Online Grocery Delivery Or Pabili Service? A Price Comparison Of Their 'Hidden' Charges

Having your own personal shopper is a service that many of us now use regularly. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced many of us to use online deliveries and services for many of the tasks that we used to personally accomplish before the quarantine restricted our movements. This includes supermarkets and groceries.

There are now many grocery online delivery services or pabili services available for us to choose from, but do you know how much you're really spending when you avail of these services? It's not always apparent to us users before we download, sign up, log in, and make our first purchases.

Some of these pabili services take into account a few factors such as length of shopping time and the distance of the delivery recipient. These all have a cost that you shoulder. Here's what you need to know about thiod tese pabili services, the delivery apps, and the hidden (and not-so-hidden) charges that you should know about: 

What are pabili services? 

"Pabili service" is now the name of the delivery service which has expanded its job to not only cover delivering of packages to and fro but also "make pabili" items and goods they need. This pabili service entails doing the shopping for you so you can stay at home. These items include but are not limited to groceries, department store items, and restaurant food.

Not all supermarkets and groceries offer its own online grocery services. For those which don't, this pabili service is useful. This new service is where the personal shopper fees come in on top of the delivery fees.  

Who are the personal shoppers?

The personal shoppers can be the drivers of the pabili services or for those with in-house delivery services, theÂsupermarket or grocery staff. Those with in-house delivery services normally don't place a fee on this service but those using the pabili service, a third-party, will. This can range from Php99 up to Php280 for some service providers.

How much are the fees?

The fee computations are where it gets tricky. The amounts differ from app to app and from store to store. It's not a set price. The distanceÂthe delivery service driver needs to travel to deliver your groceries differs drastically as well, ranging from a minimum of Php60 up to as much Php250 plus extra kilometer charges beyond the accepted travel distance. 

Some delivery services have its personal shopper and delivery charges stated outright in its FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page but not all do. Some have it in its Terms and Conditions page insteadÂwhile others require you to make an account, shop, and check out to find out what these fees are.

Since not all supermarkets, groceries, and delivery apps have personal shoppers and delivery services, we made a shortlist of those who do offer the useful service. Here's a breakdown of their corresponding fees plus other pertinent information you need to know, soÂyou can make an informed choice about your pabili service provider:

In-house grocery delivery services

All Day Supermarket

Minimum Order = Php2,000
Personal Shopper Fee = Php100
Delivery Fee = P150
Range of Delivery = within 5 km of a store
Order Cut-off Time = 3:00 p.m. 

Landers

Minimum Order = none
Personal Shopper Fee = Php99
Delivery Fee = Php99 based on distance from a store; waived if total receipt is at least Php6,000
Range of Delivery = n/a*
Order Cut-off Time = n/a*

Robinsons via GoRobinsons.ph

Minimum Order = Php1,000 per transaction
Personal Shopper Fee = Php100
Delivery Fee = Php100
Range of Delivery = Pasig, Marikina, Cainta, Lower Antipolo, Makati, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, Taguig, Pateros, and Parañaque
Order Cut-off Time = 3:00 p.m.

SM Markets

Minimum Order = none
Personal Shopper Fee = n/a*
Delivery Fee = Php150 flat rate within 5 km of a store
Range of Delivery = within 5 km of a store
Order Cut-off Time = 1:00 p.m. for same-day delivery

Waltermart

Minimum Order = Php2,000 for delivery, Php1,000 for pickup
Personal Shopper Fee = n/a*
Delivery Fee = Php99 flat rate
Range of Delivery = Metro Manila, far east Metro (Taytay, Cainta, Antipolo, Marikina) and Dasmariñas, Cavite
Order Cut-off Time = 6:00 p.m.

Grocery delivery services 

MyKuya Pabili Service 

Minimum Order = predetermined by-the-minute service
Personal Shopper Fee = predetermined according to service time allotted; starts at Php75 for 45 minutes
Delivery Fee = predetermined according to location
Range of Delivery = Metro Manila
Order Cut-off Time = n/a*

MetroMart

Minimum Order = Php1,000 per store
Personal Shopper Fee = Php280
Delivery Fee = Php100
Range of Delivery = all Metro Manila cities
Order Cut-off Time = 1:00 p.m. for same-day delivery

Move It Pabili Service

Minimum Order = n/a*
Personal Shopper Fee = n/a*
Delivery Fee 

• Weekdays: Php100 plus Php8 per kilometer from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; +Php140 plus Php8 per kilometer from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
• Weekends/holidays: Php120 plus Php8 per kilometer from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m; +Php40 from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

Range of Delivery = none
Order Cut-off Time = none

GrabMart via Grab app

Minimum Order = n/a*
Personal Shopper Fee =Php99
Delivery Fee = P69
Range of Delivery = varies by location
Order Cut-off Time = varies per store

PushKart

Minimum Order = n/a*
Personal Shopper Fee = n/a*
Delivery Fee

• starts at Php120 (Quezon City) for next day delivery up to Php180 (Pasay); P180 (Quezon City) for same-day delivery up to Php250 (Pasay)
• Delivery fee multiplies per Php3,000 total order

Range of Delivery = varies by location
OrderCut-off Time = varies per store

Mr. Speedy

Minimum Order = n/a*
Personal Shopper Fee = n/a*
Delivery Fee = Php60 within Manila +Php7.50 per succeeding kilometer
Range of Delivery = varies by location
OrderÂCut-off Time = n/a*

*n/a = not applicable; information is missing or not stated 

This story originally appeared on Yummy.ph.

*Minor edits have been made by the SmartParenting.com.ph editors.