Please note: our first order with buymie was received free of charge, but this in no way impacted on our opinion. We were not obliged to write a positive review, and the brand did not see this review before it was put up on the site. We have since paid for a subsequent order.
For £10 free shopping credit for your first order, feel free to use my buymie referral code: EHenley313443 (I’ll also receive app credit, in the interest of disclosing everything fully!)
What do you do when you’re self-isolating or stuck at home for another reason, and are desperately in need of some shopping? Maybe you’re dangerously low on nappies for your little person, you’ve run out of milk for your hot drinks or you simply can’t get a delivery slot directly from one of the big supermarkets for any time soon…
Fortunately, buymie – originally launched in Ireland – has now launched in Bristol, offering your full weekly grocery shop delivered in as little as an hour. In Bristol, the buymie team have recruited personal shoppers to pick, collect and deliver orders from Tesco, Asda and Co-Op to over 460,000 of the city’s residents, with plans to expand their service even further around the city.
The premise is simple: visit their website to find out how to download the app on your Apple or Android device, register your details, and get shopping. Once you’ve ordered, you’ll be allocated your own personal shopper who will pick your products (and not just go for the shortest shelf life!), choose appropriate substitutes where needed, and deliver to your door. And what’s more, your first delivery is free of charge.
We were given the chance to trial buymie for ourselves, and we’ve since placed a second order with the brand. Here’s what we thought…
The buymie grocery shopping experience
Once you’ve downloaded the app and registered your details, you’ll be shown the logos of the retailers you can choose from – in my case, Asda, Tesco and Co-Op. While the interface itself is a little clunky, I could generally find what I wanted, either using the search function or clicking into the different categories on the app. It’s not an ideal app design for those who love to browse aisle by aisle, though.
Click onto individual products and you have the option to add to your basket, as well as seeing the expected shelf life and the price. The app explains that prices are higher than in-store – which, to me, is unsurprising when you’re paying firstly for a personal shopper, and secondly for such speedy delivery.
You’ll also not find special offers on the buymie app – things like multi-buy deals and meal deal bundles – which again, I can understand: with in-store offers changing so regularly, I imagine it would be tough for buymie to keep up with the latest offers available.
Once you’re ready to place your order, you just click on the “checkout” button and you’re given your delivery options: address confirmation, your choice of delivery date, and the time slot you’d like to choose. On the screenshot below, my delivery was free (as it is for everyone’s first order) – my second order was priced at £3.99 delivery. You also have the chance to tick a box if you’re happy for your delivery to be up to 2 hours earlier.
You also have the option to have your shopper call you for substitution options if needed, or to simply let them use their own judgement. And you can also leave additional delivery instructions if your home is hard to find, or if your shopping needs to be left in a particular place.
Total order cost is inclusive of the cost of groceries, along with the platform, processing, and delivery fees. Your fee, they say, may vary depending on your location and the shopping partner you choose, but the fees ensure personal shoppers are paid fairly for their time and service.
Once I’d confirmed my order, I was pleased to see that there was an order tracker within the buymie app showing my order status. I also had the opportunity to add more items to my shop before the shopper left the store, which was a bonus. What’s more, I received three emails in total: one to confirm my order, one to let me know when my shopping was on its way, and one with the final invoice once the shopping had been delivered.
My order actually arrived half an hour before the start of my delivery slot, which I was more than happy about! When the doorbell rang, my shopper (wearing a mask) had already placed the bags on the step and she talked me through the substitutions she’d had to make – she was very friendly and helpful, super smiley, and was dressed in buymie branded gear – a reassuring sight, I’m sure, for those who are unsure about opening the door to strangers. And the shop was perfect, everything in great condition, good best-before dates on the products, and sensible substitutions having been made.
Normally, I’d end a review with a “would I use them again?” section – and I’m pleased to say I have. I was really happy with the first delivery, so I paid for a second when we needed to self-isolate while waiting for COVID-19 test results – this time, a Co-Op delivery. While the app could do with a bit of tweaking to make it a little more user-friendly (it’s certainly not as easy to use as supermarkets’ own websites), it’s great to have the option there to have essential shopping delivered within a few hours!
For £10 free shopping credit for your first order, feel free to use my buymie referral code: EHenley313443 (I’ll also receive app credit, in the interest of disclosing everything fully!)