Pick n Pay Teams Up with Mr D — We Put Them to the Test

There’s no doubt that when it comes to getting groceries delivered in a flash in South Africa, there’s one player in the market who is checking all the boxes for consumers. The big grocery chain’s fleet of teal motorbikes was first out the gate dropping off household essentials to convenience-hungry customers.

But, even with the teal motorbike’s head start, another player joined the race with an innovative approach that takes advantage of a partnership with an existing delivery brand well known to the South African consumer. Rather than starting from scratch and having to play catch-up, Pick n Pay’s collaboration with Mr D allowed the grocery giant to jump head-on into the quick grocery delivery game without missing a beat.

But how does the service compare? We tested Pick n Pay and Mr D’s collaborative grocery delivery platform to find out:

Pick n Pay and Mr D launched the PnP grocery delivery pilot in October 2022 and the delivery service has gained popularity as a viable alternative for many shoppers who prefer to shop at Pick n Pay. While the pilot initially launched to a limited amount of areas in Cape Town and Johannesburg, the service has now been rolled out across the country, servicing all areas Mr D currently covers and some new ones.

We tested the service for a quick grocery order on a busy week day and was impressed with how easy it was. The platform also offers a surprising variety of products, and you can choose to order from different Pick n Pay stores near you. In our case, there are 3 Pick n Pay stores close enough to choose from, giving more options than ever before.

According to Mr D, customers using the Mr D Pick n Pay grocery delivery service have access to over 10,000 food and grocery products at the same price as Pick n Pay’s in-store, with delivery in under an hour.

It’s truly fantastic having this kind of quick access to many of the grocery items you would buy when popping into a physical Pick n Pay store for a quick shop. It really ups the convenience factor, especially on a weekday when the last thing you want to do after work is go to the shops. Plus, you can still earn Smart Shopper points on your orders.

How does it work?

To use the service customers simply need to download the Mr D app. Once you have the app and have set up an account you can place your grocery order on the Mr D app. Pick n Pay does the picking in its stores, and Mr D’s delivery partners then collect and deliver the order to you in a jiffy.

To test the delivery performance of PnP Groceries on Mr D’s platform, we ordered a few items and tracked the delivery of our groceries. We ordered 14 items for R461.13, including the R35 delivery fee. The performance was impressive, to say the least, with Mr D completing the delivery 30 minutes after the order was paid for and accepted from a Pick n Pay store 1.2km away.

Comparing baskets

Comparing the prices on the Mr D Pick n Pay groceries delivery platform and Checkers Sixty60 delivery service, there were some notable differences. Items like Cadbury 150g slabs came out to R52 on special offer while Checkers Sixty60’s similar special offer priced the same bundle at R59.18 for two. A 200g box of Baker’s Romany Creams also came out cheaper on Mr D at R29.99 while Checkers Sixty60 offered the same item at R34.99 each. However, a special offer on Sixty60 did give consumers the option to buy two boxes at a discounted price of R60.

Meat items also came out cheaper at Pick n Pay using the Mr D service. We added two packs of 400g beef burger patties on Mr D at R99.98, while a similar version from Checkers Sixty60 rung up at R119.98. After comparing my basket with Checkers Sixty60, Mr D’s Pick n Pay basket came out slightly cheaper at R426.13 (excl delivery) compared to Checkers Sixty60 at R440.04 (excl delivery).

The Mr D difference

Mr D’s Pick n Pay grocery delivery service is the ideal way to shop all the must-haves from Pick n Pay when you simply can’t (or don’t want to) get to the supermarket. The sheer amount of Pick n Pay stores available to shop from in any given area is a real feather in the cap of the Mr D Pick n Pay offering. Consumers are given more convenience and more options, allowing them to shop what they need and get in a flash.

For more information and to sign up, visit the Mr D website now.