Grocery delivery · recorded cost ledger
The membership fee is only half the cost.
6 delivery passes ranked not by the headline fee but by the modeled true annual cost — the fee plus the per-item markup baked into every order. Set your weekly grocery basket and the buried cost recomputes; open a row for the fee tiers, free-delivery minimum, speed and perks.
Fees, free-delivery minimums, speed and perks are recorded from each provider's site (March 2026). Item markup is an estimate of the average price difference vs in-store, from public price comparisons; the markup $/yr and true total are modeled from it × your weekly basket. Not a live feed — prices and markups vary by store, item and location, so confirm before you buy.
Section · Delivery passes
Delivery passes by true annual cost
6 passes on file: the recorded annual fee, the estimated item markup, and the modeled markup $/yr and true total once that markup hits your weekly basket. Set your basket below — the modeled columns recompute and re-rank. Open a row for fee tiers, free-delivery minimum, speed and perks.
Walmart+, Target Circle 360 and Costco charge in-store prices with no item markup. Instacart's estimated ~15% markup is the per-item difference baked into every product price — it doesn't show as a line item.
Your weekly grocery basket
Modeled markup & true-total columns assume a $200/week basket over 52 weeks.
| # | Service | Annual fee | Item markup | Modeled markup/yr | True total/yr | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Costco Same-day via Instacart (extra fee) | $65/yr | None | — | $65 | |
| 2 | Walmart+ Same-day & next-day | $98/yr | None | — | $98 | |
| 3 | Target Circle 360 Same-day (1hr available) | $99/yr | None | — | $99 | |
| 4 | Amazon Fresh Same-day & 2hr windows | $139/yr | ~5% | +520 | $659 | |
| 5 | DoorDash DashPass Same-day (1–2hr) | $96/yr | ~10% | +1,040 | $1,136 | |
| 6 | Instacart+ Same-day (1hr available) | $99/yr | ~15% | +1,560 | $1,659 | |
Fees, free-delivery minimums, speed and perks are recorded list values. Item markup is an estimated average vs in-store; the modeled markup $/yr and true total apply that estimate to the weekly basket set above over 52 weeks. Actual markup varies by store, item and location — confirm current pricing with the provider before you buy.
Section · Item markup
What "item markup" actually means
Some passes charge the same prices you'd see on the shelf. Others add a per-item markup that doesn't appear as a separate line — it's baked into every product price.
Costco, Walmart+, Target Circle 360 charge the same prices online as in store. A $200/week basket costs about $200 — you pay the membership fee, nothing on top.
Instacart+ marks up items by an estimated ~15% on average, varying by store and item. On a $200/week basket that's a modeled ~$1,560/yr on top of the fee — confirm current pricing before you buy.
Section · More food files
Other records in this department
The food hub's grocery-staple file, and the full meal-kit cost ledger.
Section · Sources
Where these figures come from
Annual/monthly fees, free-delivery minimums, speed, pickup and perks read from each provider's site (March 2026).
Item markup is an estimated average vs in-store from public price comparisons. Modeled markup/yr = markup % × weekly basket × 52; true total = fee + modeled markup. Varies by store, item and location.
Count the markup, not just the fee.
On a marked-up pass, the per-item difference can dwarf the membership — these are dated, recorded readings with a modeled markup, so confirm the current pricing with the provider before you buy.
Fees, free-delivery minimums, speed and perks are recorded list values read March 2026. Item markup is an estimated average vs in-store from public price comparisons; the modeled markup $/yr and true total apply that estimate to the weekly basket set above (default $200/week × 52 weeks) on top of the fee. Not a live feed; actual markup and prices vary by store, item and location, so confirm with the provider before you buy. Coverage on record, not a promise of accuracy.