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Instacart Brings Three Buck Chuck Directly To Your Door

By Anthony Todd in Food on Sep 18, 2013 3:05PM

How often have you thought, "I need a bottle of cheap pinot grigio delivered to me right now"? If the answer is "more than once a week," Instacart, a grocery delivery service that arrived in Chicago yesterday, is perfect for you.

Crain's first reported on the Chicago debut of the San Francisco-based startup. Right now, they're only working with Trader Joe's, but Dominick's, Whole Foods and Costco will soon be added. In addition to all of your favorite Trader Joe's treats (turkey jerky, anyone?) they've got the full line of the inexpensive wines for which TJ's is famous—Charles Shaw Merlot is only $2.49.

The entire city isn't inside their delivery zone, which currently stretches from Bridgeport to North Center, so check your ZIP code on their system before you get your hopes up. Delivery costs start at $3.99 for $35 worth of groceries, though you can pay extra for super-fast delivery.

Why was Chicago their second city? At least in part because it's rainy, windy and nasty here so much of the time. A spokeswoman told Crain's that orders at their San Francisco operation "spiked" when it rained, so they wanted another place with lots of precipitation.

Play around with the system on their website.