How to get everything you need delivered to your home if you have to quarantine
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If you've tested positive for the coronavirus or think you've been exposed to it, it's necessary to quarantine for 14 days unless you receive a negative test, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). With coronavirus cases still on the rise after hitting 400,000 coronavirus deaths in the United States, it's more important than ever to adhere to these warnings to stop the spread.
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But how are you going to get all the food, groceries, and household supplies you need if you can't leave the house? Well, thankfully there are a plethora of delivery services to get you exactly what you need—even with COVID-19 related shipping delays.
Below you'll find all the shipping services that will get you groceries, food, and even alcohol. Note that all these services charge a service fee as well as a tip for your driver/shopper, so it will be a bit more pricey than just heading to the store. But to maintain quarantine, it's well worth it.
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Groceries and household essentials
1. Walmart+
Minimum order: $35
Delivery fee: Free with membership
Membership: Walmart+: $98/year or $12.95/month for free deliveries and a $35 minimum
Walmart has attempted to become the new Amazon Prime with Walmart+. For $98/year or $12.95/month, you can get free deliveries on orders over $35, meaning you can get groceries and other household supplies delivered ASAP, depending on where you live. It's one of the easiest ways to get all your quarantine supplies from snacks to baby supplies to medication to ease your symptoms. You can get a free trial for 15 days (longer than you'll be in quarantine), but you might find you like the service so much, you'll want to keep it for longer.
Sign up for a free 15-day trial of Walmart+
2. Instacart
Minimum order: $10
Delivery fee: Starts at $4 for non-members
Membership: Instacart Express: $99/year or $9.99/month for free delivery on all orders over $35
While Instacart is known for food delivery (and the challenge of finding a time slot during the height of the pandemic), you can order other essentials with the service. Depending on where you're located, options include Wegman’s, Stop & Shop, Costco, and even non-grocery stores like CVS and Petco. Basically, shoppers will go to any store. We’ve tried Instacart before and found the site is easy to peruse, though it can be hard to request specific sizes on produce.
3. Amazon Prime
Minimum order: None
Delivery fee: None
Membership: $12.99/month or $112/year to use the service
If you haven't heard of Amazon Prime, you've probably been living under a rock. Aside from shipping pretty much anywhere you want in two days (or one day or same-day depending on where you live), there is an exclusive shipping service that make getting groceries and household essentials easier: Amazon Fresh.
Shopping on Amazon Fresh works the same way as shopping for anything else on Amazon—you’re just looking for groceries instead. You can see whether an item is in stock (something not a lot of grocery delivery services offer), and you can even find coupons. But if you spend less than $35, you’ll be hit with a $4.99 delivery charge. If you want to try out these services you can get a free 30-day trial to start.
Get an Amazon Prime membership for $12.99/month
4. Postmates
Minimum order: Varies by location with a small cart fee of $1.99 if you don't meet it.
Delivery fee: $0.99 to$9.99
Membership: Postmates Unlimited: $9.99/month or $99.99/year for free delivery for orders over $12.
Postmates is available in thousands of cities and goes beyond traditional food delivery. The service will also pick up other goods for you like alcohol, household essentials, and groceries. So it could be a one-stop-shop for additional goods you’re hoping to get delivered as long as they’re in stock. In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the company is offering no-contact delivery and set up a relief fund for couriers who test positive for coronavirus that will help cover medical checkups and give two weeks of paid sick leave.
5. Shipt
Minimum order: None
Delivery fee: $10
Membership: $99/year for free deliveries on orders over $35
Similar to Instacart, Shipt has shoppers shop at local grocery stores as well as retailers like Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Petco. You can get your haul delivered as soon as one hour after ordering, and you can place an order whenever the store is open, including 24/7 stores. Adding items to the cart is easy, and when you go to check out, just select your delivery time and add any special instructions.
6. Stop & Shop
Minimum order: $60
Delivery fee: From $2.95 to $9.95
Membership: None
Available where Stop & Shop grocery stores are located (Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island), you can get groceries and household essentials delivered to your door. Just shop the virtual aisles and pick a delivery time. While it does require a higher minimum order than some of the other sites, you can also opt for curbside pickup and skip the delivery fee.
7. Thrive Market
Minimum order: $49
Delivery fee: Included with membership
Membership: $9.95/month or $59/year
Thrive Market specializes in non-perishables, and it’s a great place to get snacks, specialty items, beauty products, and household essentials. To use Thrive Market, you do need a membership, which costs $10 a month. But for each membership sold, the company donates one for a teacher or person in need.
8. Boxed
Minimum order: $49 for free shipping
Delivery fee: $7 delivery fee on orders under $49
Membership: BoxedUp: $49/year for free shipping on all orders, 2% cash rewards, and additional discounts
Boxed specialties in bulk groceries and household supplies (think an online Costco). Our office used to get snacks shipped via Boxed during the before times and we loved the variety of choices. Navigating the site is simple, and you can also browse via the Boxed app. After placing an order, you simply wait for your shipment to arrive.
Food delivery
9. Seamless
Minimum order: None
Delivery fee: Varies
Membership: Seamless+: $9.99/month for free deliveries
When you're stuck at home or are sick, you probably don't want to cook. Available in hundreds of cities, Seamless offers delivery from local restaurants and makes it easy to find new spots with a simple search of cuisine or the “most popular” page. The company is also offering no-contact delivery during this time and taking extra precautions with deliveries.
Get food delivered from Seamless
10. DoorDash
Minimum order: None
Delivery fee: Varies
Membership: DashPass: $9.99/month for free deliveries
With one of the largest selections of restaurants to choose from, DoorDash might be your best option for finding delivery at the place you actually wanted food from. In addition to offering no-contact delivery in the wake of coronavirus, the service stated it would provide up to two weeks of paid sick leave for deliverers who test positive for COVID-19 or who are quarantined by public health authorities. DoorDash is also allowing independent restaurants to join the platform with zero commissions for 30 days and aren’t requiring commission fees on pick-up orders for existing partners.
Get food delivered from DoorDash
11. GrubHub
Minimum order: None
Delivery fee: Varies
Membership: Grubhub+: $9.99/month for free deliveries
GrubHub, which also owns Seamless, also offers the option for no-contact delivery right now. For restaurants, the company has $100 matching on Smart Promotions and offers marketing tools. Drivers are also given the proper PPE to safely make deliveries.
Get food delivered from GrubHub
12. Uber Eats
Minimum order: None
Delivery fee: Varies
Membership: EatsPass: $9.99/month for free deliveries and 5% off orders of $15 or more.
If you can still get Uber drivers to transport you, you can still have Uber Eats delivery come to your door—with the option of no-contact delivery. Additionally, the company is waiving delivery fees for independent restaurants and is offering two weeks of paid sick leave for couriers affected by COVID-19 or those who are in quarantine by public health authorities. Additionally, Uber is offering free meals and rides to first responders and healthcare workers across the US and Canada.
Get food delivered from Uber Eats
13. Caviar
Minimum order: None
Delivery fee: Varies
Membership: None
A relatively newer food delivery service, Caviar (which is owned by DoorDash) might be in fewer cities. But Caviar does offer some exclusive restaurants that aren't available on other delivery services, so it's worth checking out. As with most other services, they’re currently offering no-contact delivery in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Get food delivered from Caviar
Alcohol delivery
14. Drizly
Minimum order: $20
Delivery fee: $5
Membership: None
Delivering to 26 states and most major cities, Drizly is an alcohol delivery service that partners with local liquor stores to get your wine and spirits to your door ASAP. Most deliveries should arrive within the hour. In addition to shopping for your standard tequilas, gins, and the like, you can also browse ready-to-drink selections—or a cocktail that's ready for sipping. If you want to be your own mixologist, Drizly also offers mixers, ice, and garnishes, meaning you won't need to use another service for these extras.
15. Saucey
Minimum order: None
Delivery fee: None
Membership: None
While Saucey works similarly, fulfilling orders that have been ordered online via local liquor stores. The site offers a huge range of options from a single can to a 30-pack, and you can also compare prices at different retailers, making it easy to get the best deal on your order. Though there's no delivery fee, Saucey more limited and is only available in 15 major cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Orlando, and Washington, D.C.
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This article originally appeared on Reviewed: How to get everything you need delivered to your home if you have to quarantine