Instacart offers 30-minute deliveries in some US cities

For those situations where even a well-stocked pantry can't get you out of a bind, Instacart is introducing a new priority delivery option. Starting today in more than 15 cities in the US, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle, you can choose to get your groceries delivered within 30 minutes from select stores. Initially, Ralphs, Safeway, Sprouts Farmers Market and Stater Bros are some of the retailers that have signed to offer the option. Instacart says it plans to bring priority delivery to more cities in the coming months. In the meantime, the company is expanding the availability of 45-minute and one-hour delivery options to more metropolitan areas across the country.

Instacart told TechCrunch it won't enforce an item limit nor a minimum on priority orders, but it will fulfill orders that involve fewer and less complicated items faster. Essentially, don't ask your shopper to hit up the deli aisle if you want something quick. Once the order becomes too big or involved, the 30-minute option won't be available anymore. You'll see a lightning bolt icon next to retailers that offer priority deliveries. Notably, Instacart hasn't said how much customers should expect to pay for the service but stated the extra fees would be "small" and "incremental."