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Even before the hard lockdown and persistent pandemic, I hated grocery shopping.

These days it’s even more taxing as you try your best to avoid shoppers with little to no concept of personal space.

Then there’s the time spent standing at the end of an aisle waiting for someone with their mask dangling from their upper lip to move away from the shelf with the thing on it that you need.

All of this contributed to my, and no doubt others’, decision to switch to grocery shopping online.

Finding the right app to make your life easier isn’t easy, however, so settle in for a list of five of the most popular offerings out there.

We’ll be taking a look at some of the app-specific info that Moneyweb jotted down, as well as checking out ratings on the App Store and Google Play.

Checkers Sixty60

Checkers Sixty60 is currently the 10th most popular app on the SA App Store. You can shop items from Checkers and have them delivered within an hour. There is a minimum order value of R100 and a limit on the number of items that you can shop at one time (60).

Payment: Visa and Mastercard credit and chip-enabled debit cards.

Delivery Cost: R35

Ratings: Checkers Sixty60 scored three out of five stars on Google Play, with mostly positive reviews, albeit with a few gripes, like changing delivery times and missing items.

On the App Store, it scored 2,9 stars out of five, with similar comments.

Woolies Dash 

Woolies Dash is a same-day service delivery app that lets you order Woolworths food items online and have them delivered to your door. You can also opt for click and collect at certain stores.

Payment: You can pay for your order with any Mastercard or Visa credit card, Woolworths Store Cards, Woolworths Credit Cards, and Gift Cards.

Delivery Cost: R50

Ratings: Woolies Dash scored 1,6 stars out of five on Google Play with several negative reviews mostly associated with glitches and unavailability of delivery slots (note that this could be region-specific).

On the other end of the spectrum, it scored 3,8 stars out of five on the App Store.

Pick n Pay Bottles (Bottles PnP)

Pick n Pay partnered with alcohol delivery app Bottles to launch a grocery essentials delivery service. You can shop Pick n Pay products online and have them delivered to your door on the same day.

Payment: Debit or credit cards, payable via the app.

Delivery Cost: R35

Ratings: The reviews on Google Play are mixed, but not that positive. At the same time, it scored 3,1 stars out of five, so that’s not too bad.

On the App Store, it received a comparatively high, 4,7 out of five, with overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Zulzi

Zulzi is an on-demand delivery platform where you can buy groceries from a range of stores including Woolworths, Clicks and Pick n Pay,  around your area and get it delivered to you in less than one hour. You can also select delivery times according to your schedule.

I’ve used this app since the start of lockdown and there are some noticeable issues. If you order from multiple stores, your deliveries will show up at different times. Groceries often arrive well after the allocated time and twice, when the delivery slot has been set for after 2PM (in both cases between 2PM and 3PM), the groceries didn’t arrive until after 6PM, and only after I reached out to the shopper and support team.

On a more positive note, you can build your grocery list over the course of the week. The interface is easy to navigate.

Payment: Debit or credit cards, payable via the app.

Delivery Cost: Delivery fees range from between R20 to R85 depending on your location.

Ratings: Zulzi received 2,2 stars on Google Play with some gripes that I’m familiar with, like glitches in the app and deliveries outside of the allocated time.

On the App Store, it scored 2,5 with similar complaints.

OneCart

OneCart also allows you to shop multiple stores including Woolies, Pick n Pay, Makro, Clicks, and Mr Pet, all of which are delivered together in ‘one cart’.

They offer delivery on your terms and you’ll be able to get all the groceries you need within two hours.

It’s easy to navigate and you can curate your shopping list.

Payment: OneCart accepts all major credit and debit cards as well as OZOW instant EFT.

Delivery Cost: R55 and an additional 5 to 7% personal shopper fee.

Ratings: OneCart scored 3,8 stars out of five on Google Play with mostly positive comments, and an overwhelmingly high 4,7 stars on the App Store.

The higher delivery fees on the apps that offer multiple stores could account for the admin of shopping at different locations. Apps such as all of the above make use of personal shoppers who do the work for you before handing your groceries off to a delivery person.

It’s also worth noting that because you can’t really control who does your shopping, which stores they go to, and how those specific stores handle your order, there may be a few bumps along the way.

I’m afraid it comes down to trial and error until you find the right fit.

A small price to pay to avoid the crowds in a store.

[source:moneyweb]