Instacart, the grocery delivery service, is on its way to Dover

Starting this Thursday, some 69,000 households in the Dover area will have access to Instacart, an online shopping platform that pledges to put groceries at your doorstep in as little as an hour.

The service, which is available in 275 markets (including Wilmington), was founded in San Francisco in 2012 to simplify ordering fresh produce and other perishables for quick delivery.

Instacart’s model is similar to Uber, in that members of the community can apply to become independent-contractor drivers (called shoppers) who claim orders to fulfill through a mobile app.

In Dover, participating stores include Safeway, ACME, CVS and Petco. The service area includes Smyrna, Camden, Townsend and Middletown.

Wondering if you’ll be able to get access to the service? These are the ZIP codes now added to Instacart’s service area in Delaware: 19901, 19902, 19903, 19904, 19905, 19906, 19934, 19936, 19943, 19946, 19961, 19962, 19979, 19980, 19953, 19964, 19709, 19734, 19938, 19955, 19977, 19730 and 19731.

New customers can enter the code HIDOVER to get $20 off an order of $35 or more (plus free delivery) until October 25.