A month ago only a handful of shoppers had tried online grocery shopping at Bend’s Newport Avenue Market. Today it can take a couple of days to fulfill an order because the requests are piling up.

Lauren Johnson, the market’s president and CEO, said online ordering has surged more than 500% since the COVID-19 crisis forced customers to find new ways to source their groceries while limiting contact with other people.

“Online sales are going gangbusters,” Johnson said. “We are excited about that because it limits people’s exposure out there in the community. It helps flatten the curve.”

Like shopping in the store, online grocery shopping doesn’t guarantee all goods will be available . Rice, pasta, beans, flour, eggs and toilet paper have been in short supply recently due to a surge in demand for groceries and may be unavailable.

But online shopping can save the time of wandering up and down the aisles, and it also allows elderly shoppers or those with compromised immune systems to stay outside the store. Once the customers arrive at the store, they call in and request that the groceries are brought outside.

Online shopping services vary from store to store.

Newport Avenue Market offers ordering through its website and pick up at the store, although not all items in the store are available online. A full selection of distilled spirits is available at the market, Johnson said.

Food4Less and Fred Meyer offer a similar service, although pickup times are several days longer than what Newport offers. Food4Less orders can be picked up by Doordash and delivered to a residence. Doordash charges around $6 per delivery, but the cost may increase depending on the distance.

Instacart is another service that will pick up and deliver groceries. This third-party grocery delivery company can collect groceries from Fred Meyer, Safeway, Albertsons or Costco. Once the order is placed, an Instacart shopper in the area will make the grocery run for the customer.

Wait times with Instacart are running around two days for most stores. The company offers a $99 per-year membership that allows free grocery deliveries if the order is over $35. The cost of some products may also be higher if purchased through Instacart.

“We have seen a significant increase in the usage of (Instacart) in the last few weeks and are glad to be able to offer it to our customers,” said Jill McGinnis, director of communications and public affairs for Safeway and Albertsons.

Nationally, Instacart is reporting strong growth. Last week customer order volume was up 300% year-on-year, according to an emailed statement. The number of Instacart shoppers soared from 200,000 to 350,000 in the past two weeks.

Trader Joe’s does not have online ordering, but customers can call the store and order what they want. Then when they get to the store, employees will bring the groceries to the car. Paying involves handing over a credit card for employees to ring up inside.

Similarly, C.E. Lovejoys in southwest Bend is rolling out a new service that allows customers to text an order and then pick it up outside the store.

Food4Less: (541) 388-2100, food4lessbend.com

Costco: (541) 385-9640, costco.com

Trader Joe’s: (541) 312-4198, (order by phone only)

C.E. Lovejoy’s: (541) 230-7867 (order by text only)

Newport Avenue Market: (541) 382-3940, newportavemarket.com

Fred Meyer: (541) 385-6667, fredmeyer.com

Instacart: instacart.com (pick up services for grocery stores in Bend include: Safeway, Albertsons, Fred Meyer, Costco, Natural Grocers, Smart Foodservice and Rite Aid)