Grocery delivery and shopping: what to know

What the job involves, what changes the price, and what to ask a pro.

What grocery delivery and shopping is

A grocery shopper buys your groceries from your list, handles substitutions and delivers them to your door, often putting them away if you ask. People use the service when they cannot shop in person, are short on time or need groceries brought to someone else's home.

Signs you need it

  • You are recovering from an illness or procedure and cannot carry bags or stand in a store for long
  • You have a busy week and the shopping keeps getting pushed to the next day
  • You need groceries delivered to a relative or an older family member who lives on their own
  • Your local stores are far away or hard to reach, and online delivery windows do not suit you
  • You want fresh items chosen by hand for a specific recipe or dietary need

What the pro does

  • Review your list, your preferred brands and any dietary rules you have given
  • Set the substitution rules, such as which items can be swapped and which must be exact
  • Shop the store in the order you set, checking dates and the condition of produce and meat
  • Contact you about any item that is out of stock or cannot be substituted under your rules
  • Deliver the groceries to your door, and put them away if you have asked for that
  • Send you the receipt and a note of any substitutions or problems

What changes the price

Every job is different, so we do not publish prices. These are the things that move the quote up or down.

  • How many items are on the list and how many different stores the shopper must visit
  • Whether the list needs specialty or hard to find items that take extra searching
  • How far the store is from the delivery address and the travel time for each trip
  • Whether the shopper must put groceries away, which adds time
  • Whether the delivery must happen at a set time or within a window
  • Whether the shopper must handle items that need special care, such as frozen or fragile products

What a written quote should spell out

  • The stores covered and the delivery window
  • The fee structure for the shopping and the delivery, and whether the groceries are billed separately
  • The substitution rules and how the shopper will contact you about them
  • Whether putting groceries away is included, and where they go
  • How the receipt and any refund for missing items are handled

Questions to ask before you hire

  • Which stores do you shop, and how do you choose between them?
  • How do you handle produce, meat and dairy, and how do you check dates?
  • What happens when an item is out of stock and I am not reachable?
  • Do you keep my payment method secure, and how is my card used?
  • Can you put items away the way I want, such as fridge and pantry order?
  • How will I be told about substitutions before you check out?

Red flags

  • Asks for your card PIN or online banking login
  • Makes substitutions outside the rules you set without contacting you
  • Cannot show you the receipt for each order
  • Asks to use your store account without a written agreement

What you can do yourself

You can use the store's own delivery service and set your own substitution rules in the app, or ask a friend to pick up a short list. Hire a grocery shopper when the shopping must be done in stores that do not deliver to you, when the list is long or when you need someone to check the quality of produce and meat in person.

Licenses and permits

No license is usually required for grocery shopping and delivery. Ask instead for references from past clients, proof of a valid driver's license and insurance if they drive, and a written description of how they handle substitutions and food handling; check with your state or local business licensing office if the shopper operates as a registered business.

Grocery delivery and shopping questions

Who pays for the groceries?

You do, through the payment method you set up. Ask the shopper to send you the itemized receipt for every order.

Will the shopper choose good quality fruit and meat?

Tell the shopper your standards in writing, such as ripeness or cut preference, and ask them to check dates before they put items in the bag.

Can I stop the substitutions?

Yes. Set a rule that no substitutions happen without your approval, and the shopper should follow it for every order.

About this guide

This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.

Edit history

How it works

  1. 1. Describe the job

    Pick the service, add your ZIP and a sentence about what is going on.

  2. 2. Pick the pros you want

    See pros who serve your ZIP and choose who you want to hear from.

  3. 3. They reach out

    They contact you the way you chose: phone, email or in-app messages.

More business and office services guides

Find a pro near you

Find a pro

About this guide

Request grocery delivery and shopping