I’ll be 100% honest: shopping for groceries online through sites like Instacart has a bit of a learning curve. However, with the “shelter-in-place” mandate, it’s essential for us to give online grocery delivery a good try.

Hesitant to give up control of your food selection to a stranger? We all are. But I’m confident that with a few simple guidelines, you can successfully get most of what you need while keeping social distance from others.

Before Covid-19 I shopped in-person each week for our family of 5 and would often make extra trips for the items my mom requested. I kept grocery lists divided by store on my Trello “home” board. I could easily visualize the grocery aisles and was confident that my preferred brands would be in stock. But that approach had to change when I placed my first few online orders.

Tip # 1: Start at the End

With the rise in demand, Instacart, and other major delivery services like Whole Foods / Amazon, are swamped. To save time (and keep frustration at bay), approach your order by aiming first to get a delivery slot. You’ll be super irritated if you spend lots of minutes loading your virtual cart only to find there aren’t any delivery times available. After you register for the service, put a few items in your cart and check out. You can go back and edit the cart (and add items) any time up until the shopping window closes. Check out first, then go back and add items to your pending order.

Tip # 2: Get Online Early or Late in the Day

Use your sleep/wake cycle to your advantage. If you try to place an order midday, chances are there will be no delivery slots available in the foreseeable future. (Maybe next week?!) Aim to place your Instacart order before the sun rises or when your headed to bed. Ironically, these days it’s less about what’s in your cart, and more about scheduling regular deliveries and staying at home.

Tip # 3: Be Available to Chat with Your Shopper

If you prefer your bananas to be more green than yellow or have food allergies that restrict the brands your family can purchase, it’s in your family’s interest to be available to chat with your shopper when your slot arrives. Turn on phone notifications for the app.

If you approve of brand/flavor substitutions in advance, your shopper has a better idea of alternatives when your first choice is sold out. You may be ok with Bartlett pears rather than D’Anjou but you may only like one brand of soymilk. By being available during your shopping window, your shopper can ask for your approval, send photos of brands available, and update you on the quantity of items available for purchase.

For those of us who like a little more control, chatting with your shopper through the app gives a little bit of relief.

This pandemic has changed the landscape in a lot of ways. It’s important to follow health guidelines and stay home, if you can. It’s important to be grateful to essential workers, including those in the grocery/pharmacy/delivery industry. Although it may be aggravating that flour or bread is sold out, use this moment as an opportunity to learn something new and believe in the will of our community.