Your Guide to Getting Groceries Conveniently and Safely
As you do your part to stay healthy and stay indoors, the need for basic staples remains the same. Grocery stores are open for you to replenish your food supplies whenever needed. Don’t forget to wear a mask at all times while grocery shopping in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.
However, there are plenty of alternatives to shopping in-store, so we want to share with you some resources that will help you to get food conveniently and safely.
It’s worth noting that it’s not always easy to get delivery and curbside pickup from the bigger box stores like Giant Eagle and Walmart. For this reason, consider more local services to meet your needs.
In addition to grocery shopping, you might be interested in fully-prepared meals from your favorite restaurants. Support local businesses if you’re able to as many restaurants are offering both takeout and delivery options.
Grocery Delivery Services
Best Grocery Delivery
You can order from this local independent service online or by phone. Best Grocery Delivery doesn’t offer same-day delivery, so place your order before 8:00 PM to receive your groceries the following day. A minimum of $60 is required and there is no extra fee for orders under $200. Orders over $200 will incur a delivery fee of 15% of the order.
Instacart
Instacart will deliver within Pittsburgh from Costco, Aldi, Target, Shop ‘n Save, Restaurant Depot, CVS, and Petco. Delivery fees are anywhere from $3.99 to $7.99, but the membership service is $9.99/month or $99/year will allow for free delivery on orders over $35.
Postmates
Postmates doesn’t keep inventory of store items in its app, so instead, you’ll keep a list of things you need in the app. Your delivery driver will text or call you about substitutions if need be.
Postmates pricing ranges from $0.99 – $9.99 plus a percentage of your cart total. With an Unlimited Membership at $9.99/month, there’s no extra delivery fee on orders over $12.
Grocery Curb-Side Pickup
If you prefer to drive to the grocery store and simply pick up your cart that you’ve put together online, then Giant Eagle & Market District, Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods all offer options. Since demand is high, you may need to pick a time slot, and availability may be sparse, so be sure to plan ahead.
Restaurant Takeout & Delivery
There are many restaurants to choose from even now as many businesses are closed. There are frankly too many to list, but a few things to keep in mind are that some restaurants don’t have their own delivery staff. Look into which restaurants use Postmates, GrubHub, and UberEats to fulfill orders for if you are in need of delivery.
If you’re more flexible, then takeout is an option provided by most restaurants. Menus may be modified, but businesses are doing their best to meet the needs of their communities, so they appreciate your patronage.
Additional Resources
If you’re looking for a more comprehensive list of all your grocery options, then be sure to take a look at this article from Very Local Pittsburgh for all the current offerings in Pittsburgh.
For a general list of restaurants open for takeout and/or delivery at this time, see this post from Pittsburgh City Paper or this list from GoodFoodPittsburgh.com.