Ordering through delivery apps comes with 'shocking price difference'

Ordering groceries via delivery can cost more than a third extra than buying direct from a store – even before paying a delivery charge, stated a recent report.

According to a study by consumer group Which?, some items were found to be more than twice the cost via an app in that studied a basket of 15 items from Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Iceland and Waitrose via the grocers’ own websites and on Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats.

The report mentioned how Warburtons Toastie thick sliced white bread was £2 on Just Eat and Uber Eats, double the price on Iceland’s website, while Sainsbury’s own-brand Fairtrade bananas were £1.75 on those apps as well as Deliveroo – a 106 per cent markup on the 85p charged on Sainsbury’s website.

A basket of goods cost 34 per cent more through Uber Eats and 15 per cent more at Deliveroo than on the Morrisons.com site, states the report.

All of those costs come before delivery charges levied by the apps. Fee-charging systems are complex, but usually add at least 50p to a bill, or much more – as much as £6 – if only a few items are ordered.

Deliveroo charges 99p to £4.49 fee for orders under £15, plus a service fee of between 99p and £2.49. At Just Eat, the delivery fee ranges between nothing and £4.50, alongside a “small order fee” set by the supermarket, and a further service fee of between 50p and £1.99, according to Which?

Uber Eats, meanwhile, has no minimum spend, but there’s a service fee of between 99p and £2.99.

“Ordering groceries from Deliveroo, Just Eat or Uber Eats is undeniably convenient. In some areas, you can get your shopping list delivered to your door in as little as 30 minutes. But there can be a significant cost attached to this convenience,” Which? said.

Uber Eats said that everyone who partners with Uber Eats sets their own prices and we always encourage them to match the prices offered in-store.

Deliveroo claimed that the prices for grocery items available on the Deliveroo platform are set by grocery partners, The Guardian reported.