My local supermarket went really downhill in terms of quality over the last couple of years as prices continue to rise. Earlier this year I tried using Amazon Fresh for the first time, and now I almost always get groceries from them. The prices are competitive (total basket within $5 of my normal supermarket shopping trip), the quality is much better than what I would get here, and they deliver to my apartment door. Here in NYC they have a private warehouse in Brooklyn that provides all of the items and then a driver delivers it (trackable on a map).

The only real issues I've had with them are (1) price changes, and (2) availability. The prices often change week to week, sometimes higher and sometimes lower, and isn't a problem as much as it is a nuisance. However, availability is something I've struggled with -- for example, right now I am trying to get a dozen (or even half dozen) eggs as well as a carton of liquid egg whites. Both are unavailable at the moment, and I am checking almost hourly to see when they reenter stock. Spinach has also been on and off available, and I was able to quickly put in an order when it became available; for some reason, romaine lettuce (both the 2-pack artisan style and the 3-pack romaine hearts) have not been available in several days.

Their variety has also allowed me to try a few things I otherwise would not have bought. Examples include seasonings and some produce (like delicata squash and gala apples). Sometimes when you are a dollar or less short of the $35 minimum, they have some interesting items from the "Happy Belly" generic brand. I hate the name of the brand (just sounds really stupid) but they have decent quality items.

I'd be very interested to hear your experiences with Amazon Fresh.

-J.

I’ve chosen to not yet use it - I’m a huge customer & holder on AMZN.

Haven't tried (and won't - we have multiple stores nearby and I like to see my produce and meats), but I'd say the availability issues are not unique to Amazon. Every time I go to the grocery store, something I want is out of stock. It's something different every time. I can often go to another store a mile away and they'll have the item I want but will be out of something else. I'm not sure that these supply chain issues will ever be solved - because I'm not sure anyone is really trying - it may be our new normal -- empty shelves and lines for ground beef . I think I'd rather be frustrated by something being out of stock online than by bundling up, driving to the store, navigating around oblivious shoppers just to find an empty shelf!

What's the go-to chain in your neighborhood?

Just got my delivery today, and had a first. They included a dairy free frozen dessert product made with coconut milk. After confirming with Amazon that I wouldn't be charged for it, I gave it to my neighbor who enjoys that sort of stuff.

One of the things I like about Amazon is if something isn't good (e.g., if I get a cucumber that is starting to get a little too soft), I can very easily get a refund for it. I usually return one item per every couple of orders.

My nearest supermarket is Key Food. There is also a Food Universe (same company as Key Food) and a Foodtown (actually decent), but each of those are about half a mile from me; there's also a mini-Target a few blocks away but they don't always have the products I'm looking for.

-J.

Some leafy greens (notably lettuce) are currently out of stock due to farming issues (drought, disease and so on and so forth).

That said, I refuse to use online services for groceries. Pricewize, around here, they are usually similar (there are ripoffs) but special requests and judgement is always suspect... Besides, you might get inspired...

Lettuce is back in stock... at least in NYC, and yesterday. The 3-pack romaine hearts was up to $5.09 but perhaps even more interestingly the 2-pack artisan romaine lettuce was still $2.19 like always. Got two of the latter and they look as good as normal!

Annoyingly, the delivery tracker was not working and said my driver was at the warehouse location right up until the time of delivery. He was also about 20 minutes late for the window (1900-2100... he arrived around 2120), but like always was nice enough to bring it up to my apartment.

-J.

The only thing I am really interested at at Amazon Fresh is their food court section. The pricing was attractive considering the variety and size. Other than that I found the merchandise sold there is mediocre.

I no longer use Amazon Fresh delivery since they changed their fee structure. Even Instacart or Fresh Direct would be more cost effective. Additionally, the quality at my local Key Food supermarket has vastly improved.

-J.

We never had Amazon Fresh (it was just Whole Foods where I am) but yeah these days Instacart is a much better option than AZ/WF anyway. Especially with Chase Instacart+ membership and the quarterly credit. Plus for the most part I've found that Harris Teeter discounts and pricing is pretty fair vs. their in-store (and sometimes even cheaper) so it's well worth it

Even with the membership and credit I couldn't really justify Instacart or IC+, at least not here in NYC. It was more expensive than my supermarket IIRC.

-J.