Uber Eats grocery prices

Index, feed.

Some time ago, I discovered it is possible to order Costco item through Uber Eats. I find this very convenient, as I do not especially enjoy the experience of visiting crowded grocery stores.

It is possible to buy on Uber Eats without a Costco membership, but prices are then higher than with a membership. I initially assumed that, when shopping through Uber Eats with an active Costco membership, prices displayed would identical to in-store prices, but two things made me wonder if that was the case:

• Uber Eat’s preliminary receipt, as shown while ordering, has a strange category named “Taxes & Non-Gov’t fees”, which is not broken down more precisely until it is tapped;

• delivery persons do not usually give the original Costco receipt: perhaps this is policy, I could not confirm it, but it did seem to me like a technique meant to make it harder for me to compare Uber Eats prices and the actual prices paid at the Costco store.

Thankfully, Costco provides me with a history of my purchases, online, which includes a full receipt. So, on my latest order, I have been able to compare receipt, match prices, and find out how much the delivery service really cost.

Item prices

All prices in Canadian dollars.

The Uber Eats markup on items appears to be a remarkably consistent 6.7% (one-fifteenth). On this order, summing the differences between the Uber Eats and Costco prices brings me to a markup of $19.37.

Uber Eats reported an Item Subtotal of $308.47, when the Costco total, including deposit and environmental fee, was $292.94. Adding the deposit and environmental fees to the Uber Eats price does confirm the $19.37 markup on items. I don’t know where this is disclosed when ordering: I see “Taxes & Non-Gov’t fees” broken down into a deposit fee of $3.20 (OK), a Service Fee of $14.99 (fair, Uber has to fund itself somehow), and “taxes” at $21.70. Note how none of those amounts are $19.37, and how the environmental fee is not mentioned.

Documented Uber Eats fees

Service fee

I see on Uber Eats’ documentation that Service Fee, in Québec, for grocery, is “up to 15% of your subtotal but always between $2 and $15”. Indeed, 15% of my order would be more than $15, so capping it at $14.99 respects this rule.

Delivery fee

Varies based on things like your location, the merchant, the availability of nearby delivery people and whether you are an Uber One member.

Other fees

Bag fees or other eco-fees may apply if mandated by law or charged by the merchant.

All fees are also visible at checkout.

Extra amounts from Uber Eats

• Item Subtotal: 308.47
• Tax: 21.44
• Adjustments: 0.72
• Container Deposit Fee: 3.20
• Delivery Fee: 2.49
• Service Fee: 14.99
• Promotion: -20.00

I heave no idea what “adjustments” mean, or what “promotion” I supposedly benefited from.

Summary

The price I paid Uber Eats was $331.31 (excluding the discretionary tip I chose to add). The price Costco was paid by Uber Eats, which is the price I would have paid by visiting the store myself, was $309.09.

Overall, on this order, the Uber Eats markup was $22.22, or just above 7%. This doesn’t sound too horribly bad. I might have felt differently had I not benefitted from a $20 “promotion” for whatever reason.

I was not able to reconstruct every single line item’s price and explain the amounts that Uber Eats charges. I find the experience confusing.

www.kurokatta.org

David Haguenauer <www@kurokatta.org>
$Id: uber-eats-grocery-prices.malblog,v 1.7 2026/10/01 14:45:07 homer Exp $