When Cheap Isn’t Cheaper
⏱️ 4 Minute Read
On paper, grocery delivery often looks like the smarter financial choice.
Lower prices. No driving. No checkout lines.
But when you slow the math down, that story doesn’t always hold.
A normal grocery run
This wasn’t a stock-up or a special occasion. It was a regular grocery trip to a local, family-owned market.
Thirty-three items. Basic food. Nothing extravagant.
The total came to just under $94.
The delivery temptation
Out of curiosity, the same list was priced through a large national retailer’s delivery service.
At first glance, the items were cheaper. The cart total dropped by several dollars.
That’s usually where the comparison stops.
The math people skip
Delivery changes the equation.
- A delivery fee
- A service surcharge
- A tip that turns “optional” into social obligation
Once those were added, the delivered total climbed past $100.
Same food. Same quantities. Higher final cost.
Why this happens so often
Per-item pricing is easy to compare. Full decision cost is not.
Delivery shifts costs into places that don’t feel like “spending” — fees, tips, and convenience premiums.
None of them look large on their own. Together, they quietly erase the savings.
When delivery actually makes sense
Grocery delivery isn’t bad. It’s just situational.
- Large stock-up trips
- Mostly packaged goods
- Replacing multiple errands
In those cases, delivery can still win.
On a normal week? It often doesn’t.
The calm takeaway
This isn’t about loyalty to one store or another.
It’s about seeing the whole cost of a decision — not just the part that shows up in the cart.
Cheap isn’t what something costs by itself. Cheap is what it costs when the decision is complete.
Once you start pricing choices that way, the better option usually becomes obvious.