Instacart vs in person shopping cost analysis

TLDR: Instacart per item prices are higher than in store prices. You save time and resources by not having to go to the store, but you could also avoid the service fee, delivery fee, tip, and per item price increase which also raises the tax by instead shopping at the store yourself.

I was feeling lazy one day and decided to order Instacart – I don’t usually do this and I was using the free version. Immediately, I saw an opportunity to do a cost analysis of that decision. So I cancelled the order and went to the store (Wegman’s) to buy the exact items I just cancelled. I did a per item comparison, and found that I would have paid $15.46 more through Instacart. It took me about an hour to drive the 2 miles to the store, shop, and drive back home.

It’s up to each of us to decide if that time, and gas mileage saved is worth the price increase, but I thought I’d share my findings. Not sure about other stores, or how being a paid plus member changes this analysis.