This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Food Lion. All opinions are 100% mine.
Do you always find yourself overspending when grocery shopping or forgetting things that you need? Making the switch to grocery delivery or grocery pickup could be the ideal solution for you.
I’ve been using grocery pickup and the occasional grocery delivery service for more than two years and by making the switch I’ve slashed my grocery budget to no more than $500 a month and I’ve gained a few extra hours by not having to walk down numerous grocery aisles and then wait to checkout.
This past weekend I shopped via Food Lion’s To Go App for the very first time and I wanted to share my experience in case you’ve been skeptical about trying it.
Note: With this grocery order I did grocery pickup. At the time of writing this post, I’m unable to speak about their grocery delivery services.
What is The Food Lion To Go App?
The Food Lion To Go app is supposed to make it easy and affordable for you to nourish your family. They designed it to make shopping for groceries even easier and more convenient.
Pricing wise they have some of the lowest fees for Online Shopping with pick up or delivery. Their pickup fee is $1.99 and their delivery fee is $3.99. AND you can schedule grocery pickup for the same day in some areas.
Things to Keep in Mind Before Using the Food Lion To Go App
If you’ve used other online grocery shopping services, you may have become accustomed to their system and processes. The good news is that the app is super easy to get started using and has a lot of pros (even some features that other online grocery shopping services haven’t implemented yet), however, there were seem things that I felt like you should be aware of before you start grocery shopping via the Food Lion to Go app.
Meats are purchased by the pound. When shopping in person at Food Lion you just pick up the packaged meat that you want and you’re all set. However, when purchasing via the app, you have to purchase by the pound. Therefore, if you’re a meal planner, make sure when making your list you already have a pound amount in mind. 
No healthy categories. While the app is full of useful categories, if you were hoping to just wing it with your groceries and try some new healthy options, you’ll need to have some ideas in mind before shopping. The good news is you can visit the Food Lion Recipes section on their site for healthy recipe ideas.
15% upfront fee. The Food Lion To Go app partners with Instacart for their services, therefore, a 15% temporary hold is required to account for substitutions. 
My Experience
I don’t do much shopping on my phone as I find that most apps aren’t mobile-friendly. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to grocery shop from my phone with the Food Lion to Go app. Upon downloading the app it shows you your closest Food Lion that participates. My closest one was a city over, however, I had the option of delivery and just opted for pickup as it was more convenient.
Before signing up for an account, I opted to check out a few of the categories to see what I would be working with. I love how easy the app was to navigate and it even had a section that allowed you to specifically shop sales.
The signup process was super quick AND they give you the option to sign up for a digital MVP card so you can take advantage of MVP prices.
I was shopping for ingredients for a meal that I was planning to make the next day, and it was great to see that same day pickup was available just a few hours later.
While shopping, when adding the meat to the cart it offered a suggestion on what to pair it with. I thought the “May We Suggest” feature was pretty cool and I haven’t seen any other online grocery shopping provider offer that.
Then when it was time to view the cart, they have a handy notes and substitutions section. This is another feature I love because it ensures I will get exactly what I want even without having to walk through the store myself. The notes feature is especially useful if you want to allow an item to be substituted so you can be confident knowing that you’ll be happy with your substitution. 
It didn’t end there though.
Once the order was placed I was sent an email confirming my order. And once the Food Lion Associate started shopping I was sent a text. This happened about an hour before my scheduled pickup time frame. In case you’re wondering you have an hour window to pick up your order.
Once the associate finishes shopping you’ll receive another text that lets you know your order is ready.
I didn’t pick up the order myself, but the person who picked it up for me just had to give them my name and they were able to get it. 
The last text you’ll get is one confirming when the associate is on their way out with the order. 
Food Lion to Go App Review
Overall, the app is great. The Weekly deals section is especially useful for those shopping on a budget.
The signup process is quick and easy and Food Lion makes it incredibly easy for shoppers to get the best deals by allowing every user the opportunity to sign up for a digital MVP card upon signup.
The app over-delivers by offering suggestions that pair with what you’re purchasing and gives you the option to leave notes when allowing substitutions. Plus, since school is about to start, I found the Back to School section to be very useful. 
The same day pickup feature makes it a convenient and affordable option for those who live busy lives. I know during the school year when kids have sports and other extracurricular activities going on grocery pickup is a real-life saver. 
If you live in Virginia, Georgia, or North/South Carolina, you can even take advantage of their local goodness options, also.
Did you know that Food Lion is celebrating 60 years of partnerships with local suppliers who contribute to hundreds of locally sourced items?
I love to support local companies, so I try to get some local goodness items each time I shop.
This week I purchased peaches and made BCC Wraps and Peach Candied Yams.
If you need a dinner idea make sure to check out the BCC Wraps and Peach Candied Yams recipe. 
Will I Use It Again?
The Food Lion to Go app is an online grocery ordering app that I recommend and will be using again myself. It works for me as it has some great features, affordable prices, and the option for same-day pickup.
While I don’t mind waiting until the next day for some things, there always seems to be those times when I need some extra ingredients for a meal I’m planning.
Overall, if you live a busy life, hate grocery shopping, or just want to add a few extra hours a week, the Food Lion to Go app is one to consider.
Have you ever shopped via the Food Lion to Go app? What was your experience like?
I ordered food and waited all day…..I never received my groceries. What a horrible experience.
Do they allow additions? The best thing about Walmart is you can add to your order up until 1:45am or even later I imagine depending in on your pickup time. While you can’t pickup same day most of the time adding is a big deal. Kroger another store doesn’t allow additions. Food lion would be smart to allow it. There is always something you forgot or would like to add.
I find that they are ALWAYS out of stuff… always, and most times, it will be something on sale. They do text me to ask if I want a replacement. Walmart and Harris Teeter will give you a better product for the cost of the out of stock product, Food Lion doesn’t do this. So, out of my Pop Tarts today, offered the larger size for a dollar more, but why would I do that when the other was on sale? See, they could give me the bigger package for the sale price of the smaller. I get it, Food Lion is a pretty basic store and it generally meets my needs. It’s basic, and I’m ok with that. To me, the produce and the meat is better than Walmart at least. My pick up is between 4-5 pm, but they are shopping it at 10 am. I don’t think they go in the back to see if items are actually in stock, just not on the shelf yet.
I keep using it because it saves me time and money. Just wish they’d get on those Out of Stocks.
I tried using the app for the first time today. I had a long list. When I went to check out there was an “oops” with my credit card. After trying 4-5 times I contacted the store. You cannot go in to pay in person, they don’t see the order until it goes all the way thru the system. Instacart controls the payment portion of the transaction. I was agvised to call them. Their voice mail was on… Hopefully my order will be saved long enough to get the card issue resolved. Once I have an order in the system repeat orders should be really quick. If you don’t find a produce listed, you can put in the UPC number and usually it came up.
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