This review is in no way sponsored by Thrive Market. I tried out the service on my own. Referral links included.
A few weeks ago I decided to try out the online grocery store I’d been hearing about called Thrive Market. If you haven’t yet heard of it, think of it as an interesting mix between Whole Foods and Costco. It’s like Whole Foods in that you are going to find the same type of products that you would find at Whole Foods. So think healthier, natural ingredients, special-diet friendly (Paleo, gluten-free, for example) and non-GMO products. And its like Costco in that you pay a membership fee every year, and that fee helps reduce the prices of the products.
So while you don’t have to buy large quantities like you do at Costco, you still get to enjoy a nice price break, typically anywhere from 15-50% off what you might find at a place like Whole Foods or even on Amazon.
I found a coupon to take 15% off my very first order, PLUS a 30 day free trial so that I could test it out before paying the membership fee (it’s $59.95 for the year). Since I had some items like coconut aminos and almond flour that I wanted to buy and that my nearest traditional grocery store doesn’t carry, I decided to go for it.
Here’s a video where I unpack everything I got for just under $80. Shipping is free on all orders over $49, FYI. Give it a click if you want to see what I got!
Ok, so let’s break down some of what I bought and compare it to Amazon, which is honestly the place where I would probably buy it, as our local Whole Foods just isn’t a place I frequent (on account of spending $50 MINIMUM anytime I go in there for “1 or 2 things”).
There were a few things on my list that Amazon just doesn’t have, or that you have to buy very large quantities of (8, 12) so I didn’t include those. But most items were found on both sites, and here’s the cost comparison for you (spoiler alert: Thrive Market had the best price EVERY SINGLE TIME). Amazon prices do fluctuate throughout the day, so the price of each item the moment you read this may vary slightly.
Item
Purity Farms Ghee : Amazon price $10.99 (plus $5 shipping), TM price $10.95
Bobs Red Mill Almond Flour: Amazon price $13.88, TM price $8.45
Bobs Red MIll Coconut Unsweetened: Amazon price $7.95, TM price $3.25
Great Lakes Gelatin Beef: Amazon price $18.99, TM price $13.45
Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk: Amazon price $2.38 TM price $2.15
Nutiva Shortening: Amazon price $6.15, TM price $5.45
Coconut Secret Coconut Nectar: Amazon price $27.89 (must buy 3), TM price $5.95
Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos: Amazon price $13.99, TM price $4.45
Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips: Amazon price $13.99 (must buy 2), TM price $4.45
Big Tree Farms Coconut Palm Sugar: Amazon price $16.23, TM price $4.65
So, um, WOW. Two lessons here: 9 times out of 10, Amazon is TAKING YOUR MONEY BIG TIME on these types of products. As an avid Amazon Prime customer, this was a bit of a blow to me, honestly. I just didn’t realize that their prices were so high. The other lesson? If you can wait a few days for your products to arrive, Thrive Market is going to do right by you and give you a very good price.
And if you are still wondering how this compares to Whole Foods (or similar) I can tell you that I have read another review online where someone did cost compare everything to her local Whole Foods. The cost differences weren’t quite as drastic and some of the stuff above, but they were still significant. That’s the reason I decided to try it!
I think I am going to spring for the membership because I prefer shopping online to going to a store, and this is a way that I can start to incorporate more non-gmo foods into my family’s diet and feel confident that I’m getting the best price around. And I LOVE that I don’t have to search around for coupons to because in this particular season of my life, I don’t have time to do that, anyway.
Save 25% Now!
If you want to give Thrive Market a try, you can do even better than I did and get 25% off your first purchase, plus 30 days to decide if it is right for you. There’s nothing to lose and some pretty significant savings to be hand when you take 25% off the already best prices you are going to find! 🙂