CHRIS FOSTER-RAMSAY: Is the cost of convenience quietly blowing the family budget?

We’ve all had that 6pm moment when the kids are hungry, the fridge is uninspiring, and your phone promises groceries with a couple of taps.

Delivery apps make that moment easier, but a growing gap between shelf price and app price means the ease comes with a sting.

Recent Choice analysis found the same bag of shopping cost up to 39 per cent more through third-party delivery platforms than in-store. Even before fees, the average per-item price on a small basket was 11 per cent higher. Add delivery and service charges, typically $5-$11, and the difference starts to bite for families on a budget.

The hidden culprit isn’t always the delivery fee, but the starting point: the item price you see in the app. Many households assume the app mirrors the supermarket shelf. Often, it doesn’t.

A litre of milk that’s one price in-store can be marked up online. Weekly specials that keep a budget humming such as multi-buys, half-price promos and loyalty boosts may apply differently. When the base is higher, every other add-on compounds the problem.

This is frictionless spending at work.

When buying is quick and low-effort, we pay less attention to detail. The apps nudge us to hit “checkout” without comparing. Do this once a fortnight and it’s harmless; do it a few times a week, and the gap between what you think you’re paying and what you spend widens quickly.

Let’s put a number on it.

A family spending $250 a week on groceries might see that basket climb towards $345 once higher app prices and fees are included. That’s roughly $95 extra each week. Over a month, that’s nearly $400. Across a year, almost $1200 — the back-to-school shop, a quarter of the annual energy bill, or a decent slice of your Christmas budget.

And Christmas is exactly where it hurts. December brings extra mouths to the table, entertaining, travel, and higher utilities. Groceries are one of the few controllables in the household budget where small changes make a difference. The goal here isn’t to abandon convenience; it’s to take control of it.

A practical middle ground keeps the time savings but cuts cost creep — order through the supermarket’s own app, then use click-and-collect. Shopping directly gives you access to true shelf prices, weekly specials, and loyalty offers.

You can still build a list, track your total, and swap items to hit your budget. Then book a pick-up window, drive to the dedicated bays, call the store, and a team member loads your groceries. For families juggling work and school drop-offs, it’s effectively delivery minus the premium.

Want this to work even harder for your wallet?

Start in the supermarket app, not a third-party one. You’ll see real prices, deals, and multi-buys.

Compare “like for like”. Two minutes to check your top five staples—milk, bread, eggs, veggies, mince — reveal the convenience premiums.

Cluster orders. One large delivery beats multiple small ones that each attract a fee.

Use loyalty programs. Boosted points and targeted discounts often don’t flow through third-party platforms.

Keep a “good enough” pantry list. Fewer last-minute top-ups mean fewer emergency orders.

To be clear, this isn’t a criticism of delivery services. They’re invaluable for people who are unwell, caring solo for young kids, or managing mobility issues. A true lifesaver when life is chaotic. It’s when they become the default, not the exception, that your budget really drifts.

As we head into the busiest and most expensive stretch of the year, think of your grocery strategy the way you think of your mortgage or utilities: review, adjust, and lock in the savings where you can. Ordering through the supermarket’s own app and using click-and-collect preserves convenience, protects access to shelf pricing and specials, and avoids layered fees.

You’re still out of the store in minutes; but you just kept the extra $20-$30 that would otherwise evaporate each time you checked out.

And with a couple of small habit changes, you can keep the speed and reclaim the savings. That’s money you can redirect to Christmas, back-to-school, or simply some holiday fun. Because convenience should make your life easier — not more expensive.

Chris Foster-Ramsay is founder of Foster Ramsay Finance.