Thrive Market Reviews: Plus $20 Credit + Free Almond Butter!

My Review of this Grocery Delivery Service

I signed up for a Thrive Market membership a few months ago, and since then I have quickly become obsessed with it. I highly recommend it and talk to everyone at the MSA office about it! So I thought it was time to do a review about what a yearly membership/subscription to Thrive Market is, why I love it, and how to get the most value out of it!

What is Thrive Market?

Thrive Market is somewhat similar to the Costco model but online only. You pay an annual membership fee ($60) to get access to shop their market at prices that are lower than you would likely find in your local supermarket. All orders of $49 or more ship free. Basically, their goal is to make living healthier easier and cheaper. Their inventory covers non-perishable grocery items and snacks, home items (like cleaning products), personal care items, and beauty products. (They offer wine, organic meat and seafood, but I haven't had a chance to try those categories out yet!) And everything is ingredient-conscious: organic products & non-GMO brands.

Why I Love Thrive Market:

I'm not kidding, I seriously love Thrive Market. I bring up Thrive Market in unrelated conversations because I want to make sure my friends and family know about it. If they sold branded merch I'd probably by a t-shirt! I'm more than just a little obsessed. Here's why:

1. It's easier (and usually cheaper) for buying name-brand or generic non-perishable goods compared to my local grocery store. Now, any time I go to Whole Foods, Giant Eagle, or Trader Joes, I'm only grabbing frozen/refrigerated items, and fresh produce. Fewer grocery store trips and less to haul! Here's an example of Whole Foods pricing vs Thrive Market pricing for a standard pantry item for us:

Annie's Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese is a dollar cheaper at Thrive Market. (You do have to buy a minimum of 2 boxes.)

Their prices on their own house brand items are great, too:

These are two items we buy regularly. Squeezable peanut butter makes so much sense! And their smart packaging extends to beans, too:

Beans in pouches! No can opener needed!

2. My experience with their customer care team has been above and beyond. One time I accidentally entered the wrong shipping address and only realized it after the order had shipped. Customer care took care of rerouting the package for me. Another time, a package was damaged in transit by the shipper and they proactively let me know they would have to send a brand new order and gave me a $10 credit for the 2-day delay.

3. The Free Member Gifts are amazing! First, a disclaimer, it seems like Thrive Market has paused on free gifts for the past few weeks as they are experiencing higher than normal order volume due to customers stocking up in relation to COVID-19. I assume that free gifts will be back once order volume normalizes.

In my opinion, Thrive Market is worth it even without the free gifts, but the free gifts definitely make the value incredible. These special free gifts are usually only available for one day only, and you'll get a heads up via email. These are full-size, high value items!

Here's an example of the free gifts they offered one week in February to give you an idea of what to expect in the future:

February 10th:

February 11th:

February 13th:

February 14th:

February 16th:

Free gifts are usually available for any order of $49 or more (and that threshold triggers free shipping, too.). Any time there's a free gift I'm interested in I place an order just above $49 for some of the items we use every day so I always have a decent pantry stock. Basically, (under non high-volume order circumstances), you can time things so you are always getting a free gift with every order.

Also, in addition to a free gift, you get one free sample per order. As of publication they had diaper samples available:

Not bad for an additional freebie, but usually they have even more options! (Think single servings of chips, a smoothie pouch, etc.)

4. Fast, Free shipping on orders of $49+ or more. Typically in my past experience, orders are shipped within a day and arrive 1-2 days later. But an FYI right now:

Update 3/12/20 9 a.m. PT: Due to continued high order volumes, shipping times to most destinations are currently delayed by 3-5 days. Rest assured, we are doing everything humanly possible to get your healthy products to you quickly. Thank you for your patience!

5. It's super easy to find food items that meet dietary restrictions, ranging from a vegan to keto diet. For instance, I avoid gluten in my diet, and having a Thrive Market membership makes it super easy to see only items that are gluten-free. They also offer a lot of classifications for food that I don't normally find elsewhere like low-sodium:

6. We've discovered some great new food items thanks to Thrive Market. I'd say at least half of the items my husband Eric and I eat every day are from Thrive Market. Here are some of our favorites:

Right Rice - $3.99

Right Rice is from the creator of Popchips! It's a rice shaped grain that is high protein, high fiber, lower carbs, and actually easier and quicker to cook than regular rice. RightRice is made from lentils, chickpeas, peas + rice. It still tastes just like rice, too! It's a dinner staple for us.

Snacklins - $2.79

80 calories for the whole bag! Vegan! Gluten-Free! Made from just Yuca, Mushroom, Sunflower Oil, Spice, Onion, and Sea Salt. SO addictive!

Flapjacked Mighty Muffin - $2.79

Flapjacked offers a few gluten-free options (including Peanut Butter & Double Chocolate Chip), and I love all of them. This is my go-to breakfast item. And it only takes 1/4 cup of water 50 seconds in the microwave!

Poshi Freshly Marinated Asparagus, Rosemary & Oregano - $1.99 

This is a perfect mini snack, the flavor is incredible, it's healthy, and just 10 calories a pouch! (The Artichoke and French Bean options are equally delicious, too.)

Kitchen & Love Quinoa Quick Meal - $2.99

A shelf-stable, gluten-free lunch item that isn't soup! I still can't believe this exists. It's delicious, too. (250 calories).

Califia Farms Concentrated Cold Brew - $7.29

My husband Eric uses cold brew in his morning shake and I mix a bit with creamer and hot water for my coffee drink concoction, so we were thrilled to discover a shelf-stable carton option. (Previously we were buying Chameleon Coffee Concentrated Cold Brew from the grocery store, and that has to be refrigerated.)

Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate - $19.99

We both add this to coffee or smoothies and it instantly dissolves with no noticeable taste!

Also, I was pleased to see Thrive Market's CEO's recent letter to customers:

Dear Thrivers,

I am reaching out to our entire membership community to address the evolving global COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation. There is nothing more important to us at Thrive Market than the health and safety of our members, so I want to share the steps we’re taking to do our part.

First, know that for over three weeks now, we have been steadily building inventory in the most important product categories: Immunity, Cleaning, and Pantry Staples. With demand surging beyond anyone’s expectations, we can’t guarantee that every item will stay in stock, but you can be sure that we are doing everything we can to keep the most important healthy essentials available—and to replenish faster than ever if something goes out of stock.

Second, we are 100% committed to never engaging in surge pricing. We have already heard many stories of other retailers opportunistically raising their prices on high-demand items. We promise that at Thrive Market, you’ll find the same member-only savings no matter what happens in the coming weeks.

Third and finally, we are working around the clock to ship your orders as fast as possible, while also maintaining our commitments to carbon neutrality (no air shipments at 10x carbon impact) and fair practices for our amazing warehouse team, who have already been working overtime to handle surging order volume. I want to personally thank you for your patience if your order takes longer than usual to arrive. As always, we’ll communicate in real-time on any delays.

Given how fast this situation is developing, we will of course be monitoring all fronts closely over the coming days. Whatever happens, our North Star will remain the same: supporting the health and safety of our members in every way we can.

We’re here for you.

Nick

If you're interested trying a Thrive Market membership, right now they have a great deal:

Use this link to get $20 in shopping credit when you sign up for an annual membership ($60 a year):

And you'll also get a free full-sized Thrive Market Organic Almond Butter ($15 Value) with your first order:

What do you think about Thrive Market? If you already are a member, are you as obsessed with it as I am? Let me know if you have any questions about anything I did (or didn't cover)!