With apps like Seamless and GrubHub taking over the take-out delivery world, many — especially those living in the city — are finding fewer and fewer reasons to venture far from their living rooms for food. With so many delivery options, the only reason to leave home for food would be to secure groceries for the coming week. However, that may now be a thing of the past, as many companies are now allowing customers to skip the endless lines at New York City grocery stores and have their groceries delivered.

Online services such as Amazon Prime Pantry, Google Express and FreshDirect offer grocery deliveries that are accessible from a smartphone or computer. While Google Express locates a grocery store near the user, Amazon Prime Pantry and FreshDirect both have their own delivery methods so consumers do not have to worry about stores near them having what
they need.

As residents of New York City, we are well aware of how costly products in-store can be. However, since these websites are able to create their own prices, they have the potential to offer prices competitive with those of major national retailers. Amazon Prime Pantry and FreshDirect have lower prices, while Google Express pulls its prices from local stores in the user’s area.

Each website is set up like grocery store aisles. Prime Pantry, FreshDirect and Google Express all have items ranging from meats, cheeses, drinks and snacks, and also household cleaners, trash bags, laundry detergent and toilet paper.

Despite the websites’ convenience, there are a few catches to these services. Not only do you have to hold an Amazon Prime membership to take advantage of Pantry, but you also pay a flat rate of $5.99 for shipping, which usually takes about four business days. FreshDirect has a $30 minimum in place — although if buying groceries for the week, you’d probably spend at least that much. While Google Express offers same-day delivery, free delivery doesn’t apply to orders under $15.

Many college students like Stern sophomore Lillian Leung, are beginning to overlook the minimums and are choosing to have their groceries delivered rather than standing in endless New York City lines.

“While I love the quality of Trader Joe’s food, it does seem more timesaving to order online and avoid the craziness of the store,” Leung said. “Since they have many stores to buy from, I’m still able to get what I want in terms of healthy food and quality.”

For students without a meal plan, like CAS sophomore Bryn Portella, the online services can make college eating much easier.

“I did it once and now I’m hooked,” Portella said. “I decided to not be on a meal plan this year and having the choices in front of me on my computer or phone made it a lot easier to budget what I needed and not forget anything.”

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Mar. 31 print edition. Email Molly at [email protected].