To find out how much more expensive grocery delivery is (and if, in fact, it is), I compared a list of typical groceries bought on Amazon Fresh and FreshDirect (Northeast only) with the same list purchased at an average brick-and-mortar supermarket. It turns out grocery delivery is roughly 10% more expensive than doing the shopping yourself.

In fact, if you shop carefully, you can actually save money buying groceries online. Before we explain how, let's break down the two basic types of online grocery shopping. You can order online from a site such as Amazon.com or Alice.com and have groceries shipped to your house, usually within a few days.

Of course, you should expect to pay a bit more than you would if you shopped yourself. Most online grocery stores and delivery programs include subscription costs, delivery fees, and the option to tip your shopper or driver — which we suggest you do. Some services have steeper fees than others, but all are convenient ways to get what you need.

“Online grocery shopping may come with some fees such as increased prices on certain foods and delivery fees, but there's a big savings opportunity that can help a lot of people and families stretch their food shopping budget and limit impulse purchases,” Woroch says. “Shopping online for groceries makes it easy to stick to your list.”

But sometimes, even with those fees and tips, it’s actually still cheaper to go the delivery route than to walk into the store (for all the reasons we mentioned in the pros section). Sometimes grocery delivery only offers the more expensive brands or items.