Peapod Review

Last month, Peapod contacted me to try out and review their grocery delivery service. I'd used Peapod about 5 years ago, and was curious to try it again. Here is my experience:

- Ordering - the Peapod site was easy to navigate. I was able to link my shopper loyalty card to my Peapod account, and then pull up a list of all my recent purchases. Sales are highlighted with red flags, so I could easily take advantage of that week's specials. I placed my order quickly, and charge the cost to my credit card. You can link to checking if you prefer, and coupons are accepted at the time of delivery to be applied to your next order.

- Delivery - The regular delivery charge is $4.95 for my area. Premium delivery times have an additional $1 or $2 charge, while less popular times have a discount. I selected a delivery window for Tuesday between 7:30 am and 1:00 pm that had a $2 discount, knowing that I would be home working during that time. I was pleasantly surprised when the Peapod truck pulled into my driveway at 7:50 am, and my groceries were delivered right into my kitchen. The truck was on its way by 8:00.

- Quality - All my dry goods (cereal, pasta, bread), packaged dairy products (yogurt, cheese) and frozen items (pizza, waffles, ice cream) arrived in good condition. Produce was priced per item - the tomatoes I ordered were in good shape, but smaller than I would have selected. I asked for green bananas, and they were also acceptable. The 1/2 gallon of skim milk's top was broken, so there was a bit of a milk spill inside that bag, and the expiration date was only 4 days away from my delivery date. I did not order any meats.

My overall impression? You can't beat Peapod for convenience. Ordering was easy, delivery was on time and in general the quality was good. I would use the service again for stocking up on non-perishables and dry goods, as well as for those times when I know I won't be able to get to the store to get a big shopping done. I actually enjoy grocery shopping, and I also like to be able to see and handle the produce and meats so I know what I'm getting, so I would only use Peapod occasionally. Peapod also doesn't carry some of the specialty items my family likes that are only available in store, so I would need to supplement the service with a grocery trip anyway.

An environmental note for Peapod - I was a bit dismayed at the number of plastic bags they used, several only having one item in them. This may be due to how they pack their deliveries, but there may be opportunity to take a look at where they can save plastic bag use and be more environmentally friendly.

Bottom line - try the service - you can't beat the convenience. You can use this discount code and see for yourself. Go to Peapod , sign up, and use code BLOGPOST8 (no expiration date).