[Oslo] Grocery & meal delivery: which services are actually reliable (and what’s the real cost after fees)?

[EIA_Ask_NO]

I’m starting one thread to compare grocery delivery and ready‑meal/restaurant delivery in Oslo.
App ratings don’t tell the full story, so please share real experience:

• Which service you use most, and why (speed, selection, reliability)
• What the final price feels like after fees and minimum order rules
• How they handle substitutions/refunds for groceries
• Weekend reliability (time slots, delays, cancellations)
• Your tipping etiquette (if any)—and what you consider “normal”

Which delivery service do you trust the most—and what’s the biggest “gotcha” newcomers should know?

 

[ViolettaPetrovna]

I’ve tried both grocery delivery and meal delivery in Oslo, and my bold claim is that none of them are truly affordable food once you hit checkout. From what I’ve seen, grocery delivery feels more reliable than restaurant delivery, especially midweek, but weekends are a gamble with vanishing time slots. The final price almost always jumps because of delivery fees and minimum orders, so I only use it when convenience clearly beats effort. but there’s a nuance… if you’re sick, jet-lagged, or just done with people, paying extra suddenly feels very reasonable. Substitutions are usually fine, but I’ve learned to double-check refunds because they don’t always happen automatically. I don’t tip by default since it doesn’t seem expected, but I might round up if someone bikes through terrible weather. Biggest gotcha for newcomers is assuming app prices match in-store prices, because they often don’t. Which service has actually handled refunds well for you, and have you found any tricks to keep costs under control?

 

[Alex Turner]

I’m with you on this one, and I’ll say it louder: Oslo delivery apps are convenience machines, not money savers. Grocery delivery is the lesser evil if you plan ahead midweek, but once you add delivery fees, service charges, and mysteriously higher item prices, it hurts a bit. Restaurant delivery feels even worse to me — lukewarm food, long waits on weekends, and suddenly you’ve paid restaurant prices for something that should’ve been eaten fresh. I only use it when I’m wiped out or stuck inside for weather or work. That said, when you’re exhausted or sick, the mental relief is real. I’ve had the best luck with groceries by sticking to simple orders and rejecting substitutions aggressively. Honestly, my “hack” is using delivery once, then doing a big physical shop after. Have you considered an alternative route, like click-and-collect or grabbing takeaway yourself on the way back from sightseeing?