How Much Should You Tip Your Instacart Shopper?

Instacart shoppers help deliver essential items to our doorsteps and aren’t exactly making a ton. So, it’s nice to tip them. But how much should you tip your Instacart shopper?

Instacart has a minimum suggested tip of 5%. But a tip of 15-20% for delivery of your groceries or 5-10% for pickup is more appropriate for the service provided.

And it’s worth noting that since Instacart Shoppers can see the tip specified in your order before they accept it, a low tip could result in a delay as more experienced Shoppers pass on doing your order.

But sometimes, there are circumstances that might warrant less than 15% or more than 20%. And what about bad service if you’ve already tipped?

Read on to learn more about how much you should tip your Instacart shopper and related facts.

Ready to start ordering from Instacart?

CLICK HERE to go to the Instacart order page.

Polite delivery man or mover tipping his hat and smiling . Isolated on white.

Are you supposed to tip the Instacart delivery person?

Offering a tip to the Instacart delivery person is recommended and the default is 5%. It is a token of appreciation and recognition for the excellent service rendered by the Instacart delivery person. As with many similar jobs, they rely on tips for their income.

Delivering groceries is challenging.

Most shoppers have to go to a couple of stores each day, check customer’s grocery lists, check and pick, and pack all items. Then, they have to deliver them.

At times, they may not get enough orders to fulfill. Since they are paid for orders fulfilled, earning enough can be an uphill task. The average Instacart shopper earns only $11 an hour on average.

And yet, most of the shoppers render excellent service.

This is why even though you’re not supposed to tip the Instacart delivery person, it’s a good thing to do. It’s a way of saying: “Thank you. I appreciate your help” to the shopper.

The rate recommended is 5% or a minimum of $2 per individual store delivery, whichever is higher. It’s a very low rate compared to the 15% to 20% common in the restaurant industry, just to cite an example.

Consider that about half of the shopper’s income comes from tips.

The happier shopper is thus encouraged to be more focused on thinking of more ways to continue to render awesome service to us all.

And, I honestly believe that life’s better when we treat others the way we’d like to be treated.

In a recent article of mine, I explored: should you tip Instacart drivers in greater detail. I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from Instacart Shoppers from that article, and not all of them are happy with me!

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Can Instacart shoppers see the tip?

From the company app, Instacart Shoppers can see the tip offered by customers. They can also see the items requested and have the option of accepting the order or not. But they cannot negotiate or change the tip.

So, before accepting your order, Instacart shoppers see your proposed tip. You’re allowed the option of changing the tip up to 24 hours after you’ve received your order.

By which time, you’d have received and checked your order.

If you have to change the tip, you’re allowed to within that time frame, but you are expected to leave feedback to let the company know why.

Unfortunately, there are some customers who set large tips to bait shoppers and then rescind on their offer after.

This is bad, and a customer found to be guilty of the practice may have their Instacart account deactivated. You have the option of rating Instacart shoppers. In fact, this is the key data that goes into evaluating their performance and determining their access to future opportunities to deliver to customers and their earnings.

But can Instacart shoppers rate customers in return? It’s a theme I explored in a recent article of mine. As of the time of writing, you alone can rate them, and they can’t rate you (formally, via the app).

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Do Instacart drivers do the shopping and if not, does the tip get split?

As a general rule, Instacart drivers do their own shopping. But, there are times when in-store Shoppers do it while drivers or full-service shoppers simply deliver. Full-service Shoppers shop and deliver. And they receive the tips in full.

In-store shoppers that don’t handle delivery receive a guaranteed income and aren’t as reliant on tips as the drivers.

There are basically two types of people who work for Instacart: Full-service shoppers (drivers) and In-store shoppers. The former select, pack, and deliver groceries, while the latter select, pack and deliver at the curbside.

They are employees, while the former are independent contractors. The tips are not split between employees and contractors. The contractors get the tip in full.

They do more, and they also interface with customers, and being contractors, they have to defray their expenses while working for Instacart, so they get 100% of the tip.

Does Instacart really only recommend a 5% tip?

Instacart has a default recommended tip of 5% or a minimum of $2 per order delivery, whichever is higher. But as a sign of appreciation of the great service, it is better to offer tips at a higher rate than the default. 

And, Instacart does not suggest that the tip should only be 5%. The default simply means they suggest it not be less than that.

In most cases, Shoppers have to be painstaking as they move across the store, making sure they get exactly what the customer requested.

They are to deliver the order to the customer’s doorstep.

That’s what their contract stipulates. But, there are times when they may go beyond the letter of the contract and bring groceries inside.

In fact, I explored this in a recent article of mine. Technically, they are not supposed to enter someone’s house. But there are times when they might. And of course, any time they go the extra mile, it’s worth tipping them extra.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Truth be told, even 10% is not exactly a king’s ransom when you consider that the tips in the restaurant industry are often in the 15% to 20% range.

Because of the great service Instacart shoppers provide, it’s best to always offer a lot more than the default rate. 

How do I tip for Instacart curbside pickup?

As with delivery, use the Instacart app to set the tip for Instacart curbside pickup. The default suggested tip is 5% or a minimum of $2 whichever is higher. The Shopper who packed your groceries receives 100% of the tip.

In-store shoppers who also deliver at the curbside are employees, and a part of their income is guaranteed. But, this doesn’t stop you from giving them tips.

For you to easily add a tip during checkout using the app, follow the steps below:

  1. Tap Go to Checkout and scroll down to Delivery Tip.
  2. Tap Change.
  3. Select the amount you’d like to tip and tap Save Tip.

You’re also free to give them tips in cash.

There’s usually a dedicated parking space for those at the store for curbside pickup. Once you’re there, get in touch with the Instacart Shopper, and they’d bring your groceries and help you load them in your trunk.   

Naturally, curbside pickup is cheaper than having them delivered to the house. 

But, it is still a lot of work for the Shopper who has to select, pack, bring them outside, and then load them in your trunk.

So, be generous by offering a tip that’ll make the Shopper happy.

But what if they’re way late? There have been times when Instacart has been slow. Get the lowdown on why in a recent article of mine.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Conclusion

Instacart shoppers are rendering great service, and it’s nice to tip them well.

We learned that tipping them is optional and has been set by Instacart at a base of 5% or $2 per order, whichever is higher. In other words, you can offer a lot more.

When you set the tip, shoppers can see it. Of course, there’s really nothing they can do about it. You get to decide how much you want to give. And, you have the option of altering the amount within 24 hours of receiving for order.

Truth be told, 5% is too low. Always try to offer a lot more.

We also learned that most shoppers aren’t making out like bandits and that about 50% of their income comes from tips. Finally, we looked at how you can offer tips at the curbside.

Ready to start ordering from Instacart?

CLICK HERE to go to the Instacart order page.


The Grocery Store Guy, part of the Middle Class Dad family of websites, is reader-supported and when you make a purchase through some of my links, I  may earn a small commission from the sale, which in no way increases the cost to you. Learn more HERE.

Does Instacart Pay You if You Don’t Get Any Orders?

I know some days are busier than others for online grocery pickup and delivery. But what happens to the employees on slower days? Does Instacart pay you if you don’t get any orders?

Instacart independent contractors only get paid when they complete orders. However, Instacart also utilizes In-store shoppers, who are part-time employees who receive an hourly wage without regard to the number of orders being received.

So let’s look at that in greater detail.

Instacart workers who work in delivery fall into two categories:

  • In-store shoppers (part-time employees)
  • Full-service shoppers (independent contractors)

The former are part-time employees who pick and pack groceries ready for delivery, while the latter pick, pack, and deliver.

Both naturally receive payments for work done (as it should be). In a bit, I’ll share a situation where In-store shoppers can get paid if no orders came through.

In this article, we’ll explore key facts you need to know about working for Instacart and what you’ll get paid. Of course, there are also some unique things about Instacart in California, which we’ll also get into.

Read on to know more.

Ready to get started as a Shopper with Instacart?

Just CLICK HERE to sign up now right on their website.

A man with empty pockets

Does Instacart have to pay minimum wage?

Instacart part-time employees are subject to receive minimum wage (or higher in most cases). But, Instacart has independent contractors paid by the job rather than being paid a minimum hourly wage.

Instacart has two categories of workers:

  • Full-service shoppers who are independent contractors and not employees
  • In-store shoppers who are part-time employees

As you probably know, independent contractors get paid when assigned work and don’t get a minimum wage without regard to the amount of work done.

They don’t have a minimum or a maximum number of hours they’ve got to work each week.

They decide whether to accept or reject a batch (order). They get paid when they work. So, there’s no minimum wage for them. They earn a pre-agreed amount per batch (order), and they also get tips from customers. They own 100% of the tips.

On the other hand, in-store shoppers get paid a minimum of $13 per hour, even if there are no orders.

That’s as long as they’re present during their shift. After all, they are part-time employees. But, if their batch acceptance rate drops to 80%, then they no longer qualify for the hourly minimum for that week.

Ready to make more money than with Instacart? Consider DoorDash!

DoorDash is a great alternative to working for Instacart, and generally speaking, they pay better!

See how much you could be earning. Available in over 4,000 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. All you need is a mode of transportation and a smartphone to start making money.

CLICK HERE to learn more about working for DoorDash!

If you live in California, you’ll likely earn a lot more because of what Instacart calls Guaranteed Minimum Earnings.

This is because of a bill that was passed recently. It’s known as Proposition 22, and what interests us are the following:

  • 120 percent of the local minimum wage for each hour a driver spends driving (with a passenger or en route), but not time spent waiting
  • $0.30/mile for expenses for each mile driven with passenger or en route
  • Health insurance stipend for drivers who average more than 15 hours per week driving
  • Requires the companies to pay medical costs and some lost income for drivers hurt while driving or waiting
  • Prohibits workplace discrimination and requires that companies: develop sexual harassment policies, conduct criminal background checks, and mandate safety training for drivers

So, shoppers in California will earn 120% of minimum wage and $.30 per mile you spend shopping and delivering.

This guaranteed minimum earnings exclude tips, which belong exclusively to the shopper. But, note that because of the differences in duties, In-house shoppers do not receive tips.

This info is valid as of the time of writing. As you know, earnings are subject to changes.

If you were to become an Instacart shopper, would that affect the unemployment benefits you might have been getting from a previous job? Find out the answer in a recent article of mine.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

How many orders does Instacart get a day?

Instacart handles an estimated 767,123 orders per day across all areas where it operates. Instacart currently operates in 5,500 metro areas. That’s an average of 139 orders per day per city.

Instacart themselves don’t publish usage statistics, but an equity analyst in an article on toptal.com, which reviews the company’s latest valuation estimates that Instacart handles 280 million orders per year.

Businessofapps.com shows that as of 2019, it had 5.5 million customers.

This highly impressive figure is partly due to the pandemic, as the delivery company became an essential service and added 300,000 workers to handle the spike in demand. By the end of 2020, it had a total of 500,000 shoppers.

It achieved its 2022 projections by the fifth week of the lockdown in 2020!

To put the figures above in context, it’s vital to note that until April last year, the company was losing $25 million monthly!

Before 2020, online grocery shopping was a small part of the grocery sales pie.

However, it has been increasing, and this increase is expected to continue as companies in this sector offer convenience and time-saving for those who can afford the services.

Just how much has it increased, and how much is expected to grow in the next few years? Find out in a recent article.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

How does Instacart decide who gets batches?

Instacart’s algorithm prioritizes past shopper behavior in determining who gets batches first. Instacart Shoppers who have a 5-star rating get to see batches first.

Customers get to rate shoppers (but shoppers can’t rate customers) after each delivery. So, the best way to get great batches is to do your best while delivering each batch.

The company requires customers to provide feedback, in addition to the rating.

This is passed on to the shopper so that they could improve if it’s something they can control. Naturally, factors that are outside shoppers’ control are not considered in the model that allocates batches. Of course, you’re not compelled to accept any batch.

If your zone has relatively few batches (orders placed by customers), the app will let you know about other areas where there are more batches and a map to help you get there.

Based on direct shopper feedback, the company is also testing a new approach, where batches are offered directly to qualified shoppers. They don’t have to select from the list view.

The key thing to maximize your chance at getting enough batches is to ensure you have and maintain a 5-star rating.

Can you make a living off Instacart?

While some Instacart Shoppers earn as much as $8,000/month, the average annual salary is currently $57,263. With Instacart independent contractors, the more you work, the more you earn.

(source)

Based on salary reviews, on average, there are as many folks who say that the pay is good as there are those who complain. I guess that’s the way of the world.

You’re your own boss. This can be a blessing. But, it can also be a curse.

Instacart provides estimates of potential earnings:

  • $7 to $10 for full-service shopping per batch (you shop and deliver)
  • $5 for delivery-only. 
  • There’s also a $3 quality bonus for a shopper that receives a 5-star rating.

In-store shoppers are not independent contractors.

They’re part-time employees, and they earn an average of $13 per hour. There are no tips and bonuses because you won’t be interfacing with customers.

You’ll be working in the store. And, at times, you’ll take the order to the curbside for customers to pick them up.

In the course of my research, I came across one person who earned $3000 in a month and another who earned $8000 in a month.

These figures are probably not representative of what you’ll earn, but they can be seen as a range of possibilities. $8000 is a lot of money and maybe what you can also aspire to get if you are truly devoted.

However, because it’s independent contracting work, you’re not guaranteed a fixed-income.

This is a simple but vital point to note. The implication is that your income will vary. There’ll be months you’ll make a lot and months where you’ll make something less. In time, depending on your devotion, you’ll probably discover what to do daily to earn a consistent income.

Which of the two options when you work for Instacart is better?

Let’s look at what they are and what they entail. You can work as a Full-service shopper or an In-store shopper. What’s the difference?

As the name suggests, being a Full-service shopper requires that you shop and deliver groceries, while In-store shopping has no delivery requirement. 

To be a Full-service shopper, you’ll need to have a car. A Full-service shopper is an independent contractor, while an In-store shopper is a part-time employee required to work at least 15 to 20 hours each week (Sundays and Mondays included).

If you want more details relating to whether Instacart can be a good full-time job, check out a recent article of mine. I get into much greater detail on pay, benefits, and what current employees have to say about the company.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Is it common for Instacart Shoppers to get no orders?

It’s not common for an Instacart Shopper to not receive any orders. The app is always showing batches for Shoppers to accept. But, orders have to be claimed fast, or they could be picked up by someone else.

What I shared earlier about how the algorithm works is also relevant. If a shopper has a rating that’s below 4.98, the number of batches they’ll be seeing will reduce drastically.

But there are complaints that many shoppers are not getting as many orders as they used to get before the company engaged thousands of shoppers to cope with the spike in demand.

And some people claim that hackers are using bots to hijack the batches, which they then sell. 

When a shopper has a lot of orders to fulfill, can they skip lines when checking out? This is the theme of a recent article of mine. The answer actually really surprised me, as did how it works at places like Costco.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Final Thoughts

We learned that there are two types of workers:

Full-service shoppers and In-house shoppers. Naturally, their duties and earnings differ. You get to choose which one you prefer.

We looked at the expected earnings, and I mentioned that in my research, some people say the pay is awesome, while others say it’s not good enough.

Truth be told, this is not peculiar to Instacart. We also looked at how the company allocates batches (orders) to shoppers, and we wrapped things up by noting that it’s rare for a hardworking shopper to not get batches.

Ready to get started as a Shopper with Instacart?

Just CLICK HERE to sign up now right on their website.


The Grocery Store Guy, part of the Middle Class Dad family of websites, is reader-supported and when you make a purchase through some of my links, I  may earn a small commission from the sale, which in no way increases the cost to you. Learn more HERE.

Can You Get Paid Instantly with Instacart?

Getting paid immediately after you’ve completed your work is awesome, right? In the so-called GIG economy, a lot of people get paid almost immediately. So, a lot of Instacart Shoppers ask, can you get paid instantly with Instacart?

Instacart Shoppers can use a feature in the app called Instant Cashout to withdraw their earnings immediately upon their account being funded. Their account is funded about 30 minutes after they have marked an order delivered.

Therefore, they can access their earnings instantly, as it were. But, prior to the implementation of the feature, they were paid on a weekly basis.

With Instant Cashout, shoppers can get paid on the same day. In effect, you could use both options: weekly payments or instant cashouts.

In this article, I’ll share some vital facts about how Instacart pays its shoppers (and we’ll even check out if one of its competitors pays quicker).

Ready to get started as a Shopper with Instacart?

Just CLICK HERE to sign up now right on their website.

Can You Get Paid Instantly with Instacart LG

How long does it take for Instacart earnings to show up?

On average, it takes about 30-45 minutes (or less) for earnings to show up after an Instacart Shopper has completed delivering an order. 

But if you’re reluctant about waiting for that long, you can check your pending payments on your Instacart app.

I’ll show you how in a bit. 

To check your tip: After you’ve marked the order delivered, you can wait a while and check the app. From Earnings go to Current Week, then to Date. You may have to scroll all the way down, and you’ll see “PENDING.” 

Tap on it to see the tip you’ve earned.

About 15 minutes later, tap on it again, and you’ll see it’s been paid. If you don’t have a direct deposit set up, you’ll be mailed a check. Note that you can’t withdraw tips using instant cashouts. It’s paid weekly. 

So, your earnings show up about 30-45 minutes on average after a batch’s been marked delivered. But don’t fret if it takes longer. It’ll show up.

How do I cash out instantly on Instacart?

On the Instacart app for Shoppers, there is a prominent, green Instant Cashout button to tap. Simply tap it to withdraw earned income as long as the minimum threshold of $5.00 has been met.

How much you’ve earned is on your “Earnings” page. You choose the full amount you’ve earned and withdraw it in full. It’s also displayed above the button.

Just follow the below guideline for more details about how Instacart instant pay works:

  1. Open the app. It looks like a green Instacart bag on a white background.
  2. Open the menu bar. You can access it via the hamburger menu in the top-left corner. Tap “Earnings,” tap “Earnings” again. It’s the first option in the drop-down list.
  3. Check out the “Earnings” screen/page. You’ll see “current balance” at the top, then a “cashout” button (it could be green or grey), and the “summary” section. It’s followed by transaction history.
  4. When the cashout button is green, it’s an indication that you’re eligible for payment. But when it’s grey, it shows you are ineligible. 
  5. The summary section shows a couple of things, such as the tips you earned and your payments (which includes bonuses, if you’ve earned them). But, note that you can’t withdraw your tips via Instant Cashout. It’s paid weekly.
  6. As you’d expect, transaction history shows a detailed listing of every transaction on your account, right from when you got started delivering for Instacart. If you tap the date of service, you can drill down to details about your earnings up to the most recent orders you delivered.
  7. You’ll also see the associated fee if you’ve been using instant cashouts. It’s $0.50 per transaction. There’s no limit to how often you can use it. Your Instacart payments are reported separately from your tips. (You own 100% of the tips, which are set, as of the time of writing at 5%). 
  8. There are also other highly informative summaries. Spend some time familiarizing yourself with them so that you’ll be able to access any info when you need them someday.

Ready to make more money than with Instacart? Consider DoorDash!

DoorDash is a great alternative to working for Instacart, and generally speaking, they pay better!

See how much you could be earning. Available in over 4,000 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. All you need is a mode of transportation and a smartphone to start making money.

CLICK HERE to learn more about working for DoorDash!

How quickly do online tips get paid on Instacart?

Instacart tips are credited to a Shopper’s account within a few minutes of marking the batch as delivered. You can confirm the actual payment a few minutes later. But, note that, unlike regular payments, you can’t withdraw tips immediately via Instant Cashouts.

You’ll have to wait for a week before you can withdraw your tips. This is the situation as of the time of writing. Perhaps it could change in the future.

Tips are set at a base of 5%. So, a customer can decide to offer you more. The good thing is that you get to keep everything.

To know more about Instacart payments, check out a recent article of mine.

I explained how much Instacart pays, its pay structure when you’re paid, and whether you could make a good full-time income from it.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Can I keep cash tips from Instacart?

Instacart Shoppers are allowed to keep all cash tips, as there is no tip pooling at Instacart, as is common in other aspects of the service industry.

And, there’s no need to report it.

Because it’s paid in cash, you also don’t have to wait for a week before you can access the fund. But, the decision to tip in cash or via the Instacart app rests with the customer.

Since you’re an independent contractor, is there some kind of “safety net” where you get paid some amount when you don’t get orders? 

This is the theme of a recent article of mine.

In it, I explained the categories of shoppers that work for Instacart and how a certain category of shoppers might be able to get a certain minimum earning if they meet some criteria. 

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Does DoorDash pay quicker than Instacart?

DoorDash does not pay quicker than Instacart. DoorDash does have an option, Fast Pay, that allows Dashers (its Shoppers) to get paid within a few minutes but the time frame is similar to Instacart’s.

That’s fast if you ask me. But Instacart’s Instant Cashout is also as quick.

You’ll have to have made 25 deliveries and to have been on their platform for 14 days after your account’s been activated before you qualify to use Fast Pay.

And, you’ll need a debit card (not a prepaid card) before you can use the service. There’s a $1.99 charge when you use Fast Pay.

With Instacart’s Instant Cashout, DoorDash has no significant advantage in terms of how quickly you can access your earnings.

You’re probably curious if Instacart is a way of earning a good full-time income.

Then, you’re in luck because that’s what I explored in a recent article. In it, I showed among other facts that you could earn about $28,000 per year. But, there are some who make a lot more.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Ready to make more money than with Instacart? Consider DoorDash!

DoorDash is a great alternative to working for Instacart, and generally speaking, they pay better!

See how much you could be earning. Available in over 4,000 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. All you need is a mode of transportation and a smartphone to start making money.

CLICK HERE to learn more about working for DoorDash!

Final Thoughts

Working as an independent contractor can be rewarding. 

Even if you’re not making a ton, you can earn something substantial. And, you’re in control of your schedule.

In the article, we looked at a feature that allows Instacart shoppers to get paid immediately. And, we checked out how DoorDash’s Fast Pay compares.

We also looked at what happens to online and cash tips and how long it takes to get paid. And, we explored the steps you need to use Instant cashouts and how earnings work in the app. 

Ready to get started as a Shopper with Instacart?

Just CLICK HERE to sign up now right on their website.


Photo which requires attribution:

Instacart_PwG_anim_02 by 姿穎 呂 is licensed under Public Domain and was cropped, edited, and placed on top of another image with a text overlay added.

The Grocery Store Guy, part of the Middle Class Dad family of websites, is reader-supported and when you make a purchase through some of my links, I  may earn a small commission from the sale, which in no way increases the cost to you. Learn more HERE.

Does DoorDash Deliver Alcohol?

These days, it seems like almost anything can be delivered directly to your house. But recently I saw a restaurant say they could deliver margaritas! So I wondered if they do that on their own, or does DoorDash deliver alcohol?

DoorDash does deliver alcohol, primarily from restaurants. However, not every restaurant they deliver from will allow alcohol delivery, and some also require a food purchase. But they do also sell spirits, including liquor from liquor stores in states that allow it.

Did you know that about 1 in 4 alcoholic drinks consumed in the states are bought at a restaurant or bar?

Folks enjoy drinking with their meals, and DoorDash delivers to you if you’re in certain locations and meet some simple criteria, which you’ll find out in a bit.

In the next few minutes, I’ll share key facts you should know about ordering alcohol through DoorDash. We’ll get into whether you have to show ID to receive it and if contactless delivery is even possible.

But we’ll also look at whether or not this is available in every city DoorDash operates in.

Does DoorDash Deliver Alcohol lg

How do you order alcohol from DoorDash?

DoorDash has partnerships with restaurants, liquor stores, and breweries. Orders are placed either on their app or their website. After selecting your delivery address, search for nearby restaurants or stores and see what is available.

Of course, you will also need to create an account with DoorDash if you don’t have one and, naturally, be 21 or older.

So, you could order while you’re at your favorite restaurant, using its app or website, and you could also order while you’re at non-restricted locations. Let’s look at the steps required to order using an app and then its website.

Both are pretty straightforward.

Order Using Its App

Start the DoorDash app for your Android or iOS mobile device.

Add your current address.

Use the search field to find a pub, bar, or restaurant that serves alcohol.

Select the alcoholic beverages you’ll like to order

Add them to your cart.

Proceed to checkout and finish your order

Order Using Its Website

Fill in your delivery address in the search field.

Click on Find Restaurants next to it.

When you find a place you like, browse their menu for cocktails, spirits, wine, and beer. 

Add them to your cart and proceed to checkout.

Alternately, you can go to https://www.doordash.com/alcohol-near-me/ and check out the liquor stores, restaurants, and bars near you that work with DoorDash.

However, it’s worth pointing out that many restaurants only allow delivery of alcohol with the purchase of food. So check the place you want to buy from to see what their policies are.

Also, if you can’t show ID at the time of delivery, or for some reason, aren’t at home, DoorDash will charge you a $20 alcohol restocking fee.

Did you know that you can also order alcohol from Instacart?

Check out a recent article of mine for an in-depth scoop. Of course, there are some states that don’t allow it. Does yours?

Just click the link to read the article on my site.

Is Dash cheaper for alcohol than Instacart?

Generally, Instacart is cheaper than DoorDash for alcohol delivery. DoorDash charges about $5 to $8 per delivery (excluding tips for its drivers who do the delivery). Instacart’s alcohol delivery fees start at .80 cents and go up to $4.00.

But, if you have DoorPass, its subscription service, you enjoy free delivery on all orders over $12. DoorPass comes to about $9.9 per month.

The below table is from DoorDash’s website. The fee depends on the cost of the alcohol you buy.

Alcohol Service Fee Total of Alcohol Purchase
$2.00 $0 to $35
$4.00 $35.01 to $75
$8.00 $75.01 to $100
$10.00 Greater than $100

Instacart Alcohol Service Fee

Like the service fee, there is a reduced fee for Instacart Express members (40% of the regular alcohol service fee):

Alcohol Service Fee Total of Alcohol Purchase
$0.80 $0 to $35
$1.60 $35.01 to $75
$3.20 $75.01 to $100
$4.00 Greater than $100

Instacart Express Alcohol Service Fee

There are no alcohol service fees for pickup orders. 

Delivery fees also depend on the size of your order and the time of delivery. The delivery fee will be higher if it’s during its peak period (when its shoppers are busy). You’ll see this when choosing your delivery timeframe.

For orders over $35, delivery fees start at $3.99. While for orders under $35, delivery fees start at $7.99. On orders over $35, delivery fees are waived if you’re an Instacart Express member. It’s $9.99 per month or $99 per year, and there’s a 14 day trial period.

So, is DoorDash cheaper than Instacart?

Seeing as Instacart marks up some of its prices, you may get a better deal from DoorDash, seeing as one of its partners is Walmart.

If I were you, I’d place orders on both websites to confirm the actual cost of each order and simply cancel the more expensive one.

Does DoorDash scan your ID for alcohol?

DoorDash drivers require a valid, government-issued photo ID and drivers use an app on their smartphone to verify that it’s a legitimate ID.

That’s because the law requires that it verifies the age of the people they’re delivering alcohol to.

In Canada, alcohol can be delivered to a person that’s 19 or older, while in the U.S., they must be 21 or older.

The DoorDash delivery person is required by law to verify the ID each time they deliver alcohol, even if the person appears to be 21 and above or if they’ve delivered to the same person before.

A valid ID must show your photograph and date of birth.

In general, acceptable IDs include:

  • a valid driver’s license issued by the federal, state, county, or municipal government.
  • a valid passport.
  • an identification card issued by the Armed Forces of the United States that contains the name, date of birth, description, and picture of the person

They have to confirm that the ID is not invalid or fake.

If they’re delivering in New York, IDNYC is not an acceptable form of ID to buy alcohol via DoorDash. Only one of the IDs listed in the paragraph above can be used.

And, if the delivery is being made in Massachusetts, the following are the acceptable IDs:

  •  an unexpired Massachusetts driver’s license 
  •  an unexpired Massachusetts liquor ID 
  •  an unexpired passport from a country recognized by the United States
  •  an unexpired military identification card

Note that you can’t present an ID that’s expired and that you’ll be asked to remove the ID from your wallet and hand it over so that the DoorDash delivery person can look at the front and back.

They’re also expected to check that you’re not intoxicated.

If you opt for Instacart instead, note that some of its prices are marked up. Why? Find out in a recent article of mine, where I explained in detail. Some store’s prices are as much as 20% when you order from Instacart, compared to in the store. But not every store.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Does DoorDash deliver alcohol everywhere?

DoorDash can only deliver alcohol in states where alcohol sales are permitted. But even in those states, delivery to government facilities and schools is forbidden.

In a recent article of mine, I included a list showing states where alcohol is allowed to be sold in grocery stores and those where it’s not allowed. Some states allow only beer. And, some even have restrictions on whether grocery stores can sell alcohol on Sundays.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

And as I mentioned, even in states where alcohol sale is permitted, DoorDash cannot deliver to customers in the following locations:

  • Schools (public or private), or campuses
  • Government facilities
  • Storage units, lockers, and P.O. boxes
  • Stores where alcohol is sold

Note that even in states where alcohol sale is permitted, DoorDash drivers have to check that the customer meets certain criteria required by the law.

Does DoorDash deliver liquor?

DoorDash will deliver liquor from restaurants that sell it and liquor stores in states where liquor delivery is valid.

Simply use its app or website’s search field, find your state (if alcohol is allowed), and you’ll find restaurants listed with the type of liquor they have available.

What we’ve shared before about your needing a valid ID and the type of ID is relevant to liquor delivery, too. You can easily download its app from the Google play store or go to https://www.doordash.com/alcohol-near-me/

Both are super-easy to use.

Note that DoorDash expects that you’ve met the criteria we explored earlier. If you didn’t, and you placed an order for alcohol/liquor, and a Dasher comes to where you are, and there’s an issue, the company will charge you a $20 restocking fee to cover the Dasher’s time and the cost of repurchase for the item.

So, you’ve got to be 21 or older, have a valid ID, and be in a location that’s not on the “restricted list.”

Curious about whether DoorDash delivers for Walmart?

That’s exactly what I explored in a recent article of mine. I explained that it does, but not everywhere. I also shared that, in addition to the low prices you get at Walmart, your delivery cost will be lower because Doordash doesn’t mark up its prices like Instacart.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Conclusion

We looked at how to order alcohol and liquor via DoorDash.

Specifically, we looked at the criteria one has to meet, whether it’s cheaper via DoorDash or Instacart, by looking at the fees both platforms charge, and if your ID will be scanned.

We also explored the kind of IDs that are acceptable and noted some relevant info to note concerning New York and Massachusetts.


Photos that require attribution:

Dangerous good by Lars Plougmann is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 and was edited, cropped, stretched, and had a text and graphic overlay added.

The Grocery Store Guy, part of the Middle Class Dad family of websites, is reader-supported and when you make a purchase through some of my links, I  may earn a small commission from the sale, which in no way increases the cost to you. Learn more HERE.

How Does Instacart Work for Apartments?

Everyone is using Instacart these days for grocery delivery. But there’s a big difference between ordering for a house and ordering if you live in an apartment complex with hundreds of other people. So, how does Instacart work for apartments?

When apartment dwellers place an order through Instacart, they give specific instructions pertaining to security gates or checkpoints, building numbers, flights of stairs, and the apartment number. That way, the Shopper is clear on exactly how to deliver to them.

As long as the shoppers can reach your apartment, they’ll deliver your order.

After all, getting your orders to you is their job. You could be available to collect the order or inform them beforehand via the Instacart app to simply leave the order by your door.

The key thing is to make it easy for them to reach you by providing your address and making sure they can enter your apartment complex if it is gated.

And, of course, since they can see your tip before they choose to accept your order, if your situation is time-consuming or complicated, make sure and leave a good tip!

Read on for more…

Ready to start ordering from Instacart?

CLICK HERE to go to the Instacart order page.

Does Instacart come to your door in an apartment complex?

Instacart shoppers bring your order to your door even if you live in an apartment complex. In the app, you can even specify “leave at my door” for a contactless experience. But otherwise, they will hand you the groceries. Just make sure and note any gate codes or building numbers when you place the order.

It’ll be highly inconvenient if you have to go down to pick stuff up yourself each time you place an order.

And, it’s reasonable to assume that most people live in apartments anyway. If Instacart works only for those who live in detached houses, it won’t be useful for most people who don’t, right?

If you do select “leave at my door”, the shopper would take a picture of your order when they’ve delivered it to your door and send it to you.

This acts as a notification and, of course, proof that the order was delivered. You simply have to make it easy for the shopper to locate your apartment by providing the correct address and a description if it’s not easy to locate.

After locating your apartment, would the shoppers be willing to deliver your groceries inside?

This is the theme of a recent article of mine. Technically, Instacart Shoppers aren’t supposed to do that, but there are some exceptions.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Does Instacart deliver to gated apartments?

Yes, Instacart will deliver to gated apartments or gated communities. However, you must provide the gate code or any additional security instructions when you place the order. That way, they will be able to bring the groceries direct to your door.

Or, if the gate is manned by some security personnel, you could inform them beforehand that you’re expecting Instacart shoppers and that they are allowed into the complex.

These days EVERYONE is used to seeing Instacart deliveries. So both security personnel and Instacart Shoppers are used to the drill.

The key thing is to do this before the shopper arrives so that they won’t have to waste time.

The quicker they can conclude with your order, the faster they can get back to work, helping others with their deliveries.

Naturally, the security guard will check their ID.

If the security guards have to reach you before the shoppers are allowed in, make sure that you can easily be contacted. Because if you can’t be reached and they can’t get to your door, your order may simply be canceled.

In recent months, many people noticed that Instacart wasn’t as quick as they expected.

I explained why and how to get your orders on time in a recent article of mine. Just how late are they on average, and is that improving?

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Does Instacart deliver upstairs?

Instacart Shoppers can go up outside flights of stairs such as those in apartment complexes. However, they do not typically go up a flight of stairs inside the customer’s home. Instacart’s contract says to deliver the order to the door, not to carry them inside.

So even if you live on the 10th floor of a high rise without an elevator, the Shopper will bring the order to your order.

At times, that might mean they’ll have to make two trips. But, they are under no obligation to enter your home and carry the groceries to the kitchen for you.

That said, there are times Shoppers would make an exception.

Perhaps you’re heavily pregnant, bed-ridden, disabled, or you’re a senior citizen, and they’re inclined to go an extra mile. Then, they could help you take the order upstairs.

But, it shouldn’t be expected or taken for granted, seeing as it’s not a part of their terms of engagement.

If you order from Instacart a lot, you’ll likely end up having several different Instacart Shoppers deliver to you.

Did you know that you could rate them?

Yes, you can. Can they rate you? No. That’s what I explored in a recent article of mine. The app, as of the time of writing, has no function that allows shoppers to rate you. But, they choose the orders to fulfill. So, they can decline certain orders.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Can an Instacart Shopper decline your order if you live in an apartment?

Instacart Shoppers aren’t compelled to deliver any order. They choose the orders they would like to fulfill. So while it’s unusual for Shoppers to decline orders, since that is their revenue, they can decline orders in apartment complexes or complicated deliveries.

So if your situation is complicated or could be more time-consuming than normal, it’s a great idea to give a great tip!

A Shopper might be having some health challenges and may not want to climb to get to the 4th floor of an apartment complex they know has a funny elevator (or even no elevator).

Or, maybe the apartment is in a dangerous or sketchy part of the city. They may decide they’ll pass. The app doesn’t allocate orders to be completed by each shopper.

They choose. But, again, this is not common.

The Instacart contract doesn’t discriminate between those who live in detached houses and those who reside in apartment blocks.

The goal is to help everybody that’s within the areas within which the company operates.

Should I tip my Instacart Shopper more if I live in an apartment?

Any Instacart delivery that involves gate codes, security checkpoints, excess stairs, or a layer of complexity to it is deserving of a large tip beyond what would normally be given.

I honestly believe we should treat others the way we’d like to be treated.

If you were the shopper delivering to apartments, would you appreciate being tipped? I would. I think you should tip them. Especially if you are not living on the first floor, and they have to use the staircase or even use the elevator. It’s a lot more work, and it also takes more time, going up and down.

It’s also important to note that these Shoppers are not exactly making a fortune from their work.

And yet, you’ll agree their job is incredibly valuable. They’re making our lives more convenient and time-rich. From the comfort of our homes, we can have groceries delivered. It’s awesome, especially if, like most people, you’re a highly busy person who’s juggling a lot of responsibilities.

But, how much should you tip?

And do Instacart Shoppers even need tips? After all, they get paid by Instacart, right? I devoted a recent article of mine to explore this issue of tipping.

In it, I advised that it’s always a good idea to tip them. It’s a token of appreciation, and that tips make up a considerable chunk of their pay.

Just click the link to read it on my site and see what the recommended amount is.

CONCLUSION

Did I cover everything you’d like to know?

We looked at how Instacart works if you live in an apartment complex. Are shoppers likely to decline your orders? Would they deliver to gated apartments, and would they be willing to help take your orders upstairs and inside your apartment?

We learned that they do not discriminate and that they’re only expected to deliver to your door. Anything above that is an extra. We wrapped up by looking at why it’s great to always offer generous tips.

Ready to start ordering from Instacart?

CLICK HERE to go to the Instacart order page.


Photo which requires attribution:

Second Instacart Delivery. by Dennis Sylvester Hurd is licensed under CC2.0 and was cropped and placed on top of another image.

The Grocery Store Guy, part of the Middle Class Dad family of websites, is reader-supported and when you make a purchase through some of my links, I  may earn a small commission from the sale, which in no way increases the cost to you. Learn more HERE.

Why is Zingerman’s So Expensive?

Why is Zingerman's So Expensive lg

If you’ve ever been to Ann Arbor, Michigan, a visit to Zingerman’s Deli is a must. But while they are known for amazing sandwiches and gourmet groceries, they aren’t known for being cheap. So why is Zingerman’s so expensive?

Here’s what I discovered:

Zingerman’s is expensive because it’s uncompromising about only using the highest quality ingredients in its products. They also bake their own bread and size their sandwiches larger than most. But as stated in their mission statement, they also like to generate a “healthy level of profit”.

It’s also an ethical producer and a model business.

They pay their employees an above-average wage, with good benefits and a profit-sharing plan. They are also very active in their community and basically want to wow everyone they deal with, from customers to employees, to suppliers.

The reality is that “better” means higher quality, right? Well, high quality isn’t cheap.

Let the fun begin…

Is Zingerman’s quality really worth it?

Zingerman’s quality is worth it. Zingerman’s products, quality, customer service, and business ethics are superior to most companies. They focus on “traditionally-made, hand-crafted foods”, including making their own bread, cheese, candy, and roasted coffee.

So, it’s a gourmet food business where quality is the top priority.

One of the things you’ll notice if you’re hip to the brand is that they’re upfront about the fact that offering high-quality products is one of their core values. In point of fact, I think they said their mission is to offer people better lives.

Inherent in the idea of “better” is higher quality. That, in a nutshell, is the essence of the brand: higher quality.

Of course, there’s no perfect brand. So, now and then, you’ll find a few people saying it’s not as awesome as it’s cracked up to be. That’s to be expected.

But, on the whole, Zingerman’s consistently gets 4 to 5-star ratings from regular everyday Americans. The brand is regarded as “an ethical producer and a model of progressive business.”

In addition to this, consider that Obama, Oprah, Jane Fonda, and Drew Barrymore are some of those who’ve praised the quality of Zingerman’s products.

Check out what Oprah wrote about its sandwiches: “Zingerman’s sandwiches are an 11 on a scale of 1 to 5.”

The reality is that quality is expensive, no matter how we slice it.

If we want a brand that offers excellent products, pays its employees well, has a great ambiance, and delivers products on the same day or a few hours after we’ve placed our orders, we’ll have to pay a premium.

Or the brand will die.

Does Zingerman’s use higher quality meats?

Zingerman’s uses the highest-quality meats, from pasture-raised pork to grass-fed beef. This is one of the reasons its products are expensive.

The meats are impeccably sourced and are painstakingly and perfectly cured.

One of the things the brand is praised for is its sandwiches. Take its corned beef, which it uses in its sandwiches. It’s sourced from United Meats. Why? Because United Meats is committed to the highest quality.

In a column, GREAT AMERICAN BITES, in usatoday.com, we read:

“Zingerman’s Deli is arguably the most famous sandwich shop in the country that is not located in New York City. Great American Bites visited this temple of sandwiches last year, and found out why it has been wildly popular and repeatedly expanded ever since opening its doors in 1982: they use only the very best ingredients from start to finish, including some of America’s most delicious breads, numerous varieties, all baked from scratch.”

Now, let’s hear from the horse’s mouth.

Ari Weinzweig is one of the founders and also happens to be the partner of an old friend of mine. Ari wrote:

“Good corned beef has been at the core of our work at Zingerman’s since we opened our doors in 1982! It’s been cured for us to Sy Ginsberg’s recipe for over 36 years now. Long, slow cooking makes for that really tender, mouthwatering texture. And our corned beef hash? We’ve been making it for so long I can’t really even remember at what point it became a ‘Zingerman’s classic.’ But I do know that it is one!”

The last quote I’ll share is from a scholar.

“I feature Zingerman’s in my MBA and Executive courses as the business model of the future. If you seek greatness, you have to read how Zingerman’s does it.”

Wayne Baker, Ross School of Business at University of Michigan

How do Zingerman’s prices compare to Whole Foods?

Whole Foods is approximately 4% more expensive than Zingerman’s. It’s no longer as expensive as it used to be before Amazon bought them, but when comparing the exact same items, they do cost slightly more at Whole Foods.

Here are a few examples of the price differences between the two:

Item Whole Foods Market in Ann Arbor Zingerman’s
Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese $20.99 per pound $20 per pound
La Quercia Prosciutto $13.99 for 2 ounces $12.00 for 2 ounces
Organic All-Purpose Flour (house brand) $5.39 for a 5lb bag $6.00 for a 2.5 lbs bag
Organic Earl Grey Tea $6.99 for 1.32 oz. $15.00 for 2.82 oz.

But honestly, it’s hard to make a direct price comparison as Zingerman’s mostly carries smaller, lesser-known, gourmet producers that you aren’t likely to see on the shelves at Whole Foods Market.

Zingerman’s is a gourmet food business, while Whole Foods is a supermarket (it sells some of the former’s products), so a direct comparison might be misleading.

Gourmet foods don’t come cheap.

Generally speaking, Whole Foods used to earn about 20% more on its products than stores selling similar products. However, with its acquisition by Amazon, this has been drastically reduced.

Both brands offer high-quality products.

They’re selective about where they source their ingredients and are intent on selling the best products.

I’ve explained why Zingerman’s products are expensive.

If you’d like to unpack why Whole Foods is probably the most expensive store, read a recent article of mine, where I shared the key reasons.

Higher quality ingredients, an alluring ambiance, and better product knowledge are the primary reasons it earns a premium relative to other stores. In fact, it’s one of the pioneers of mainstreaming healthy and organic foods.

Just click the link to read the article on my site.

Is everything at Zingerman’s all-natural?

Zingerman’s has an extensive mission statement and pages regarding the quality of ingredients. However, their website stops short of making claims of every product being all-natural or free of artificial ingredients.

So while it’s clear they focus on small family-run producers of ultra-quality products, I think it would be inaccurate to claim that everything they sell is free of artificial ingredients and preservatives.

By comparison, Whole Foods Market is crystal clear about its ingredient standards. (source) and (source)

But virtually all the products I saw on Zingerman’s website for writing this article are all-natural. 

On one of its websites, Zingerman’s states that: “Integrity of ingredients is central to all our Deli recipes”. And, in the usatoday.com article I quoted earlier, you’ll also find the following:

Bread is “baked in Zingerman’s Bakeshop for the restaurant and is made from carefully sourced grains without commercial yeast.”

In fact, Zingerman’s has pages on some of its websites (it’s a community of related food businesses) listing all the ingredients used in making some of its famous products.

Take one of its “subsidiaries”: bakehouse. It has its own mill and bakes its own bread and pastry. Here are examples:

  1. https://www.zingermansbakehouse.com/ingredients/
  2. https://blog.bakewithzing.com/all-organic-grains-roadhouse-bread/
  3. https://blog.bakewithzing.com/more-organic-bakehouse/
  4. https://www.zingermans.com/article.aspx?articleid=article13
  5. https://www.zingermansdeli.com/2020/10/gs-granola-deli-kitchen-exclusive/

Lastly, Whole Foods sells some of Zingerman’s products.

And, that’s saying a lot. Because as we know, WF is a stickler for natural ingredients. In fact, suppliers have to meet their standards before they carry their products.

What are the best deals at Zingerman’s?

We all love great deals. Zingerman’s got a lot. Here are some of the best from the House of Zingerman’s:

Mac and Cheese Monday

From 5 pm to 7 pm on Mondays, you get the house’s famous Mac and Cheese (a half a pound) with awesome toppings such as chilies, bacon, breadcrumbs, and a side salad for just $9.99. Register and pay online. Then go upstairs, and you’ll be served. You can take it home or eat-in.

T-shirt Tuesdays

Save $4 on your purchase by simply going into the store wearing a Zingerman’s T-shirt. It doesn’t matter where you bought it, as long as you’ve got it on. How cool is that?

Canvas Bag Wednesday

You save 10 percent on all your purchases as long as you come into the store with Zingerman’s tote bag. The bag sells for $30. It’s strong and durable.

Olive Oil Deal

Each month, there’s something special on sale. In February, if you buy up to 3 Olive oil, you get a great deal off the price. How much are we talking about? 10% off your first bottle, 20% off your second, and 30% off your third bottle!

There are other deals, but because of space, I’ve got to stop with the ones above.

Conclusion

We’ve learned a couple of really interesting facts about one of America’s coolest businesses.

A business with soul, if you will. We read what Oprah, Drew Barrymore, and others said about it. We checked out some of the ingredients it uses.

We looked at how it compares to Whole Foods in terms of price, and we wrapped things up by checking out some of its best deals.

You’ve got to agree with those who rave about it.


Photo which requires attribution:

#2 Zingerman’s Reuben by Jamie is licensed under CC2.0 and was cropped, stretched, and had a text overlay added

Does Instacart Bring Groceries Inside?

Many people are switching over to grocery delivery services such as Instacart. However, sometimes the person ordering is elderly, handicapped, or might just use some help in getting the groceries up a flight of stairs. This leaves many wondering: does Instacart bring groceries inside?

Instacart Shoppers can bring groceries inside if they choose to, but they are not expected or required to bring groceries inside (based on the terms of their contract). They are trained to hand them to you at the door. But Instacart gives Shoppers the ability to decide the ideal course of action for each situation.

They can also accept an order based on seeing the tip in advance, so it’s always good to specify a special request in advance and tip accordingly.

So, if a person is physically challenged, for example, it’s more humane that they’ll go the extra mile. You still get to decide if you don’t want to have any contact with the shopper by selecting the “Leave at my Door” delivery option.

As the customer, you are in charge.

But let’s get into all the policies, procedures, and systems, so you know exactly what to do for your next delivery from Instacart!

Ready to start ordering from Instacart?

CLICK HERE to go to the Instacart order page.

Does Instacart Bring Groceries Inside lg

Can Instacart leave groceries on the porch?

Instacart Shoppers can just leave a grocery delivery on the porch without any contact with the recipient. Simply select the “Leave at my Door” delivery option for a contactless delivery.

You may be a tad apprehensive about strangers entering your home to deliver groceries.

The anxiety is understandable. Interestingly, the Instacart shoppers might be feeling uneasy, too. Fortunately, there’s a solution that works for both parties.

But, first, how are groceries meant to be delivered by Instacart shoppers? Are they to be taken inside your apartment or left outside?

The groceries are actually meant to be handed over to you unless you express the wish that they should leave them on the porch or outside.

You could do that via a chat message or by expressly taking advantage of the “Leave at my Door” delivery option, which is effectively a non-contact delivery option.

It equips you with the ability to notify the Instacart shopper (via the app) that you want your groceries left outside and the designated time. The feature was developed to take care of folks who may not be at home at the time of delivery, but it’s being used even by those who simply want a non-contact option.

When the option you chose is to leave the groceries outside, they’ll still need to take a picture of it (there on the porch) and send it to you. In addition to serving as a notification, the picture is also evidence that they delivered the groceries.

Many have no concerns about getting their groceries directly from Instacart Shoppers.

Naturally, there’ll be some interaction, and you might wonder if Instacart Shoppers can rate customers based on how you treat them.

I explored the theme in a recent article of mine. After all, a bad review could impact a customer’s ability to get consistent drivers.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Does Instacart bring groceries upstairs?

Instacart Shoppers do not automatically bring groceries up a flight of stairs. The policy is that Instacart shoppers deliver to your door. However, many Instacart Shoppers will be glad to provide extra assistance if asked.

So, they’re not expected to walk into your home and then carry stuff upstairs for you.

The policy serves as a protection for both parties. After all, most people are uncomfortable having strangers in their home. (And they should be.)

But, there are situations where the person who ordered is disabled or elderly and needs a little help. Delivering in such a way that minimizes discomfort for the customers makes sense, right?

There are Instacart shoppers who go the extra mile and who would help carry groceries upstairs.

This could simply be a question of flexibility on their part and a genuine desire to help, and so they respond based on the needs of the customer. It could also be because some are confident that they can defend themselves if the need were to arise, or even a combination of both.

No matter the motivation, it’s worth remembering that taking groceries upstairs is not a part of the deal. And of course, any time you ask for something extra, make sure and add that to the tip.

Should I tip Instacart more if they bring groceries upstairs?

Instacart Shoppers deserve to receive an additional tip for bringing groceries upstairs, providing other extra assistance, or for particularly large or heavy orders.

Because as we’ve seen above, the contract only covers delivery to your door.

When they have to take it upstairs for whatever reason, they’re actually providing extra-service. And, as a sign of appreciation, they deserve a generous tip. It’s not as if these shoppers are making out like bandits, so they would really appreciate a generous tip.

We all have a tendency to take things for granted (at times).

This shouldn’t be one of those times because Instacart makes life a lot easier for all of us. Imagine that in a lot of cases, you could get groceries delivered in about an hour.

You’re probably wondering why you should tip them. After all, you’re paying a delivery fee.

The reality is that the delivery fee doesn’t go to the Shopper; it goes to Instacart. And Instacart is already most likely charging you more than the store price for your groceries, so they’re making out like bandits.

But it’s the contracted Instacart employee doing most of the work.

Okay. Okay. How much should one tip? 5% is just about right in most cases when you receive the delivery at your door. Got stairs, 15 bags, or heavy stuff? Maybe throw in an extra $5.00 to be nice.

The tips go directly to the Shopper (not to Instacart, the company).

By the way, does Instacart accept EBT? I did some research and wrote up my findings in a recent article. In it, I explained that it’s accepted in a few select stores, such as ALDI.

Just click the link to get the full info on my site.

Do you have to answer the door for Instacart?

Traditionally, customers would be expected to open the door to receive a delivery from Instacart. However, you can select the “Leave at my Door” delivery option so you won’t have to answer the door for Instacart.

After all, their contract says to leave your groceries by the door.

If you won’t be at home and there’s no one at home to collect the groceries, you should indicate while using the app a designated place for them to keep your groceries. Ideally, it should be at a place where they’re protected from humans and animals.

If you don’t inform them of such a place or have someone waiting to collect on your behalf, they’ll take the groceries back! That’s what their contract stipulates. If you ordered Alcohol, there must be someone who’s of age to sign and collect.

What about ice cream?

Can you order ice cream via Instacart? And does it arrive melted? Find out in a recent article of mine. In it, I explained that you could, but a lot of issues have been reported with ice cream deliveries. How often does melted ice cream arrive? 

Just click the link to read the article on my site.

Should I let an Instacart Shopper inside my apartment or house?

From a safety standpoint, it is reasonably safe to allow Instacart Shoppers inside your apartment or house. Before they are hired, they have to undergo and pass background checks. An applicant’s criminal history and driving records are also checked to ensure they are only hiring reputable and trustworthy individuals.

So, they’re not just random folks being sent to people’s homes.

These are people who have been screened. At the risk of stating the obvious, the company, Instacart, via its app, has records of the Instacart shopper that’s delivering to each of their customers, and they have access to a considerable chunk of the interaction.

But it’s worth noting that nothing is 100% guaranteed.

And sometimes bad people slip through the background checks of many companies. But in terms of the odds of letting an Instacart employee into your home and having something bad happen, the odds are quite small.

Final Thoughts

Instacart is one of the innovative companies that’s making our lives easier.

Consider that you could get groceries delivered in about an hour! That’s awesome. In the preceding paragraphs, we looked at how its shoppers deliver groceries.

We explored questions such as Can the shoppers leave groceries at the door, do they take groceries upstairs, should you tip them, do you have to answer the door when you use the app?

And, we wrapped things up by considering if it’s okay to allow a shopper into your home.

Ready to start ordering from Instacart?

CLICK HERE to go to the Instacart order page.


Photos that require attribution:

Instacart_PwG_anim_02 by 姿穎 呂 is licensed under Public Domain and Apartment Stairs, Paris by Mike Hauser is licensed under CC2.0 and both were edited, cropped, and merged with a text overlay added.

The Grocery Store Guy, part of the Middle Class Dad family of websites, is reader-supported and when you make a purchase through some of my links, I  may earn a small commission from the sale, which in no way increases the cost to you. Learn more HERE.

Whole Foods or Sprouts: Which One Should You Shop At?

Now and then, you’ll find Sprouts Farmers Market stores being compared to Whole Foods Market. And while Whole Foods is the leader and originator of that format of store, a lot of people still try and decide: Whole Foods or Sprouts?

Whole Foods Market is overall better, larger, and less expensive than Sprouts Farmers Market. Unlike Sprouts, you also won’t find any products containing artificial ingredients at Whole Foods.

But that’s just a quick answer.

And there are times where you might want to shop at Sprouts instead of Whole Foods. So, in this article, we’ll compare Sprouts to Whole Foods and check out which one comes out on top.

Let’s the fun begin…

Whole Foods or Sprouts lg

Is Sprouts Farmers Market’s quality as good as Whole Foods?

The overall quality of Sprouts Farmers Market is not as good as Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods’ products are 100% all-natural or organic, whereas Sprouts does sell some items with artificial ingredients.

First off, WFM has a wider selection of products. It has 22,000 compared to Sprout’s 17,100.

And, when you shop at Whole Foods, you don’t need to squint at product labels. You know that what you’re buying is 100 percent natural and organic. It’s not the same at Sprouts. At least 10 percent of its products are not organic or natural.

What about the pricing? Whole Foods Market used to be very pricey.

You could say that Sprouts had an edge when it came to pricing. But, that was then. And, we have to be careful we’re comparing apples with apples. No point comparing a product with low-quality ingredients with one with high-quality ingredients, for example.

Now, Whole Foods’ prices have been reduced. In fact, there’s only a small price difference between both stores.

What about the overall store quality and shopping experience?

Sprouts looks like Whole Foods store circa 1990. That’s the honest truth, and there are some old-school Whole Foods shoppers who like that. They feel like Whole Foods “sold out”.

Sprouts is a good store. Don’t get me wrong.

But, when it comes to having a great shopping experience, WFM is the way to go. Whole Foods is a company that’s a product of a “philosophical” approach to doing business.

Every facet of the store and its services are products of deep insights into how to serve customers best. That’s why it has a cult-like following.

The stores are places folks love to spend time at. Sprouts is not bad. It’s actually decent. But, Whole Foods is the undisputed leader in the sector. And, its leadership is reflected in virtually all facets of its business.

But what if you’re considering Sprouts and Trader Joe’s? Which one is better?

That’s what I explored in a recent article of mine. And just like Whole Foods, there are times you might want to hit up Sprouts instead of TJs, especially for one thing.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Is Whole Foods cheaper than Sprouts since Amazon took over?

Whole Foods Market’s prices are now 1.3% cheaper than Sprouts since Amazon bought Whole Foods in 2017. Overall Whole Foods’ prices dropped by 20% after the Amazon acquisition. 

(source) and (source)

You’re probably familiar with the “whole paycheck” moniker that Whole Foods earned in times past. The joke was that you needed a whole paycheck to shop at the store. This obviously wasn’t the case.

Of course, the store was expensive relative to most stores. It’s easy for us to mock expensive places, but once one becomes hip to the factors that make a product or service more dear, the jokes are no longer as funny.

Why is an expensive store highly popular?

Or why is a popular store expensive? Check out a recent article of mine, where I shared the reasons. One of the factors has to do with the fact that it sells higher-quality ingredients and has an alluring decor.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

After the sale to Amazon, Whole Foods prices were reduced.

They had to be. After all, one of the main things people associate with Amazon is lower prices. Whole Foods prices (on average) have been reduced by about 20%.  

Is Sprouts owned by Amazon as Whole Foods is?

Sprouts is not owned by Amazon. Sprouts Farmers Market was founded in 2002 by Stan and Shon Boney and is currently owned by individual investors, mutual fund holders, and other institutional investors.

The individual stakeholders own 14.75%, the mutual funds own 46.03%, while the remaining institutional investors own 52.16% as of the time of writing.

I can understand why people think that Sprouts and Whole Foods are owned by the same folks, seeing as it looks a lot like Whole Foods in 1992.

Amazon does not own it, and it doesn’t even have shares in it. Both had a partnership, where Amazon was handling online delivery for Sprouts, but it was terminated. Instacart does that now.

Sprouts Farmers Market was founded in Chandler, Arizona. The company has rich antecedents. Way back in 1943, the family patriarch Henry Boney founded a fresh fruit stand in California. It eventually blossomed into a few open-air farmer’s markets.

Twenty-five years later, his sons started Boney’s Market.

It grew into a beloved grocery store. In 1997, they renamed the family’s collection of small box farmer’s market grocery stores to Henry’s Farmers Market. And eventually, they morphed into Sprouts.

Sprouts Farmers Market sells natural and organic products, or do they?

Are all the products in the store natural and organic? Check out the facts in a recent article of mine. Among other issues I highlighted, I explained that Sprouts does actually sell products with artificial ingredients, and it’s not always the cheapest option.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Does Sprouts have an in-house bakery like Whole Foods?

Sprouts Farmers Market does have an in-house from-scratch bakery similar to what is typically available at Whole Foods Market.

They offer traditional baked goods and alternatives such as vegan and gluten-free products.

The bakery makes an array of products from high-quality ingredients that are free from colors and artificial flavors. Its bakery caters to different tastes if you have a sweet tooth. If you’re vegan. If you’re sensitive to certain ingredients, there’s an assortment of products that’ll fit your palate’s preferences.

The products are made with non-GMO ingredients.

Take the loaves, there’s a trail, from purely milled flour with no additives or enrichments to inviting loaves crafted with ultra-modern baking techniques.

The following are some of the products you can buy at the bakery:

  • Sliced bread
  • Artisan and fresh bread
  • Tortillas
  • Flatbread
  • Cookies
  • Pies
  • Bagels
  • Muffins

Who has more organic items: Whole Foods or Sprouts?

Whole Foods Market has approximately 16% more organically grown items than Sprouts Farmers Market. However, the item counts will vary from location to location based on size and availability.

Whole Foods has third-party certification and internal standards to back up its claim to be “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store.”

Whole Foods has, on average, 22,000 organic products, while Sprouts has 19,000 products in total.

It says about 90 percent of this is “natural or organic. But there’s a big difference between natural (which has no legal definition) and something certified organically grown.

It’s not surprising that Whole Foods is the nation’s first certified organic grocer.

A federally recognized independent third-party certification organization, Quality Assurance International, certified it 17 years ago (in 2003). A few years later, WF released a statement that each of its stores had been certified by CCOF, a USDA division.

It’s a testament to Whole Foods’ unflagging love and commitment to a niche (organic and natural) that it helped make mainstream. A journey it’s being committed to for about four decades.

It’s the pioneer in the niche.

Of course, it’s facing competition and that led to the decline that basically forced them to sell to Amazon. But yet it’s popular and almost always has been.

In a recent article of mine, I shared the key reasons. It’s the leader in the natural and organic sector, and it’s created fascinating places for folks to hang out. It made shopping fun.

Just click the link to read the article on my site.

Conclusion

Sprouts is a good grocery store with a rich history, but it’s still trailing behind Whole Foods in virtually every way.

In the above paragraphs, we compared both grocery stores. We looked at ownership, pricing, quality, and the number of organic products each has.

We also found out if Sprouts has an in-house bakery and what’s offered in it.


Photos that require attribution:

Whole Foods by Mike Mozart and a still image taken from the video First time to Sprouts | Car Vlog by 2krazyketos were licensed under CC2.0 and were cropped, edited, merged, with a text and graphic overlay added.

Why Did John Mackey Sell Whole Foods?

Whole Foods was riding the waves of success in a niche it helped make mainstream. That’s why it was a surprise for some when it was sold to Amazon in 2017. But why did John Mackey sell Whole Foods?

When John Mackey decided to sell Whole Foods Market to Amazon in 2017, Whole Foods Market was starting its 4th year of flat sales and declining profits. As a result, Mackey felt the company was in danger of going out of business unless they made a radical change.

That’s it in a nutshell.

Sadly, at a point, it started floundering. In fact, it was almost sold by some activist investors, who Mackey described as “greedy bastards.” It was then that he sought out Bezos, and the Amazon Knight rode in on his white steed.

But I will say having known John a long time, I doubt he made the decision easily.

I once saw him continually insist on a rematch in tennis after losing, and he kept playing until he finally won. He’s very competitive and doesn’t like to admit defeat.

In this article, I’ll share interesting info about how much Mackey made when WF was sold, the acquisition, and Whole Foods. I was a leader at the company (Whole Foods, not Amazon) for twenty years, and was once on a first-name basis with John.

Let’s cut to the chase…

Did John Mackey make a lot of money selling Whole Foods?

Whole Foods Market founder John Mackey was paid 8 million dollars for selling his company to Amazon. Additionally, he was also able to retain his position and title of CEO.

Honestly, while that might seem like a lot of money, considering how popular Whole Foods is and how much money it continues to make, it’s actually a really low figure.

It’s not entirely surprising given how much Whole Foods sales and profits had declined, though. And it’s also not surprising given that Mackey paid himself an annual salary of only $1.00 for many, many years.

Mackey has accumulated wealth, don’t get me wrong. But he’s still a modest guy (I’ve been to 2 of his houses over the years, and while nice, they are not what you might picture of someone super-wealthy).

The Whole Foods’s story is so enthralling. In fact, it’s no exaggeration that it’s one of America’s most impressive companies.

The founders (two sets of partners that were each running two different health food stores) started the company on what seems like a foolish idea.

It was based on the idea that they could have a store that’ll sell only wholesome products. And that they’ll sell only natural and organic produce. This is a notion that we take for granted today.

But when Whole Foods started, no one else was doing what John envisioned for his company.

And while it was successful right out of the gate, consider a few facts. That first store (where I started) was about the size of a 7-11 (under 10,000 square feet). And it was years before they opened a store outside of Texas.

Really it wasn’t until they went public (with selling stock) in 1993 and began to buy other chains as a way of growing faster, that Mackey began to really accumulate wealth.

But even before he changed his annual salary to only $1.00/year, his salary was always really modest compared to other CEOs of similarly sized companies. I know this because Whole Foods had an open-book policy on salaries. And it was easy to look up what anyone made.

Why did Jeff Bezos buy Whole Foods?

Jeff Bezos bought Whole Foods Market because it is a great company with a long history and he saw enormous profit potential if he could turn Whole Foods’ finances around.

And turn it around, he did.

Apart from Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos is probably the most ambitious entrepreneur alive. It’s not difficult to see why. Just look at the scale at which he operates and the mindset that underlies his business decisions.

He knows something on an experiential level, something many of us don’t get.

He knows that: You could make out like bandits if you’re obsessively focused on satisfying customers. Jeff Bezos is obsessed with growth. Consider that the “emperor of online-retail” has 15 businesses.

Let that sink in.

His first baby, Amazon, started a few decades ago seemed like a business that was surely destined for failure. For years it was unprofitable, and after decades of unflagging tenacity, it’s become one of the most formidable businesses on the planet.

So, Bezos knows a thing or two about businesses. He’s no greenhorn. When he paid 13.7 billion for Whole Foods, he knew what he was doing. It’s the largest acquisition he’s ever made.

He knew about the grocery sector.

After all, he owns AmazonFresh, a company that started operations a decade before buying Whole Foods. He knows, for example, that Americans spend about 12 percent of their income on food. Consider that retail and food services earned 6.7 trillion in 2019!

He knows that Whole Foods has seasoned and excellent management.

Whole Foods is a pioneer in the grocery sector. It’s also a company that’s hip to growth. And, interestingly, he has data which shows that there’s an overlap between Amazon’s customers and Whole Foods.’

In other words, they already have a lot of customers in common! Because Bezos is a strategist, he saw beyond Whole Foods’ challenges. He was getting access to physical locations and the grocery sector with the acquisition.

“Millions of people love Whole Foods Market because they offer the best natural and organic foods, and they make it fun to eat healthy,” Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.

How are WFM employees faring after the sale? Do they get Prime? I explained whether they do or don’t in a recent article of mine. Just click the link to read it on my site.

Does John Mackey still run Whole Foods?

No. While John Mackey was able to retain his title of CEO of Whole Foods Market and continued to run the company until September 1, 2022, he has since retired.

He co-founded it, ran it for years, and was the CEO since 2010. He largely shaped “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store’ into what it is. Interestingly, he was allowed to remain as CEO even after the acquisition. That says something.

But after September 1st, 2022, he passed the torch to Jason Buechel.

Why retire? He’s almost 70 years old. The grocery sector is getting more highly competitive, and Amazon probably thought WFM would be better served by a younger, more dynamic, and more technology-savvy leader.

Mackey recently announced his retirement, which took place on September 1st, 2022. So he hasn’t run Whole Foods Market since that date. Whole Foods Market’s current COO, Jason Buechel, became the new CEO after Mackey retires. (source)

Having said that, John Mackey has been a great captain for the WFM crew.

Of course, now and then, he says something that’s probably not very politically correct. But, that doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s one of America’s most visionary and able CEOs. He’s a magnetic figure who’s also a writer and advocate. He’s behind the philosophy of conscious capitalism.

It’s a testament to his managerial acumen that he and others built a company they eventually sold for 13.7 billion dollars! A company must have been doing some things right to attract that kind of offer. Whole Foods was doing a lot of things right, and it was highly popular.

What accounts for Whole Foods’ popularity?

How did a single store in Austin, TX, gradually morph into a multinational brand? That’s exactly what I looked at in a recent article of mine.

I explained why it’s a great place to work and shop. It’s the leader in the natural and organic food sector. It’s created an alluring environment where folks like to hang out, and now its prices are lower. What’s not to like?

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Was Whole Foods about to go out of business when they sold to Amazon?

Bankruptcy was not imminent at the time Amazon purchased Whole Foods Market. However, Whole Foods Market had been experiencing flat sales for four years at the time of the Amazon acquisition. It was also in its fourth year of declining profits and going out of business is a likely event if this continues.

In short, it was in dire straits when it was acquired.

Its sales were going south. Its share prices had plummeted. Some of its top management that I mentioned above, such as Walter Robb, David Lannon, and Ken Meyer, had left.

It was really struggling. It was in debt, too.

But it’s debatable whether it was about to go out of business, but if those kinds of returns had persisted for a few years, it would have been gone. Jana Partners, a hedge fund that had a stake in the company, wanted it sold.

They thought it was not well-managed. Mackey and the fund were feuding and weren’t in alignment.

Mackey actively sought out Bezos to help WF. In a recent article of mine, I shared some riveting facts about Bezos, what else he owns, and what he personally gained from buying Whole Foods.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Did Whole Foods change under Amazon?

One of the most noticeable and expected changes from Amazon buying Whole Foods Market is pricing, as prices dropped approximately 20% almost immediately. But they also dropped their partnership with Instacart in favor of Amazon Fresh.

Whole Foods was pricey.

In fact, folks would joke that you needed a “whole paycheck” to be able to shop at the store because its products were expensive. Discounting was an alien concept.

Why is it expensive, and why were people flocking to the store despite its high prices? I’m glad you asked. That’s why in a recent article, I examined what made it more expensive. But I also covered what they were doing differently than other grocers that kept customers coming back despite the sticker shock.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

As a part of Amazon, and with the integration of the Prime option, most of its prices are now discounted. After all, Amazon is known for its low prices. Now regular sales are a part of the experience at Whole Foods, which is great for shoppers looking to stock up.

Another change was its partnership with Instacart, which handled online shopping and delivery for the company.

It was supposed to be a 5-year contract, but it’s been terminated. It makes sense seeing as Amazon is probably the best e-commerce company in the world. There’s really no need to outsource that function to Instacart after the acquisition.

Whole Foods’ online capabilities have been greatly enhanced. Prime offers customers the option of receiving grocery orders within two hours!

On the corporate level, Whole Foods has continued to centralize its operations in its hometown (Austin, Texas) and has embraced centralized purchasing (without cutting ties with its former regional suppliers).

But the move to centralize buying power has been in place for many years at this point and is not closely tied to Amazon directives.

Conclusion

In the preceding paragraphs, we looked at how much John Mackey made when WF was sold.

But we also looked at why Bezos bought the company, and whether the company was on the verge of collapse shortly before it was sold. Lastly, we explored if it’s still being run by Mackey, and we wrapped up by looking at some change post-Amazon.


Photo which requires attribution:

John Mackey by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC2.0 and was cropped, with a text and graphic overlay added.

Is Walmart a Supermarket or Superstore?

Grocery store, superstore, supermarket, hypermarket, and supercenter. Consumers often use these terms interchangeably, especially when addressing their favorite go-to shopping and grocery places such as Walmart. On that note, you might be wondering too: is Walmart a supermarket or superstore?

Walmart is a superstore, not a supermarket. Superstores are larger than supermarkets and sell at highly discounted prices and they also sell clothing and home goods not typically found at supermarkets.

What the heck is the difference with all the terms?

And do they really matter? And are there common things you will and won’t find at superstores and supermarkets and other types of stores? Let’s get into all the similarities and differences including the 1 thing they all share in common.

Let’s cut to the chase.

What is the difference between supermarket and superstore?

Superstores and supermarkets are similar in that they both order in large volumes and are meant to be one-stop stores. But superstores are even larger than supermarkets and lack the ambiance we associate with grocery stores and supermarkets as they are designed to be no-frills.

What’s a supermarket? What most of us call grocery stores are actually supermarkets. Really? Yeah.

Which begs the question: what’s a grocery store? (And how is it different from a supermarket?). First off, grocery stores have existed a lot longer than supermarkets. Supermarkets are relatively recent.

Grocery stores sell food, drinks, and basic household items, while supermarkets offer a lot more.

Supermarkets, on the other hand, are stores that stock much more than grocery stores and are much larger. A typical grocery store might be 40,000 to 60,000 square feet. 

Superstores, on the other hand, will always be well over 100,000 square feet.

In a supermarket (what we call grocery stores), you’ll find an array of food products, drinks, baby products, small appliances, etc. Superstores have all that too. But they also carry clothing, electronics, toys, hardware, and household goods and linens.

Is Walmart considered a supermarket?

No, Walmart is not considered a supermarket. Walmart is actually a superstore or a supercenter. That being said, Walmart does have a small number of grocery stores called Walmart Neighborhood Markets which are not superstores.

Superstores are larger than supermarkets and sell in high volume at highly discounted prices. 

It’s the theory of the slow dime or the fast nickel. Grocery stores, especially smaller mom-and-pop shops or gourmet niche grocers tend to price things a little higher. They don’t get a crazy volume of business (compared to Walmart) but they make decent money; the slow dime.

Walmart, on the other hand, can get by with a lower profit margin because of how much stuff they sell. They may not make as much per jar of ketchup, but selling 100 times as much of it, they are OK with only making 15 cents profit for that jar; the fast nickel.

Folks can get their groceries from a lot of places now, including warehouse clubs and superstores. A substantial amount of people buy online now either for pickup or delivery.

And that phenomenon hasn’t escaped Walmart either.

This is what I explored in a recent article of mine, where amongst other themes, I showed you how and why grocery stores are organized the way they are. It’s an interesting and in-depth expose (after all, I was a general manager at Whole Foods).

Just click that link to read it on my site.

How is a supermarket or superstore different from a grocery store?

Supermarkets and superstores are much bigger than grocery stores. They may feature banks, optometrists, and sell items other than groceries. And superstores often have complete clothing, home goods, and electronics sections.

Supermarkets and superstores are also more volume-driven businesses.

They sell a lot of things that have small margins. The plan is to make money from a huge number of people who are buying. So, their prices are relatively lower. Supermarkets and superstores are also almost entirely large chains. By comparison, grocery stores often charge higher prices and are more often privately owned.

We can think of these different stores as a product of evolution. The grocery store grew into supermarkets, and supermarkets evolved into superstores.

They’re all better ways of serving the customer.

A long time ago, we’d probably have to walk from one market to another before we can buy what we need. Our grandparents would go to the butcher, then the cheese shop, then the produce market, etc.

Superstores and supermarkets are attempts at making buying a more convenient and more affordable experience.

You may not get everything you want from a traditional grocery store. Supermarkets and superstores, on the other hand, are one-stop stores where you could get virtually everything you need. So, they’re larger than grocery stores. Grocery stores focus is food and drinks, while supermarkets and superstores offer a wider selection.

Superstores do not focus on having highly attractive environments; they’re more like warehouses. Grocery stores place orders based on demand, while supermarkets and superstores order their inventory in bulk.

Does Walmart count as a grocery store for Discover?

Walmart does not count as a grocery store for Discover. Walmart is seen as a superstore. This classification as a superstore excludes it from many credit card company’s grocery categories.

To qualify, make sure you didn’t buy at Amazon, Walmart, Costco, or similar stores.

The bonus points are given for buying at traditional grocery stores or their online platforms. So, you’re good if you bought from grocery stores or supermarkets.

Discover won’t offer bonus points in the following scenarios:

  • “Grocery purchases made at convenience stores, gas stations, warehouse clubs, discount stores, superstores (or at grocery stores associated with superstores or discount stores), including Walmart and Target
  • Purchases made using third-party payment accounts, tap-and-pay, mobile or wireless card readers, virtual wallets or similar technology may not be eligible”

(source)

But, you’ll likely get the points if you bought from Walmart Neighborhood Market (seeing as they sell grocery exclusively).

Have you ever wondered why grocery stores change their layouts?

I offer the inside scoop in a recent article of mine. I promise it’s not done just to make us mad. There’s actually a science behind it, and computer programs are used to design and re-design the layouts. All of it is done to help increase profits for the store. How does it work?

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Was Walmart always a superstore?

Walmart was not always a superstore. Sam Walton’s first store was Walton’s 5&10 store. But the 1st store called Walmart was a discount store in Rogers, Arkansas, opened in 1962.

Walmart is a testament to the innovative and principled leadership of the founder, Sam Walton. Today, Walmart is the largest retailer in the world!

It has 11,000 stores worldwide.

Sam’s Club, a subsidiary, opened in 1983. It’s instructive to note that it was initially concentrated in the relatively rural parts of America when it started. But gradually, it became a national and then an international brand.

It wasn’t until 1987 that it opened the first superstore (hypermarket). It was a combination of a grocery store, merchandise market, and other services such as video rentals and restaurants. The superstores were averaging $1,000,000 per week, compared to $200,000 that was being made at regular stores.

In 1988, its supercenters debuted. They are a combo of discount stores and grocery stores.

It’s evident that the company was onto something with the superstore strategy. In time, the supercenters replaced the superstores.

In 1988, it also rolled out its more intimate and personal neighborhood markets. The idea is to have them compete with traditional grocery stores and convenience stores.

It’s natural to wonder if there are other differences between grocery stores and supermarkets.

The answer is yes. In a recent article of mine, I shared these differences. What really surprised me was how much lower the profits are at a supermarket compared to a grocery store.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Conclusion

In the preceding paragraphs, we explored whether Walmart is a supermarket or a superstore.

It’s actually a superstore. In fact, it’s grown beyond superstores! We also looked at the difference between a supermarket and a superstore.

And we looked at whether Walmart is a supermarket or a grocery store and whether you could earn bonus points when using Discover to purchase groceries at Walmart.


Photo which requires attribution:

Walmart by Mike Mozart is licensed under CC2.0 and was cropped, color-adjusted, with a text overlay added.

Does Jeff Bezos Own Whole Foods?

When you ask Google who is Whole Foods’ CEO, you will find John Mackey as the answer, but then, you might also come across the fact that Amazon owns it. So does Jeff Bezos own Whole Foods?

Let’s clear out the confusion:

Yes. Jeff Bezos owns Whole Foods Market, as Bezos’ company Amazon acquired Whole Foods in 2017. Bezos purchased it for $13.7 billion. However, Whole Foods Market founder John Mackey remained CEO until September 2022.

In this article, I’ll share interesting info about the acquisition and about Whole Foods.

I was a leader at the company (Whole Foods, not Amazon) for twenty years. So, you could say that I know a thing or two about it. And as part of Amazon’s purchase, the company ceased being traded on the stock market. So what happened to all those who held stock in the company?

Let’s cut to the chase.

Who is Whole Foods owned by?

Jeff Bezos owns Whole Foods Market. Amazon (owned by Jeff Bezos) acquired it in 2017 when the company was in dire financial straits.

Prior to the purchase, founder John Mackey was still the majority shareholder (ie: owner) along with numerous other individuals and investors as Whole Foods Market was still publically traded on the stock market.

It’s also worth noting that the former shareholders of Whole Foods Market didn’t just lose their stock.

At the start of 2017, Whole Foods stock was trading at $30.89/share. However, Bezos’ purchase price amounts to $42/share. And shareholders were automatically paid $42/share for however many shares they held, shortly after the merger was completed.

That amounts to a 36% increase over where the stock was trading on Jan 1st 2017.

Whole Foods is the largest natural and organic supermarket chain in the US. It’s present in the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and its headquarters is in Austin, Texas.

The first Whole Foods store came into being in Austin, Texas, in September 1980.

It was a combination of two companies: SaferWay Health food store and Clarksville Natural grocery. One of its distinctive features was its size. In fact, it was more spacious than the usual health food store! So, it offers customers a wider selection of products.

John Mackey (who was still the CEO of Whole Foods until September 2022) and Renee Lawson Hardy owned SaferWay Health food stores. In the mid-80s, Whole Foods opened new stores in Dallas, Houston, and Austin.

In 1988, the year I started with the company, its first expansion outside the state of Texas occurred.

That was when it bought a New Orleans company, the Whole Foods company of New Orleans. By the next decade, it had become a national company. In a decade? Yes. How? It bought local and regional natural food chains.

Curious about the company’s rapid growth and popularity?

Check out a recent article of mine, where I shared some “insider” info. I worked at Whole Foods for twenty years. One of the facts I shared is that it uses a simple yet effective strategy that’s like Starbucks’. Really?

Just click the link to read it on my site.

When did Jeff Bezos buy Whole Foods?

Jeff Bezos purchase Whole Foods Market in August 2017 for 13.7 billion dollars.

Amazon had tried the grocery business previously with a brand called HomeGrocer. But the company wasn’t successful. It’s hard to say whether the e-commerce platform had been planning to go back to the sector when the opportunity to buy Whole Foods happened.

But Amazon must have realized how vital the industry could be because, let’s be frank, $13.7 billion is not an amount one would sneeze at!

It’s interesting to consider why Bezos bought Whole Foods.

After all, we’re talking about the richest man on earth. He must be wicked smart. The following is my opinion.

The grocery sector has had little innovation in decades. One could say that it was ripe for disruption. It’s a huge sector that’s worth $683 billion in gross revenues. It’s not surprising that a smart entrepreneur would want a piece of that pie, right?

Data also revealed a demographic overlap.

50% of those who frequently shop at Whole Foods were also Prime members. So, it’s an opportunity to deepen, add value to the relationships, and earn more from them. There are other reasons (IMO) why the deal was struck, but because of space constraints, we’ll check them out someday in the future.

Say someone would like to get a job at Whole Foods, what’s the deal?

I was a manager there for twenty years, so you get the real lowdown in a recent article of mine. And yes, it’s not always easy to get hired there, and it does really help to know someone who works there. But there is a way around that.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Does John Mackey still run Whole Foods?

No. While John Mackey was able to retain his title of CEO of Whole Foods Market and continued to run the company until September 1, 2022, he has since retired.

But, in fact, he was not simply the CEO; he co-founded the company in 1980 (40 years ago).

But, he did recently retire, which took place on September 1st, 2022. So he won’t continue to run Whole Foods Market after that date. Whole Foods Market’s current COO, Jason Buechel, became the new CEO after Mackey retires. (source)

So he’s a pivotal figure in the company’s history and growth.

Besides being an entrepreneur, he’s also a writer and libertarian. A college drop-out who has a passion for natural food, that’s what led him to borrow $45,000 from family and friends in 1980 to start a hippie-like natural food store, which eventually grew into the best corporate natural food store in its niche.

It’s a testament to his outstanding leadership that the company he co-founded and is leading has not deviated from its original mission and has dominated its niche for almost four decades, leading to an eventual sale worth $13.7 billion!

He’s known for the philosophy of conscious capitalism.

He co-founded the conscious capitalism movement and was recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the world’s 50 greatest leaders.

Before co-founding WF, he moved into a vegetarian co-op, was its food buyer, and worked for a natural food store. When asked what he thinks of WF’s acquisition by Amazon, he likened it to his marriage of 31 years to his wife.

He said, “Do we love absolutely everything about Amazon? No. We probably love 98%.”

There’s no doubt that Whole Foods is an outstanding company. But why are its products expensive? They’re often 10% to 20% more expensive than the same items in other grocery stores. Why?

That’s exactly what I revealed in a recent article of mine, where I offered the inside scoop. But how much did prices drop when Amazon bought them?

Just click the link to read it on my site.

What companies does Jeff Bezos own?

Many people know that Jeff Bezos is the wealthiest person in the world and that he owns Amazon. What they probably don’t know is that he owns at least 15 other companies. I’ll share the list with you and also let you know one or two interesting facts about one or two of these companies.

The companies include:

  1. Zappos (apparel and footwear website)
  2. Elemental Technology (software company)
  3. Souq.com (e-commerce, known as “Amazon of the Middle East)
  4. Blue Origin (Rocket company)
  5. The Washington Post
  6. Whole Foods
  7. IMDb (Online Movie database)
  8. Kiva Systems (Robotics company)
  9. Alexa
  10. DP Review (Digital Photo Review)
  11. Fabric.com (Online Fabric Store)
  12. Woot.com (Daily deals site)
  13. Goodreads (book recommendations)
  14. Twitch (Live streaming site)
  15. Audible (Audiobooks)

Let’s check out Kiva Systems.

Kiva Systems is now rebranded as Amazon Robotics. It was acquired for $775 million in 2012. At that time, it was one of Amazon’s biggest acquisitions. The company’s niche is automated storage and retrieval systems. It’s a crucial part of Amazon’s delivery services, where thousands of robots are needed.

Even before Bezos bought Whole Foods, the sector was undergoing some changes.

How has online grocery shopping increased? This is what I explored in a recent article of mine. 2020 was a crazy year for everyone but online grocery ordering skyrocketed. But how much and will that die down in the coming years?

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Did Amazon ruin Whole Foods?

Amazon did not ruin Whole Foods Market as very little has changed as a result of the ownership change. However, Amazon did reduce prices across the board by an average of 20%. Additionally, had John Mackey not sold his company, they may have gone out of business.

A wave of fear ran through the grocery industry when Amazon bought Whole Foods. In fact, the shares of some top grocers plummeted. Costco dropped by 7.2%, Target 5.1%, and Walmart 4.7%.

Grocers knew that Amazon had revolutionized book sales, nay, publishing as a whole, leaving razor-thin margins in its wake. They were probably having nightmares, stumped by the thought of how one competes with a company that’s okay with not making profits for years!

Three years after its acquisition, is Whole Foods better off, or is it doomed?

To have an objective take, it’s good to think of acquisitions as being like marriages. There’s usually a period where both parties try to adjust to the new arrangement. So hasty or one-sided appraisals can only distort the truth. Time will tell.

It’s important to note that at the time WF was sold, it was struggling.

Profits had been declining and sales had stagnated. In short, if John Mackey didn’t do something drastic, the company that literally put natural and organic foods on the map may have gone out of business.

One of Amazon’s promises, when it acquired WF, was that it would make its products “affordable for everyone.”

So, price cuts are one of the new realities at WF. A study by Morgan Stanley showed that there has been about a 20% decline in the price premium Whole Foods used to enjoy over other supermarket chains.

Amazon Prime has also been integrated into WF. It’s also handling delivery under the Amazon Fresh brand (kicking Instacart to the curb in the process).

On the whole, what’s been the effect of the acquisition?

Growth or ruin? Sales and traffic to Whole Foods have increased. And, the study by Morgan Stanley showed that even with the reduction, prices are still competitive.

One of the initial complaints, after the sale to Amazon, relates to the team member’s welfare. There have been rumors of hours being cut, and pay levels stagnating.

But there were some new benefits given to Whole Foods employees too.

In a recent article, I shared vital info about WF’s team member’s benefits including whether or not they now get Amazon Prime for free.  Just click the link to read it on my site.

There’s no question of Amazon ruining Whole Foods.

Final Thoughts

A lot of people love Whole Foods. It’s their preferred choice for natural and organic products.

Why was it sold to Jeff Bezos? In the preceding paragraphs, I shared interesting info about companies owned by Jeff Bezos, how Whole Foods was founded, and why and when it was sold.

But we also looked at whether or not Amazon has “ruined” Whole Foods and what John Mackey’s role in the company is today .

It’s not uncommon to see a lot of articles talking about Whole Foods team members complaining about the new version of the company. But it’s important to remember that every time in the company’s history there has been a change, there has always been opposition.

If I had a dollar for every team member who complained that Whole Foods isn’t the same as it used to be, I’d be a wealthy man.

But I’ll bet those that stayed are grateful to have a well-paying job with great benefits. As if Amazon hadn’t bought them, chances are good they would all be out of a job now.


Photos that require attribution

Whole Foods by Tony and Jeff Bezos by Steve Jurvetson are licensed under CC2.0 and were combined, color-adjusted, cropped and had a text overlay added.

What Makes Whole Foods Unique? [Insider’s Guide]

Whole Foods is known for being pricey, yet a lot of people still crowd their stores on a daily basis. That makes many wonder what Whole Foods has that attracts shoppers. What makes Whole Foods unique?

Here’s what I know from working there over 2 decades:

Whole Foods is unique because it’s a value-driven organization and is the largest grocery store to only sell products free of artificial ingredients and preservatives. It was also the first health food store to make its stores look and feel like a conventional grocery store.

Whole Foods is the leader and pacesetter for natural and organic groceries.

And while they are hardly the only store to sell those products today, they were the originators of many concepts we take for granted today. And they had a lot to do with the organically-grown legislation that keeps organic foods truly free from pesticides and other contaminants.

Before becoming a consultant, I worked for 20+ years and ran several of their most successful stores across the country.

So let’s explore some of the less obvious, but interesting facts about “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store.”

What are Whole Foods’ core values & motto?

Whole Foods Market’s core values include selling only high-quality foods, employee happiness, outstanding customer service, and balancing all stakeholders’ needs when making decisions. Their motto is “Our purpose is to nourish people and the planet.”

Whole Foods see its core values as integral to its culture, as we can see from an extract of a statement on the issue:

“core values reflect what is truly important to us as an organization. These are not values that change from time to time, situation to situation or person to person, but rather they are the underpinning of our company culture:”

The following are its core values:

  • We Sell the Highest Quality Natural and Organic Foods
  • We satisfy and delight our customers
  • We promote team member growth and happiness (it used to say team member happiness and excellence)
  • We practice win-win partnerships with our suppliers (this was added much later)
  • We create profits and prosperity (it used to say wealth and profits)
  • We Care About our Community and the Environment

And it eliminated its core value about “We promote the health of our stakeholders through healthy eating education” around the time of the Amazon acquisition in 2017.

That also coincided with them backing off their Health Starts Here program which basically pushed CEO John Mackey’s vegan diet.

The company’s motto is “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet.” It sees itself as “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store.”

WF is a values-driven company. This can be seen not just from what I shared above (after all, virtually all companies have them), but because WF’s business idea sprang from an idealistic yearning to help folks eat wholesome foods.

And, it has largely been living up to its values.

Some could argue that it could have been a much bigger business if it had given up its values. But, I believe that its values (which gave it an edge, at a point) are vital to its success and popularity.

Truth be told, there have been a few occasions when it strayed away from the lofty stance reflected in its values. But, its faithfulness to the values is one reason it grew popular and was an instant success, despite its relatively higher prices.

You’ve probably wondered about this “contradiction” (how an expensive store could be so popular).

That’s why I devoted a recent article of mine to explore the reasons the brand is so popular.

One of the reasons I shared in it is that it’s the leader in the natural and organic product niche and its stores are kind of like Starbucks as in, they’re alluring places folks like to spend time in.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Why is Whole Foods so successful?

Whole Foods Market became successful because they made their stores larger and more like conventional grocery stores compared to all other health food stores at the time. Then as healthy eating became more mainstream, they were able to grow to fit the demand.

But it hasn’t been all smooth sailing.

“You know, John, I see you have got a pretty good business here, but it looks to me — I looked at all the stores — like you are a just a bunch of hippies and you are just selling food to other hippies, and I don’t think that is a very big market.”

That was what a venture capitalist told founder and former CEO John Mackey (back in the day) when he was trying to raise more capital.

I’ll mention a few reasons why it became successful early on.

Today, Whole Foods is a multinational brand that capitalized on the demand for healthy food. One of the main reasons for its success is that it saw a need and filled it.

When it started, stores that were into organic and natural foods were few and far between.

Even though customers were ready to buy, they weren’t keen on shopping at the health stores that were common then.

These were often small, disorganized, dirty places. Or they were member-based COOPs who didn’t always take kindly to outsiders shopping there.

Enter Whole Foods Market.

In time, eating healthy became mainstream. This meant that more and more people were buying its products. It was no longer a fringe, counterculture innovation meant for hippies and a relatively small number of people. It’s now for most discerning folks.

Naturally, this fueled the company’s growth.

Another factor is that the management was savvy that it needed more than organic growth. It bought a lot of other stores, and in the span of a few decades, became a national, then, a multinational brand.

In 1992, it became a public company and raised $28 million. A considerable chunk went into acquiring other stores. In 2017, Amazon acquired it for 13.7 billion dollars.

One could argue that e-commerce also had a positive impact on grocery shopping, in general, and consequently on Whole Foods’ success.

But in real terms, how has online grocery shopping increased?

In a recent article of mine, I shared the facts. 2020 blew everyone’s minds in terms of a shift to online grocery ordering for pick up or delivery. But did it really increase by hundreds of percent?

Just click the link to read it on my site.

How does Whole Foods help the community?

Whole Foods Market has 3 Foundations (Whole Kids, Whole Planet, Whole Cities) which support those in need at the local, national and global levels. Since 2005, it’s committed $50 million to help the communities it serves in the U.S., U.K., and Canada.

It has a range of Community Giving Programs through which it supports many organizations with similar values as its own.

Its employees (Team Members) also have opportunities to give back to the community. WF has initiatives in place to help them make meaningful impacts on the communities they serve or even travel to some other parts of the world to help.

WF donates to food banks and shelters. And, it has “5%” days. On such days, 5% of the day’s net sales are donated to local nonprofits and educational institutions.

I mentioned above that it has three Foundations. But how exactly do they give to the community?

Whole Kids’ focus is improving the lives of children in school. It offers salad bars (for healthier eating), subsidizes school gardens, and offers cooking and nutrition education for teachers and staff.

Whole Planet’s mission is poverty alleviation. It provides microcredit for the most destitute poor to create or expand a business and therefore lift themselves out of poverty.

Whole Cities is about bringing quality food to cities in need. It supports the health and nutrition of communities in many ways. For example, it creates food access solutions and offers healthy eating classes.

It stands to reason that Whole Foods is more likely to support needs that align with its priorities. These are Healthy Food Access, Community Food Systems, Food Security, Food Waste, Sustainability, and Health + Wellness.

Is Whole Foods worth the money?

Whole Foods Market has always been worth the money for those who care about their health and the health and livelihood of the people who both manufacture the products as well as the company’s employees. And since Amazon bought them, prices have dropped an average of 20%.

Many other grocery stores have indeed tapped into the market that Whole Foods created, but it’s still the leader.

It’s indeed “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store.” When you shop at WF, you’re sure of what you’re getting. You’re sure it’s natural and organic.

In fact, there are ingredients it doesn’t allow in the food it sells. It has an official list.

Knowing how critical food is to our health, one shouldn’t be “penny-wise and pound-foolish.” It’s worth paying a slight premium for healthy food, convenience, and beauty. Shopping at WF is a great experience. The store is amazingly clean and alluring.

Discerning folks know that quality is not cheap.

That’s the honest truth. But at the same time, you might be wondering why the store is expensive. I took the time to answer that question in a recent article of mine.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Is Whole Foods the most expensive grocery store?

Whole Foods Market is not the most expensive grocery store when you compare exact items to one another. Popular grocer Wegmans on the East Coast averages 9% more than Whole Foods, and Sprouts Farmers Market is 1.3% more expensive.

(source)

That doesn’t mean you can’t spend a lot of money at Whole Foods.

Before the acquisition, folks would joke that you needed a “Whole Paycheck” to shop at Whole Foods. It’s actually not the case.

But, the reality, then, was that WF used to enjoy an average gross profit of 10% to 20%, whereas more conventional grocery stores rarely gross above 2% bottom line profits. (source)

As I mentioned, prices dropped quite a bit after being bought by Amazon in 2017.

But I still see items there priced higher than local competitors such as HEB. And occasionally, those price differences are significant.

But there are some stores that clearly beat Whole Foods on price!

Luckily in a recent article, I detail those stores, how much cheaper they are than Whole Foods and exactly how much (and in which departments) Whole Foods improved after Amazon.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

Final Thoughts

What are some of the factors that make Whole Foods unique?

In a nutshell, they were the first grocery store to combine healthy foods and the look and feel of a mainstream grocery store. But they also have a much higher focus on customer service too.

But then they put a lot of thought and effort into the store decor and how the stores feel. That’s one of the reasons they have such a loyal following and that so many just come and “hang out”. That just doesn’t happen at Kroger or Safeway.

Lastly, it’s an idealistic company that’s shown that “conscious capitalism” is not a myth.


Photo which requires attribution:

Whole Foods Market in the East Village of New York by David Shankbone is licensed under CC2.0 and has been cropped, color-adjusted, with a text overlay.

Is Albertsons owned by the Mormon Church?

Knowing who owns a grocery store sometimes affects our choices of whether to shop there or not. Albertsons is one of the famous options for grocery shopping, and you might be wondering, is Albertsons owned by the Mormon church?

Albertsons is not owned by the Mormon Church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not own any grocery store and is not listed among the top shareholders of the company. Albertsons is owned by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. 

Churches cannot directly own companies, seeing as they are not-for-profit organizations. 

Albertsons is one of the nation’s biggest grocery stores, with annual revenue of $60.5 billion. It’s actually the second-largest supermarket chain in the country. And it’s also worth pointing out that founder Joe Albertson was also not a Mormon.

It also operates under the following banners: Acme, Bristol Farms, Grocery Warehouse, Jewel, Jewel-Osco, Max Foods, Osco Drug, Safeway, Sav-on Drugs, Shaw’s, Star Market, and Super Saver.

But how did that rumor start and is there a history connecting Albertsons to the Mormon church? We’ll get into all that and more!

Let’s get started…

Who is Albertsons owned by?

Albertsons is owned by Cerberus Capital Management. And being a publically-traded company, it also has stock owned by a variety of individuals and companies.

Other members of the consortium include Klaff Realty LP, Lubert-Adler LP, Kimco Realty Corp., and Schottenstein Stores. Apollo Management is another significant stock-holder.

So, it’s owned by the public, Cerberus, and Apollo.

In June 2020, amid the pandemic, it had its IPO. It was an attempt by Cerberus Capital Management to cash out. Albertsons had planned to have its IPO way back in 2015, but it was only able to realize it in 2020.

It wasn’t a particularly impressive outing. Maybe the uncertainty occasioned by the lockdown affected it. Its attempt to have an IPO in 2015 failed, but it did acquire Safeway. That’s highly impressive.

The price for the 2020 IPO was in the $18 to $20 range, but the company reduced it to $16. It also planned 65.8 million stock for the offering but reduced it to 50 million. The company’s value (excluding its debt) was $9.3 billion.

After the IPO, Cerberus Capital Management still owns a 31.9% stake in the company. Apollo Management, a buyout firm, owns a 17.5% stake, which it acquired for $1.75 billion, for the company’s convertible preferred stock.

What other companies does Cerberus Capital Management own?

The following are some other companies Cerberus Capital Management owns aside from Albertsons and Safeway:

  • ABC Technologies
  • Closure Systems International
  • Cyanco
  • Electrical components International
  • NexTier
  • Spyglass Entertainment
  • Kellermeyer Bergsons Services
  • National Dentex Lab
  • Navistar Defense
  • Off Lease Only
  • Staple Solutions B.V.
  • Sparton Corporation
  • SubCom
  • Worldwide Flight Services
  • G.E. Money Bank
  • HSH Nordbank
  • Stratolaunch Systems

Cerberus Capital Management is a private equity firm that’s specialized in distressed investing.

At a point, it bought and owned Chrysler. Currently, it has about $45 billion in its funds and accounts. It’s also present in Europe and Asia.

Dan Quayle, a former vice president of the U.S., is on its board and is the chairperson of its global investments division.

John W. Snow, Former secretary of the Treasury, is also on its board. He is the chairperson of Cerberus Capital Management. Steve Feinberg and William Richter founded the company in 1992.

Its investors include sovereign wealth funds, government, private sector pension and retirement funds, and university endowments.

Let’s look at what the company does, and after that, we’ll check out some of its investments, apart from Albertsons.

Cerberus Capital Management is a global leader in alternative investing. The following are its services:

  • Middle market direct lending
  • Corporate credit
  • Real estate
  • Operational private equity
  • Residential opportunities
  • Non-performing loans
  • Commercial-mortgage-backed securities
  • Cerberus Frontier

Is Cerberus Capital Management Mormon?

Cerberus Capital Management was founded by Steve Feinberg (who is Jewish) and William Richter. Neither is Mormon.

So, there’s nothing that remotely suggests that the company could be connected to the Church.

Cerberus Capital Management is a private equity firm with investments in a wide range of sectors, and it has a global footprint. Its investments, as far as one can tell, have no subtle or overt overarching religious undertone.

So why does the rumor persist about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the official name of the Mormon church) owning Albertsons and Safeway?

In truth, it’s a little unclear.

But founder Joe Albertson did indeed grow up in Idaho, which is 2nd only to Utah in terms of a large Mormon population. Additional, there was a friendship and connection between Alberston and Safeway as originally Albertson was an employee of Safeway.

At Safeway, he met Samuel Olnie Skaggs and formed a partnership that resulted in the 1st Albertson’s store.

Samuel, also known as L.S. was the brother of Safeway founder Marion Barton Skaggs (known as M.B.) and while they were raised Baptist, their brother Levi did marry a Mormon. But that’s about the extent of the connection between both companies and Mormons.

Some grocery stores are usually found only in certain parts of the country.

Why is this the case? Is there a store that’s present in all the states? Why are some grocery stores regional?

I shared the reasons in a recent article of mine. One of the stores I profiled is HEB, which has a near cult-like status in Texas? Why is it only in Texas? Find out why, and a lot more in the article.

Just click the link to read it on my site

Does the Mormon Church own Safeway?

Safeway is not owned by the Mormon Church. Safeway was purchased by Albertsons in 2014 which had been purchased by Cerberus Capital Management in 2006. Safeway founder Marion Barton Skaggs was raised Baptist.

The Mormon Church’s investments are in the media, financial, real estate, and agriculture sectors. The Church does not own any grocery store. And, churches cannot own companies directly.

But, it’s possible for churches to have holding and management companies through which they can do business, and they’d be required to pay taxes on such investments.

Safeway or part ownership of it is not listed as part of the investments owned by the church.  

Safeway is a product of a merger between two grocery stores: Skaggs and Seelig. Skaggs was founded by a Baptist minister, while Seelig was founded by the son of Russian Jewish immigrants who lived in California.

Most Saints (members of the Mormon Church) live in Utah. There’s also no record that either later converted to Mormonism.

Have you ever been curious about the terms grocery store and supermarket?

Can they be used interchangeably? This is what I explored in some depth in a recent article of mine. Where I showed the essential difference and other differentiators. Take Whole Foods, is it a grocery store or a supermarket? I shared what it is and a lot more in the article.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

What other businesses do the Mormon Church own?

Deseret Management Corporation manages the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for-profit holdings. Those include businesses in the financial sector, communications sector, publishing, and real estate.

But really, it’s difficult to say exactly.

This is not because the church is secretive about its holdings, but its holdings are dynamic — it invests and divests from a lot of businesses. So, what I share here reflects the position of its holdings at the time of writing.

Fortunately, as I said, we know for sure that Deseret Management Corporation manages its for-profit holdings.

The church formed Deseret in 1966, and its annual revenue is $734. Its investments span the financial, media, agriculture, and media sectors.

The following are its subsidiaries.

  • Beneficial Financial Group: insurance, investment, and retirement services.
  • Bonneville International Corporation ( owns radio stations nationwide)
  • Bonneville Communications 
  • Bonneville Interactive 
  • Bonneville Satellite Company
  • Deseret Book: LDS publisher and bookstores chain.
  • Deseret Mutual: Provides medical, dental, life, and disability insurance, retirement and savings benefits to Deseret Management Corporation employees, and health insurance to LDS Missionaries and General Authorities.
  • Deseret News Publishing Company: Publishes Utah’s second-largest daily newspaper, the Deseret News, along with Mormon Times, Church News, and El Observador.
  • Hawaii Reserves: manages commercial and residential properties in Lā’ie, Hawai’i.
  • Temple Square Hospitality: operates downtown Salt Lake City properties such as the Lion House and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.
  • Utah Property Management Associates: real estate company that manages apartments and commercial property, particularly in downtown Salt Lake City.

Conclusion

In the preceding sections of the article, we looked at some interesting info about Albertsons, Safeway, Cerberus Capital Management, and the Mormon church.

We saw that Safeway and Albertsons are not owned by the church. We checked out Cerberus Capital Management, one of the global leaders in the area of private equity investing.

It has no connection to the church. Lastly, we looked at the investments that are owned by the Mormon church through the holding and management company it has set up. 


Photo which requires attribution:

Grocery bag and cat by Quinn Dombrowski is licensed under CC2.0 and was cropped, rotated, and inserted into another picture.

Are Fred Meyer and Safeway Owned by the Same Company?

So Albertsons bought Safeway, and the person appointed to be the new CEO was the former CEO of Fred Meyer.  This led many people to ask: are Fred Meyer and Safeway owned by the same company?

Fred Meyer and Safeway are not owned by the same company. Kroger owns Fred Meyer, while Safeway is owned by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management who also owns Albertson’s and a variety of businesses in different industries.

Did you know that Safeway is the first retail food store to sell more than $10 billion worth of products? In this article, I’ll share more interesting facts about both Safeway and Fred Meyer.

Prior to becoming a consultant, I worked for twenty years as a general manager at Whole Foods. So, you could say I know a thing or two about the grocery industry.

Let’s get started…

What other stores are affiliated with Safeway?

Some of the stores that are affiliated with Safeway include: Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs Safeway, Vons, and Pavilions, plus Safeway’s 49% share of Casa Ley, a Mexican grocery chain.

Safeway is indeed one of the giants in the grocery industry. In fact, it’s the third-largest grocery store in the nation.

Walmart and Kroger are the first and second, respectively. Safeway was founded in 1914 by Sam Seelig. It grew at an impressive rate, so much that 14 years after it began, it was listed on the New York stock exchange.

I’ll tell you a bit about two of the stores: Randalls and Tom Thumb.

Randalls used to have several locations in different parts of Texas. It was founded in 1966 and basically a family operation. 

But it’s worth pointing out that they avoided selling alcohol for almost 3 decades.

Safeway bought the chain in 1999 and at the time, they had 116 stores. However, Randall’s has been closing down a considerable number of its stores in recent years as they struggle to keep its market share.

Today, they only operate 32 locations.

Tom Thumb was founded in 1948. It grew pretty fast. In fact, eight years after it was founded, it had already grown to 20 stores. Today, there are 64 stores.

It has two “divisions”: its regular Tom Thumb and Flagship Tom Thumb, which is a more gourmet version of their stores.

While they did sell 6 of their stores to Albertsons in the 80s, the bulk of the company was sold to Randall’s prior to Randall’s being bought by Safeway.

Then, of course, as I covered above, both companies were sold to Safeway in 1999.

Who is Fred Meyer owned by?

Kroger purchased Fred Meyer in 1998. The company was started by Fred G. Meyer in 1931. Meyer passed away in 1978, and the chain was sold to private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts in 1981. That company owned Fred Meyer until purchased by Kroger.

It was projected that the combination of both Kroger and Fred Meyer would produce a supermarket giant with $43 billion in annual revenue!

I’ll let you know about the acquisition in a bit.

But, before I do, I thought I should let you know that Kroger is the biggest grocery store in the world, and I’ll also tell you a bit about Fred Meyer. Kroger has an annual revenue of $121 billion. So, it’s really huge!

It was founded by Barney Kroger in Cincinnati in 1883.

Now, it has 2800 stores in 35 states. An innovative store, it was the first to have its own bakery and the first to sell meat. 26% of its products are manufactured at its own plants, where products such as milk, soda pop, and peanut butter are made.

But, at the time of the acquisition, both stores could be described as rivals.

Kroger paid $12.8 billion for the purchase, representing $8 billion in stock and $4.8 billion in the assumption of Fred Meyer’s debt. The deal made Kroger the largest supermarket chain in the nation.

The deal enabled Fred Meyer’s shareholders to own one Kroger stock for each one they previously owned in Fred Meyer.

One of the things Fred Meyer pioneered was one-stop shopping, which helped a lot in accelerating its growth.

Customers could now buy virtually everything they wanted under one roof. Today, with Walmart everywhere, we take it for granted. But at the time, it was one hell of a move.

Are Safeway and Kroger owned by the same company?

Safeway and Kroger are owned by different companies. Safeway is currently owned by Cerberus Capital Management, while Kroger is an independent company.

Safeway was founded by Marion Barton Skaggs, a Mormon, in 1915. It was acquired by Cerberus Management (Albertsons’s parent company) a hundred years later in 2015.

Other Safeway stores that are a part of the acquisition include:

  • Randalls
  • Tom Thumb
  • Carrs Safeway
  • Vons
  • Pavilions
  • plus Safeway’s 49% share of Casa Ley, a Mexican grocery chain

Let’s learn a bit about Safeway’s owner: Cerberus Capital Management, a company founded in 1992. It’s a global leader in alternative investing with assets worth $45 billion.

The following are some of the areas that they operate other businesses in:

  • Real estate
  • Firearms
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Private military contractors
  • National and Alamo car rental
  • And at one time they owned Chrysler

Does Cerberus own Kroger?

No! Kroger was founded by and owned by Barney Kroger. Today, it’s an independently owned public company and the world’s largest supermarket in terms of revenue.

And the second-largest retailer. Walmart is the first.

Is Safeway or Fred Meyer owned by the Mormon Church?

Safeway and Fred Meyer are not owned by the Mormon Church, and the Mormon Church has never owned a grocery store. Safeway is owned by Cerberus Capital Management, while Kroger owns Fred Meyer.

In the preceding section, I shared some key details about Cerberus Capital Management. It’s not owned by the Mormon church, but by Steve Feinberg and William Richter, neither of whom are Mormons.

And it’s worth pointing out that most of Safeway’s founders, the Skagg’s family, were raised Baptist.

But one of the Skagg’s brothers, Levi, did marry a Mormon. But that’s not the same as being owned by the Mormon church.

Before I wrap up this section, have you ever wondered if the terms grocery store and supermarket can be used interchangeably?

This is what I explored in some depth in a recent article of mine.

Here, I showed their essential differences and other differentiators. Take Whole Foods, is it a grocery store or a supermarket? What really surprised me is that there actually is a difference between the 2 terms!

Just click the link to read it on my site.

When were Safeway and Fred Meyer stores sold?

Fred Meyer was sold to Kroger in 1998, while Safeway was sold to Cerberus Capital Management in January 2015. However, Safeway began selling certain divisions of its company in 1982.

According to the Wall Street Journal, when Fred Meyer was sold, it was at a 25% premium over its valuation. The new valuation came to which came to $8 billion, and the assumption of $4.8 billion of its debt by Kroger.

Safeway, a grocery store that was dominant in the Bay Area, was bought for $9.4 billion and was merged with Albertsons.

One of the reasons for the mergers and acquisitions in the industry is to enable the new store to have a greater reach.

But other times private equity firms basically buy up failing stores that are on the verge of going bankrupt. Then they often cut expenses, get them back to profitability, and in some cases, sell them again for a much larger sum.

But other times stores get sold when a chain that operates elsewhere in the country wants to expand into another area.

So why are some grocery chains region-specific?

I shared the reasons in a recent article of mine. One of the stores I profiled is HEB, which has a near cult-like status in Texas? Why is it only in Texas? Find out why, and a lot more in the article.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

CONCLUSION

In the preceding paragraphs, I share some interesting facts about Fred Meyer and Safeway.

I revealed the owners of both grocery stores. No, they’re not owned by the Mormons. Kroger wons Fred Meyer, while Safeway is owned by Albertsons’ owners, a private equity company. I shared when both grocery stores were sold: 1998 and 2015.

I also revealed that the purchase of Fred Meyer made Kroger (America’s grocery) the largest grocery chain in the country.


Photos that require attribution under CC2.0

Fred Meyer, panoramically by Northwest Retail and Kroger Griffin, GA by Mike Kalasnik have been cropped, edited, and merged.

Which is Cheaper: Whole Foods or Fresh Market?

Whole Foods and Fresh Market have many similarities, from products, to shopper demographics, to store decor. But for many shoppers, even with gourmet tastes, they still want the best prices. So I wondered which is cheaper: Whole Foods or Fresh Market?

Here’s what I discovered doing a comparison:

After the Amazon acquisition of Whole Foods Market in 2017, Whole Foods is now equal to or less expensive than The Fresh Market, whereas they had been between 10-20% more expensive prior to that.

But that’s just a quick answer.

In this article, I’ll share interesting info about both upscale grocery chains. We’ll not only dive deeper into the price, but also quality, and rumors of stores closing for The Fresh Market. And it’s also worth confirming we are talking about the chain of stores that operates under the name The Fresh Market, as opposed to a Utah co-op that goes by the name of Fresh Market.

Let’s cut to the chase.

How much cheaper is The Fresh Market than Whole Foods?

Whole Foods Market’s prices are now almost identical to those of the Fresh Market. However, prior to Amazon buying Whole Foods in 2017, prices were between 10-20% more expensive at Whole Foods Market.

So, post-acquisition, the differences have largely disappeared.

In fact, for a lot of products, there are no substantial differences, or WF’s prices are actually cheaper! If you’re a WF customer who’s considering The Fresh Market, it’s not really worth it. You will discover as you read on.

As most people expected, there have been substantial cuts in Whole Foods’ prices. Since it’s now an Amazon subsidiary, this shouldn’t be surprising. Price cuts come with the territory, right?

But why was Whole Foods Market so expensive? Interested in an inside scoop? That’s exactly what I looked at in a recent article of mine. I even wrote about when Whole Foods was legally accused of overpricing.  

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Does Whole Foods own The Fresh Market?

Whole Foods Market does not own The Fresh Market. The Fresh Market is owned by Apollo Global Management, a private equity firm. They are a hedge fund that’s listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Whole Foods Market was acquired by Amazon in 2017.

In fact, they’re competitors (with WF being Goliath, while TFM is David).

The Fresh Market was founded by a couple, Ray and Beverly Berry in 1982. This was after they returned from a trip to Europe and were inspired to start a store that has the aura and ethos of an open European market. The first store was opened in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Now, the grocery chain operates 159 stores in 22 states.

In 2010, it raised $290 million in an IPO, and it started trading on NASDAQ. But six years later, its shares were acquired by Apollo Management Company.

It then became a privately held company and ceased trading on NASDAQ.

The Fresh Market has been experiencing some difficulties, while Whole Foods, on the other hand, is experiencing rapid growth and popularity. 

Check out a recent article of mine, where I shared some “insider” info on why WF is growing impressively.

I worked at Whole Foods for over twenty years. One of the facts I shared is that it uses a simple yet effective strategy that’s like Starbucks’. Really?

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Is Whole Foods still more expensive than The Fresh Market after Amazon bought them?

Whole Foods Market is no longer more expensive compared to The Fresh Market since Whole Foods was acquired by Amazon in 2017. One of the first decisions made after the acquisition was to drop Whole Foods prices by 20% across the board.

(source)

When Amazon bought Whole Foods (WF), many thought that the grocery stores’ prices would become more affordable. In fact, some were expecting very low prices.

So, what’s really happened? And, how do its prices compare to The Fresh Market’s?

Before the acquisition, folks would joke that you needed a “Whole Paycheck” to shop at Whole Foods. It’s not actually the case. But, the reality, then, was that WF used to enjoy an average premium of 10% to 20% (in some cases, 40% to 50%) on some products, relative to what one could get them for at similar chains. 

Now, most grocery stores offer natural and organic products and at reasonable prices. In fact, on average, WF’s prices have gone down by 20%. According to Forbes.

This is substantial since, in many cases, the prices it offers and that of its competitors are now at par. In fact, in a lot of cases, relative To The Fresh Markets’, for example, the prices are lower. 

Ultimately a lot of it is supply and demand, but also buying power. And Whole Foods beats The Fresh Market in both areas given how much larger and more popular a company Whole Foods is comparatively.

Are Fresh Market stores closing?

The Fresh Market has no plans to close stores in the future. However, they had previously closed 15 stores in 9 states in 2018 that were underperforming in sales and profits.

This begs the question: why were they closed in the first place? After all, most companies open new stores. Why would an organization contract when it should be growing?

Prior to the closure, the Fresh Market had been conducting a company-wide organizational analysis, and so the closure was a response to the intense competition in the grocery sector. It was trying to concentrate on profitable areas.

In fact, it was reimagining its value proposition to achieve a better fit and improve its profitability. Truth be told, the company was struggling.

It’s better to share what the company’s former CEO, Larry Appel, said about the closure. 

“Over the last eight months, our company has been executing a turnaround plan, and we’ve seen great progress,”… “However, for a variety of reasons unique to each retail location, that progress is not evenly distributed and, as a result, we have decided to close these long-term, underperforming stores. We will work to relocate as many impacted employees as possible to other stores within our footprint.”

But it’s worth noting that Mr. Appel resigned and left the company at the start of 2020 as the closures hadn’t been enough to turn around the struggling grocery.

It’s also conceivable that a company could close some stores so it could concentrate on online sales. That would be a smart move, right? In fact, in a recent article, I looked at how grocery shopping is being affected by e-commerce.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Is the quality at Whole Foods better than The Fresh Market?

Overall the quality of the products at Whole Foods Market is superior to that of The Fresh Market, although both are similar. Whole Foods has very specific ingredient standards, barring artificial ingredients and preservatives, whereas The Fresh Market has no such policy.

Additionally, while both chains have an animal welfare policy, Whole Foods Market’s animal welfare policy and 5-Step program go significantly deeper and are much more comprehensive than The Fresh Market’s simple 1-page statement of policy.

But beyond what’s in the products and how animals get treated, we also have freshness.

Because Whole Foods Market has more stores, larger stores, and a much higher sales volume, they are simply able to get better products faster, and they stay on the shelf a shorter period of time.

Please, don’t get me wrong.

The Fresh Market is decent, but WF is a lot better. The products at WF are fresher, and the environment is neater and more welcoming. WF has been singularly focused on its niche since it was founded 40 years ago, while The FM is currently reimagining what it stands for. 

There’s also a wider selection available. And some WF stores even have bars and family-friendly locations. The chain has a mandatory GMO labeling policy and a policy on unacceptable ingredients in its food that suppliers need to meet.

Figures do not reveal everything. But, most of the time, they encapsulate some essential, even defining facts. So, consider that The Fresh Market sells $1.7 billion per year, while WF sells $16 billion.

The difference is clear.

CONCLUSION

Has Whole Foods prices reduced after it was acquired?

Yes, it has. In the preceding paragraphs, we looked at the quality and prices of Whole Foods relative to the Fresh Markets’.

We checked out why the Fresh market was closing some of its stores, what happened to WF’s prices post-acquisition, and we wrapped it up by looking at which grocery chain has better quality.


Photos that require attribution:

Fresh Market by NatalieMaynor and Whole Foods Market by Tyler Cipriani are licensed under CC2.0