BerkeleyBowl

The good: it is possible to shop with this app and get great bb groceries delivered promptly without leaving the house. The bad: the app is an unpleasant experience. Specifically, finding products (which is really the first main user need in the app) is not well executed. The search makes no sense (why are there 2 levels of tabs?). Search results seem quite poor (I searched for “dried beans” and got almost entirely canned beans in the results). Clicking on the “categories” shows only a random smattering of the products in that category (I clicked the “coffee beans” category and got like 10 results, whereas searching for “coffee” for me far more whole bean results). And browsing products causes my (relatively new) iPhone to get super hot???? So the shopping aspect is unpleasant. But if you grit your teeth and find your items, checkout and delivery updates work well.

A few items were priced a bit higher than on Instacart, but overall the prices are better directly through the store’s app, since they don’t tack more onto their in-store prices (or so I was told) like IC does. However, it was my experience that the limitations of their app made shopping much slower and a bit frustrating, so I believe that wiped out the benefits of the cost savings. The descriptions of most grocery items are sparse or non-existent, which makes it difficult to try new products. The search function isn’t very user-friendly, especially when looking for replacement items. The text box to add delivery instructions is limited to 150 characters, so I had to edit mine a few times to make it fit. I was also disappointed that ApplePay wasn’t offered as a payment method. I hope their shoppers will chat with me as they shop. Although I’ll continue to shop at the amazing and wonderful Berkeley Bowl, it won’t be with their app.

Berkeley Bowl continues to expand the selection available via their app, and I am so glad to be able to get produce and bulk items along with my regular groceries! Thank you Berkeley Bowl