The pandemic understandably made many people wary about spending their time browsing the aisles of their local supermarket, opting for a less risky alternative.

The downside to these services is generally that you have to book them some time in advance. Great if you’re particularly organised with your shopping needs ‒ and manage to log on at the right time to secure a slot ‒ but less ideal if you need your food more quickly.

However, there is now a host of delivery services which promise to pick up your shopping and deliver it not only that same day, but within a matter of minutes.

Let’s take a look at a few of them, what they offer, and what you’ll have to pay for it.

Weezy

Weezy describes itself as the UK’s first on-demand supermarket. Basically the firm partners with a host of food retailers and wholesalers, and promises to get your shopping back to you in as little as just 15 minutes.

You log onto the app, or through Weezy’s website, and fill your virtual basket with the items you need. 

The items are packed up at your local ‘fulfilment centre’ ‒ the shop ‒ and then your order is picked up and delivered to your door.

At the moment Weezy only covers specific areas of London, like Fulham, Chelsea, London Fields and Wandsworth, though it has already confirmed plans to launch in Bristol. The firm has also raised more than £14m in a recent funding round to cover the costs of its expansion so other cities may soon follow.

There’s no minimum spend, nor a maximum number of items you can order, though you will have to pay a £2.95 fee. Users can also track the delivery all the way to their front door.

Dija

The process is apparently even quicker with Dija, which aims to get your groceries with you in just 10 minutes.

It was launched by former Deliveroo employees last year, and is available through an app on the iStore.

Shoppers pay a £1.99 delivery fee to order from Dija, which has established three ‘hubs’ across the capital, stocking around 2,000 items each. Like Weezy, Dija has just completed a big-money funding round, and has said it hopes to open a further 20 hubs by the summer, still concentrating on London.

Jiffy

Jiffy promises to get your groceries to your door in… well, a jiffy. Or at least as little as 15 minutes.

The firm partners with local suppliers and runs ‘dark stores’ ‒ effectively areas where they house the food which they can then package up and ship out to you. The items on offer range from fresh fruit and vegetables to household essentials like washing up powder and pet food.

It’s another operator that’s starting with London, and it has also raised millions recently through a seed funding launch ahead of a move into other areas of the UK.

Interestingly, it’s actually trying to get prospective customers to help it work out where to launch next. Fill in your details on the website and once it launches in your area, it promises you’ll get free deliveries for 30 days.

Again, the ordering process is handled through an app ‒ this time available on both Apple and Android devices ‒ and you can track the delivery.

Gorillas

Finally there’s Gorillas, a business that is already up and running in Germany which has now opened up in ‒ you guessed it ‒ areas of London, including Shoreditch and Brixton.

As with its rivals, Gorillas has partnered with local suppliers and wholesalers and promises to deliver the food to you in just 10 minutes. There are thousands of products to choose from, ranging from everyday household items to booze and toiletries.

Deliveries cost £1.80, while Gorillas highlights the fact that it employs its ‘riders’ who deliver the food directly. All riders use e-bikes to get around the capital.