Hate grocery shopping? This delivery service says they're now in Merced County

A grocery delivery service is now available in parts of Merced County following requests from users in Merced, Planada, Winton and Atwater, according to an employee.

San Francisco-based Instacart has been live in Merced County for about a week and is offering first-time users an incentive to try its service, according to Rodrigo Cordeiro, an operations manager with the company.

"People are more strapped for time, so people are finding they want to get hours back in their week and spend more time with their family or friends," he said. "We also have customers with injuries or who are seniors that it's just challenging for them to get to the grocery stores."

The service in Merced County works at Costco, Smart & Final and CVS, and delivers to neighborhoods in eight ZIP codes: 95301, 95340, 95341, 95343, 95344, 95348, 95365 and 95388.

Customers go online to www.Instacart.com or use the smartphone app to pick a store, make a grocery list and set up a delivery, according to Cordeiro. The groceries can be delivered in a couple of hours or scheduled up to five days out.

Users can request much of what's sold in the store, including alcohol, but not prescriptions, according to officials with the company.

An Instacart shopper accepts the order and does the shopping and delivery. On that note, the company is also looking for locals to apply to be a driver, Cordeiro said.

For orders of $35 or more, the delivery fee is $5.99, according to a news release. There's also the Instacart Express membership, which is unlimited, free same-day delivery on orders of $35 or more for $14.99 a month or $149 a year.

First-time users can also enter the code "HELLOMERCED" ​at checkout to get $20 off an order of $35 or more, plus a free first-time delivery. The code expires May 28.

This story was originally published April 6, 2018 at 8:01 AM with the headline "Hate grocery shopping? This delivery service says they're now in Merced County."