I used to to this when my Vons operated it’s own fleet. Then they switched to instacart and it went dramatically downhill. Cold items sitting in their hot trunk, 4-hour delivery windows, and an order that just never arrived.
The Teamsters did a good job. The underpaid gig workers don’t. (And frankly, I’m not sure I blame them.)
I split the difference and order for pickup - the local store holds them in the proper equipment until I arrive (at least at Walmart).
The convenience store, however, puts milk on a shelf so you better be there when they say it's ready (ordering when I leave from home works perfectly, and they throw free Doritos in for some reason).
I don't have great options where I live and both my nearby grocery stores are pretty good with cashier checkout. I have a car so shopping for larger orders isn't really an issue.
Do you have a Whole Foods? For basically the same amount of time it takes to make your grocery list, you can have your groceries delivered. This saves the shopping time and the driving time.
I don't think close enough to deliver unless it's changed--about 40 minutes away. And I can't/wouldn't want to do a complete grocery shopping at Whole Foods anyway.
Used Peapod once upon a time when I was on crutches for months and dropped it as soon as I could walk again.
It wasn't free! And yeah, it wasn't my idea to put a cake into the grocery order. I also don't trust anybody else to pick out fresh fruit & veg for me.
The Teamsters did a good job. The underpaid gig workers don’t. (And frankly, I’m not sure I blame them.)