We live in a world where you can get nearly anything delivered right to your doorstep. Need more paper towels? Put in an order on Amazon. Need a ride to the airport? Grab an Uber. Need some alcohol for your get together but don’t have time to run out and get it yourself? Use Drizly.
But is Drizly a good option for getting your alcohol on-demand? How does it work and what type of selection does it have to offer? Where are there services available and how do they stack up against their competitors? Let’s take a closer look at Drizly so we can answer these questions. Then we’ll go over the pros and cons of Drizly, along with whether or not it makes sense for you to use their services.
Looking for a whiskey delivery service? We recommend Drizly. Drizly delivers alcohol to your house whenever you need it, and for a very low fee! They have a wide selection and deliver to most states (and Canada too!)
What is Drizly?
Drizly is a company that delivers alcohol to your house whenever you need it. The site says that they’ll get it to you in less than an hour by using your local grocery or liquor stores. Think of it as an Uber Eats for beer and liquor.
Established in 2012 in the Boston Area, Drizly is a company founded and operated by Nicholas Rellas, Cory Rellas, and Justin Robinson. If you want a company with a solid education, then look no further. Cory earned a degree from Notre Dame, while Justin and Nicholas completed their schooling at Boston College.
Prior to launching Drizly, Cory was employed at Bain Capital, while his brother worked for the New England Coffee Company. It’s safe to say that Drizly is one of many companies focusing on delivery-style services. Their focus is providing alcohol right to your doorstep.
How Does it Work?
Using Drizly isn’t overly complicated. Visit the site where you’ll go through three steps to place an alcohol delivery order:
- Provide your delivery address
- Select the drinks you want
- Payment and shipping information
While providing your address is simple enough, you need to remember that Drizly does have a limited area. Currently, the service is only available in certain states. To find out whether or not you live in an area supported by Drizly, just enter your address and the site will let you know.
If you live in an area supported by Drizly, then you’ll be redirected to a page which allows you to choose from many different wines, beers, and other spirits. You also have the option to throw in mixers like soda, party supplies, and ice if you’re running low on those items as well. Basically, Drizly will provide most of the things you need to have for a party, aside from the party itself.
While not all areas are going to give you the option to get your alcohol in an hour or less, you do have a little flexibility as to when your order will arrive. As a result, you have the ability to schedule when your drinks arrive, which is very important since someone over the age of 21 has to sign for your delivery.
Minimum Orders and Fees
An area of frustration with Drizly is that many of the stores the company partners with require a minimum order for deliveries. Most are around $25-$30, so if you only need a bottle of wine, you might be forced to buy something else in order to reach the minimum order amount.
Keep in mind, however, that your local store sets the minimum order amount, not Drizly. This is also true of the delivery fee associated with your order. In some cases, your order might be free, which is the case in some instances. But you also might encounter high delivery fees. For example, some areas in New York charge $5 for delivery.
You can expect to incur three additional fees with any Drizly order: taxes, driver tip, and delivery fee. You’ll notice that 10% is automatically added to your order to compensate the driver. However, you can adjust the amount to whatever you want it to be.
The delivery fee, for the most part, is reasonable, especially considering alcohol is being brought right to your front door. How convenient is it that you can have a bottle of bourbon delivered to your home if you run out in the middle of your Kentucky Derby party? Just choose your preferred brand and wait for it to show up.
One-Hour Delivery and Ground Shipping
It’s tough to pin down how much the delivery charge is for one-hour delivery. However, there are many states that offer this option, including California, New York, and Massachusettes. Based on this, it might make more sense for you to use Drizly as an option for same-day delivery instead of one-hour delivery.
This is something to keep in mind when you visit the Drizly site. Of course, it’s pretty easy to determine whether or not your city has a one-hour delivery available.
You can also select ground shipping through Drizly if you aren’t worried about your alcohol arriving the same day. Of course, by using this method you’ll have to pay shipping costs, so you might be better off looking for same-day delivery from your local retailer.
Something to keep in mind is that Drizly doesn’t charge for gift options. All you need to do is be sure that the delivery will show up when someone is home. If that’s not the case, you might wind up paying restocking fees.
Returns
Based on Drizly’s site, the return policy is based on where you purchased your alcohol and exactly what you bought. If you do need to return an item, you’re subject to the store’s policy. However, Drizly will offer you a refund on the alcohol, but not on the tip for the driver or the delivery fee.
If the driver delivers the wrong item, or you discover that it’s spoiled, you’ll have up to five business days to reach out and schedule a return. In this type of instance, Drizly has the store send out a delivery driver to your address and pick up the product.
Looking for a whiskey delivery service? We recommend Drizly. Drizly delivers alcohol to your house whenever you need it, and for a very low fee! They have a wide selection and deliver to most states (and Canada too!)
Are the Prices Competitive?
For the most part, Drizly’s prices are the same as you’d pay at your local liquor or grocery store. The site’s FAQ says that it does not mark up prices on anything it delivers. Even though some items have high prices, you’re more than likely going to pay Drizly the same price you’d see in your local retailer.
Additional Information
Always be sure you read the entire site for any information you might have missed or overlooked. For example, Drizly has in its fine print that every state has separate and distinct rules when it comes to alcohol delivery.
One item to watch for is a restocking fee. If no one is home when your alcohol is delivered, or no one is old enough to sign for it, you could incur a restocking fee. As a result, take a few extra moments to read the fine print as it relates to your state so you’re fully aware of any additional fees you may be subject to if your delivery cannot be completed.
Other Alcohol Delivery Options
Some of the more well-known competitors in the same market as Drizly are Thirstie, Saucey, Minibar, and Instacart, the popular grocery delivery company.
Thirstie
Like Drizly, Thirstie is an on-demand alcohol delivery service. You can search for your favorite wine or spirit through the mobile app, pay for it, then just sit back and wait. However, deliveries are limited. Currently, Thirstie only operates in certain larger cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami. So if you don’t live in one of those areas, you’re out of luck.
Saucey
While Saucey is a solid competitor to Drizly, it doesn’t have an option for same-day delivery. Even though its delivery fees are a little higher than what Drizly offers, it’s not so high that it would make a difference when choosing a delivery service. One positive about Saucey is that the company manages its couriers in-house, so you’re not getting an out-sourced contractor.
Minibar
Minibar’s prices are comparative to what you’ll get with both Drizly and Saucy, so you don’t have to worry about getting overcharged. However, where Drizly offers one-hour time slots for delivery, Minibar only provides two-hour options. Additionally, if you or someone over the age of 21 is not home to sign for your delivery, you’ll automatically be charged a $20 fee for restocking.
Instacart
Last but not least, is Instacart. While not technically an alcohol delivery service, you still have the option to have your alcohol brought to you along with your groceries. You’ll get free delivery on the same day with Instacart, which will even pick up deliveries from local liquor retailers and bring it to your home.
Unfortunately, there are a few significant drawbacks to Instacart. The first is that it requires a monthly or annual fee, so you have to sign up for a membership if you want to get your alcohol delivered. Not only do you have to sign up, but you also have to have a minimum order of $35 if you want to receive your delivery for free.
Best Alcohol Delivery Option
If you ask us, your best alcohol delivery option is Drizly. You have the option to get your delivery within an hour, so long as you live in its one-hour delivery zone. However, if you’re not within that area, then you might be better off going with Minibar. It’s hard to put them above Drizly, even with those circumstances.
Saucey isn’t really an economical option, which is even truer if you live close to a grocery store that offers alcoholic beverages or a liquor retailer. But, if you typically plan ahead and have a membership with Instacart, then you could also use their delivery service a try, so long as you don’t need your alcohol within an hour.
Drizly Pros and Cons
From our perspective, Drizly is a unique service if you’re the type of person who needs to have a beer, wine, or other spirits delivered right to your front door. Overall, it might make more sense for you to head out to the local liquor or grocery store yourself. However, if you don’t have the time, or the ability, to get a bottle for yourself, then Drizly is a great option.
Drizly is also a fantastic choice as a gift for anyone who enjoys wine, beer, or other libations. Plus, the fees they’ll pay are lower than what you’d get when paying for typical shipping from a local liquor retailer.
The drawback to Drizly, which we briefly touched on, is that it’s not an option in every state. Plus, it’s one-hour delivery feature isn’t available in many of the locations where same-day delivery is an option. However, this isn’t really a significant factor since you can always hop in your car and drive to the nearest liquor store if you have a real emergency.
FAQs About Drizzly
Usually the Drizly delivery takes from 20 to 60 minutes, and there is a rule that you must order liqueur for a minimum of $20 so you can get delivery (which costs $5).
You can tip your Drizly drivers if you feel like it, and you can do this via their website and app.
When you make a purchase, you’re required to pay online. This way they can avoid misunderstandings and orders not being picked up.
Final Thoughts
First of all, it’s amazing that we live in an age where alcohol can arrive at your doorstep in a matter of hours. It’s even more incredible that there are several choices from which you can choose to have your libations delivered. However, when it boils down to it, we like Drizly above the rest.
Even though it’s not available everywhere yet, it’s an exciting delivery service providing excellent options. It’s one-hour delivery, for example, means you will have the items you need to get your party or get together started on time.
Looking for a whiskey delivery service? We recommend Drizly. Drizly delivers alcohol to your house whenever you need it, and for a very low fee! They have a wide selection and deliver to most states (and Canada too!)
The app is simple and easy to use, so you don’t have to deal with a lot of complex steps to get your delivery quickly. Keep in mind when ordering that Drizly is limited to the inventory available in your closest liquor store and you’ll have a great alcohol delivery experience.
Plus, Drizly is more than just an alcohol delivery service. They’ll also bring you extra items like mixers and soda if you need them. When it comes to your alcohol delivery needs, it’s hard to find a reason not to go with Drizly.
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