I’m not going to sugar coat this – sometimes running errands can be a pain in the ass when you’re car-free.  However those errands are easy breezy when you can find a businesss to do them for you.  I recently talked about five businesses that will help you live carfree in Phoenix. (post)  Below is an update and some special offers from each of the businesses if you would like to try them out for yourself.  Enjoy!  By the way, if you try one of them, be sure to let me know what you think!

GooberPetDirect.com Have you tried carrying a 15 lb bag of dog food on your bike?  Then you know exactly what I’m talking about.  I love this delivery service!  They have a full selection of almost every brand you can imagine.  Their customer service is pretty darn good too.  A bag of dog treats accompanies every order.

BONUS!! GooberPetDirect has a special offer for my readers:  Light Rail Blogger Readers get $10 off your first order through Goober Pet Direct

Go to www.gooberpetdirect.com. During the checkout process type “Light Rail Blogger” in the Gift Certificate Code Box. Your $10 E-Gift Certificate will not be deducted from your total until we receive your web order and process manually.  Or…call us at 480-668-4994 and mention “Light Rail Blogger” to the customer service representative. You will receive $10 off your first order.

Nature’s Garden Delivered is another service I used since the original post.  As much as I like going to the neighborhood market, I love getting a box of fresh fruit each week at my door.  I get the small box of organic fresh produce which runs about $30 – and includes oranges, apples, kiwi, bananas and a sweet potato.  The fruit and vegetables are seasonal and you get a choice as to what you prefer in your box.

DISCOUNT: get 20 percent off your order when you enter the code Light Rail Blogger - for more information and to order click here.

I learned rather quickly to limit my purchases to whatever will fit in the basket and in one arm.  Once in awhile, I’ll go over my maximum capacity and regret the decision the entire 10 minute ride home. I say all this not to complain or to disuade someone from living carfree, but rather to bring a solution.  In an effort to save time, and possibly my arm from falling off during an errand run, I’ve decided to check into stores around the Valley that have delivery services – and see how they measure up in comparison doing it all myself.

Safeway.com – I used this site to purchase groceries and it was a breeze to navigate.  The tabs were pretty basic in terms of directing you to different pages on the site. You can chose the day and time in most cases the next day if not that same day if you place the order by a certain time.  I purchased 11 items ($60 worth of groceries) and the delivery cost is $12.  From what I could see, everything that I would normally buy at the store was also available online and for delivery.  Perfect!  The delivery charge is a bit much in relation to what I’m ordering, however the convenience will be worth it. Having said that, Safeway is currently offering free delivery for first time customers and for 60 days following your first purchase.  If you’re looking for great frozen food try Schwans.

GooberPetDirect.com – Carrying a small bag of dog food on a bike isn’t hard, but it becomes an issue when you have to go and buy that small bag every week or two.  Especially when you could buy a bigger bag and save a trip and money but can’t carry such a large bag while riding a bike.  A friend referred me to Goober Pet Direct which delivers dog, cat and small animal food (like rabbit and bird) right to your home.  Cost wise, the bags are comparable in price to the same product I bought at the store.  I ordered a bag of food, but couldn’t find anywhere on the site to schedule a delivery?  I also wish they had a close up picture of the dog treats.  The best part:  free delivery!

NaturesGardenDelivered.com – I’m so excited about delivery service because of four words: natural, organic and local fruit.  There was a good variety of fruits and vegetables to choose from in addition to the size of your order.  I purchased a tiny box of approximately 20 pieces of assorted fruit for $28.  Although the fruit will most likely be gone in a couple of days, I figured I would try a small box first just in case to see how quickly I eat it and how long the fruit will  keep. You order early in the week and Nature’s Garden delivers later.  Bonus: free delivery!

OrganicDryCleaners.com – My dry cleaner doesn’t deliver, but I have used Organic Dry Cleaners on Thomas back in my pre-carfree days. Organic does a great job, but the prices were a little higher than most cleaners and you can cut that price down a little with the special internet only offers on their homepage.  I’m not sure if this service would work for me because they require a three piece dry cleaning minimum per order and I’m usually going to get shirts laundered.  The delivery is free.

Baker Nursery – Schlepping a heavy bag of dog food is the least of my concerns compared to a prickly cactus for my patio or a house plant to green my living room.  Problem solved with the Baker Nursery delivery service. The cost for delivery to the Downtown area is $20 and is more expensive from there depending on how far east or west you are from the nursery which is located on 40th Street.

The most important thing to remember, as with most carfree living, be sure to plan ahead when ordering for delivery.  The stores I mentioned above may not be able to deliver the same day or even the very next day, so waiting until the last minute could mean you’re back to running errands on your own.

Did I miss any errands?  Have you used a delivery service either here in Downtown Phoenix or where you live?