a regular grocery store, but that is typical for a grocery delivery service (in my experience). On three of my four orders, availability was good, but one time I needed a gallon of skim milk and it said it wasn’t available until 8:00pm the following day. That didn’t work for me! The quality of the produce was fantastic.
What it costs
AmazonFresh is $14.99/month on top of your Prime Membership. That gets you unlimited deliveries on orders over $40. Since there would be a fee for smaller orders, I recommend only ordering at the $40+ level. This differs from other grocery services which charge a delivery fee for each order. The unlimited number of orders per month is a different model, but I can see how helpful it would be to busy families. After placing just four orders, I felt like spending that money to NOT spend hours at the grocery store was totally worth it!
Where they deliver
AmazonFresh is currently delivering in Baltimore, Boston, parts of California, Dallas, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, Stamford (CT), and now in Northern Virginia and Washington DC. They’re also in the UK!
Overall, I was pleased with my month of AmazonFresh, especially with how quickly I could place my order and receive delivery. Other services I’ve used, I have to plan a few days ahead to get the order scheduled. For a busy family, saving the hours spent shopping and driving back and forth to the store is easily worth the $14.99/month.
Have you tried AmazonFresh? I’d love to hear about your experience in the Comments below!
Thinking about ordering? Sign up for a 30-day FREE Trial of Amazon Prime. You’ll receive free 2-day shipping and be able to stream tons of music and movies. It’s great timing for holiday shopping!
