
Blink and you pay: The 10-minute tomato and cola might cost more than you think
grocery delivery
became a habit — a small luxury that promised speed and ease. But now, that convenience is coming at a cost, ToI reported.
More and more users of
Swiggy Instamart
,
Blinkit
, and Zepto are noticing that their bills have started to creep up — not because of the items themselves, but because of the quiet add-ons. From handling fees to rain surcharges, small cart penalties to surge pricing, consumers say they are now paying up to ₹50 extra on every small order.
The growing list of charges includes a fixed handling fee of ₹10 to ₹21, along with GST, delivery charges, small cart fees, rain fees, and surge pricing when applicable. While people still enjoy the convenience, many shoppers are going back to comparing prices — both offline and across different online platforms — before opening their
quick commerce
apps.
What once gave these platforms an edge over neighbourhood kiranas — better prices and delivery speed — is now being undone by their rising fee structures. Delhi-based consumer Urvashi Sharma said, "I buy fruits and vegetables from local vendors now. Fruits, for example, tend to be cheaper by ₹30-40. Tomatoes and peas usually are cheaper online, but if you add handling and delivery fees, it comes to the same amount."
Market researcher Satish Meena, adviser at Datum Intelligence, said that earlier, customers didn't think twice before placing frequent, small orders. But now they're more cautious — often delaying purchases or clubbing them together to avoid paying extra fees again and again. This shift in behaviour could hurt the gross order value (GOV) of these platforms and slow the movement of goods, which in turn increases the cost of running their dark stores.
Live Events
You Might Also Like:
Quick commerce apps stack up extra fees to curb losses
"Consumers are finding quick commerce a bit expensive, but convenience is still the winner. The platforms are trying to move consumers to planned purchases through plans like Super Saver and Maxxsaver, but there's a long way to go," Meena said.
Fee structures are not just increasing — they are also becoming harder to track.
Swiggy
and Zepto typically waive delivery fees if the order is worth around ₹200 or more. But Blinkit requires customers to spend at least ₹500 for free delivery. The platforms did not comment on their pricing policies.
Even the fixed fees aren't all that fixed. Swiggy's Instamart can charge anywhere between ₹10 and ₹15 depending on the order value. Zepto usually charges ₹21 for larger orders and ₹13 for smaller ones. Blinkit's handling fee is typically ₹11. Rain fees and surge fees are generally ₹15 and ₹30, respectively, and can be added when demand spikes or weather worsens.
For companies still running at a loss, these added charges help improve their financials. But for customers placing last-minute or small-sized orders — the kind that built the quick commerce habit in the first place — the rising costs are hard to justify.
Mumbai-based professional Nandini Paul said that even though she pays for premium services like
Swiggy
One and
Zepto Daily
to get discounts and benefits, she often ends up paying more than she would on Blinkit for the same basket. "Despite paying for Swiggy One membership and Zepto Daily to avail discounts and other benefits, I often end up paying higher prices on the platforms for the same cart compared to Blinkit," she said.
Another customer pointed out the illusion of discounts and free delivery. "There are hidden charges on quick commerce platforms and an illusion of discounts. These days, I think, if I had more time, I would directly shop from the market. But the fact that I can shop anytime of the day is a plus," the consumer said.
A recent
JM Financial
research note said most quick commerce platforms have increased the minimum order value needed to get free delivery. In a comparison of 11-item orders across
Instamart
, Zepto, Blinkit, and DMart Ready, Blinkit turned out to be the most expensive, while DMart Ready was the cheapest.
According to a report by Bain, quick commerce companies have improved their financials by increasing the value of each order, cutting supply chain costs, and boosting profit margins. They have done this by sourcing goods directly from farmers and producers, and by earning more through ads and platform fees. But to keep growing in a profitable way, these firms will have to change their business strategies for smaller towns and cities, deal with more competition, and make supply chains more efficient. The market is also shifting to a two-speed model, where a few products will be delivered in under 15 minutes, while a wider range will arrive within an hour.
As quick commerce expands into more cities and begins selling larger items like consumer electronics, the logistics will become more complicated. How well these platforms manage those challenges will decide how much of the overall e-commerce market they can capture.
The sector remains crowded, and while there is space for both kiranas and online platforms, one question continues to trouble consumers — how much is too much to pay for convenience?
(with ToI inputs)
Economic Times WhatsApp channel
)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Drawn by demand and high returns, non-Mumbai developers rush to tap city's booming realty market
Mumbai's property market is attracting developers nationwide due to sustained demand and redevelopment potential. Encouraged by high prices and limited land, firms from Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, and Pune are entering through joint ventures and other partnerships. Redevelopment projects, including slum rehabilitation, offer significant opportunities, despite challenges like high costs and regulatory hurdles. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Mumbai: Mumbai is experiencing a rush of property developers from other parts of the country, drawn by sustained demand and the long-term potential of redevelopment-led activity in India's biggest and priciest property by elevated prices amid limited land parcels, developers from markets such as Bengaluru, Delhi NCR and Pune are looking to get a foothold in housing market in India's financial hub continues to record robust performance in registrations and high-value transactions across key micro-markets, attracting developers from outside the the financial appeal of Mumbai's realty market remains strong, challenges persist. High construction costs, complex land ownership structures, and regulatory timelines remain key hurdles."Developers from diverse geographies are entering Mumbai buoyed by financial backing from private equity, and institutional funding under joint venture, joint development, or development management business models," said Niranjan Hiranandani, chairman, Naredco. "Redevelopment projects, including society and slum rehabilitation, stand out as untapped opportunities for these players, often implemented in collaboration with local developers for smoother navigation through approvals, compliance mechanisms, and on-ground execution."Recently, New Delhi-based DLF re-entered the market through a joint venture for a project related to slum rehabilitation scheme in Mumbai's Andheri suburb. The company said it has received bookings for over 416 apartments worth ₹2,300 crore in the project's first phase and 20% buyers are non-desident Indians (NRIs)."Our entry into Mumbai represents a significant strategic milestone for DLF," said Aakash Ohri, joint MD, DLF Home Developers, a 100% subsidiary of non-Mumbai entities including Prestige Group, Embassy Group, RMZ, Puravankara , Blackstone-backed Kolte Patil Developers , and Ramky Estates & Farms have entered the Mumbai property market. Many more are currently exploring options. Most of these have reported robust sales performance on the back of ongoing steady housing demand."The interest from non-Mumbai players for an entry here has grown sharply in recent quarters. For many of them, the partnership model works out to be the best strategy with local execution support, reduced risk, and the ability to leverage a brand," said Gulam Zia, senior executive director, Knight Frank contributed nearly 28% of the total residential sales value across the top eight cities in the first half of 2025, making it a key target for developers."Mumbai appears to be a huge opportunity for a developer like us with a good execution track record. We are fully equipped to manage little complexities in the growth journey. We have so far acquired 7 key projects in the city including South Mumbai," said Rajat Rastogi, CEO, west and commercial business, to industry experts, Mumbai's redevelopment-centric approach shaped by regulatory frameworks such as Development Control & Promotion Regulations (DCPR) 33(7), 33(9), and slum rehabilitation schemes require experience in handling tenant consent, approvals, and municipal processes. This regulatory complexity continues to deter direct entry for many national developers, making partnerships a preferred from Mumbai and its suburbs, satellite towns including Thane and Navi Mumbai, and peripheral markets are also being explored by developers.


Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
Yali Capital closes Rs 893 crore deeptech fund
Bengaluru: Bengaluru-based Yali Capital closed its debut deep tech-focused fund at Rs 893 crore, exceeding its original Rs 500 crore target and Rs 310 crore greenshoe option. The Sebi-registered Category II AIF plans to deploy the fund across early-stage and late-stage investments in sectors such as semiconductors, AI, robotics, aerospace, and smart manufacturing. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Founding managing partner Ganapathy Subramaniam told TOI that the fundraise was completed entirely through word-of-mouth, without any bankers or distributors. "Nearly 78% of our capital came from India – entrepreneurs, family offices, fund-of-funds like Sidbi's FFS and Self-Reliant India Fund, and corporate backers including Infosys and Qualcomm," he said. The fund's leadership team also committed Rs 15 crore each to the vehicle. Yali Capital operates through a dual structure comprising a Sebi-registered AIF and a GIFT City-based feeder vehicle to attract global capital. The firm has already backed five startups and plans to invest in three more by the end of the year. The average ticket size ranges from $2 million to $10 million, with ownership targets varying from 20% at seed stage to as low as 5% in late-stage deals. The fund will allocate 70% of capital to early-stage bets and the remaining 30% to growth-stage investments, primarily in companies at Series D and beyond. "Of the early-stage capital, about 45% will go into first institutional rounds and 25% into follow-ons," Subramaniam said, adding that the fund will not participate in secondary transactions. Subramaniam, who previously led and backed deep tech companies such as Cosmic Circuits, IdeaForge, and Tonbo Imaging, said the team brings strong operator experience and intends to work closely with founders. "Today alone, two of our portfolio startups spent three hours each with us. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now We're not just capital providers; we want to help execute the vision," he said. While Yali's early-stage focus will be on experienced or university-affiliated founders in deep tech, the late-stage strategy leans heavily on partner Mathew Cyriac's track record of taking companies like MTAR Technologies and Data Patterns public. "India has several deep tech firms doing hundreds of crores in revenue but struggling to scale. We want to come in, back them with capital and execution, and take them public," Subramaniam said. Asked about sectoral depth, he flagged manufacturing, robotics, and chip design as areas with strong founder readiness. "India is the world's second-largest chip design talent pool. The challenge is converting that into product companies that can compete globally," he said. The firm expects to announce a large investment in the chip design space in the coming weeks. While India's domestic deep tech market remains early, Subramaniam said the LP response and founder momentum point to a long-term inflection. "The ecosystem is maturing. There's plenty of pipeline. Now it's about patient capital and execution."


Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
Binned batteries to power India's lithium boom
Rajkot: Gujarat is set to give the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' mission a significant push in lithium—the 'white gold' indispensable for powering gadgets and e-vehicles—while also extracting the metal without polluting the environment. Scientists at the Bhavnagar-based Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) developed a clean, fast, and selective method to extract lithium from disposed batteries. This discovery could significantly reduce India's import bills as the country imports 100% of its lithium requirement. This study was recently published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, a leading peer reviewed chemistry journal by the German Chemical Society. Scientists say the technology will also give the much-needed momentum to India's rapid shift to green energy and lower dependence on fossil fuels. On average, one ton of lithium requires processing about 28 tons of battery waste. The metal is recovered only after several stages of processes that are slow, inefficient, and costly, often resulting in metal contamination and loss, and the purity is also not high. This also deters battery producers from extracting lithium from waste. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Many Are Watching Tariffs - Few Are Watching What Nvidia Just Launched Seeking Alpha Read More Undo The conventional process, after recovering the black powder, first involves leaching all metals like nickel, cobalt, and manganese in the battery's cathode, resulting in significant loss and contamination. If scaled up after commercial application, businesses handling waste batteries could get a big encouragement and better price. At present, waste battery handling is not a lucrative business due to pollution and the small quantity of lithium obtained. CSMCRI's scientists have turned the problem on its head. Instead of lithium coming out last, their new method pulls lithium out first—with purity. After recovering the black powder from used lithium-ion batteries, anthraquinone salt and hydrogen peroxide are applied to selectively extract lithium. Kannan Srinivasan, director of CSIR-CSMCRI, said, "This method avoids the harsh chemicals and high-energy use of existing processes." Lead researcher and Principal Scientist Alok Ranjan Paital said, "We achieved 97% lithium leaching efficiency in just one hour. Also, compared to 2–3 days required by traditional methods to extract one ton of lithium, this new technique delivers the same results in just 2–3 hours with higher purity. " Scientists also successfully synthesised new battery materials, proving its practical viability. "This greener method could help ease pressure on lithium mining and support a sustainable lithium supply chain," said principal scientist Kanti Bhooshan Pandey. CSMCRI is already in talks with industry players for commercial adoption.