Online Grocery Shopping

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OldingSoon

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Good day everyone,

I would like to ask if you all prefer online grocery shopping or just grocery shopping?

Edit: Thanks!
 

I've never shopped for groceries online, I'd rather go to the store myself and pick out the produce, check expiration dates, etc. Of course it's probably very handy for those who are homebound, and can't get out to the stores. I imagine there are some errors in the orders, wrong sizes, brands, etc., but it sounds like a good option for those in need. BTW, welcome! :)
 
A new twist on an old idea,when folks would call the local grocer and phone an order.
 

I don't like to go to the grocery store, but I prefer it to buying all my groceries online. I do buy some food items from Amazon, however.:)
 
Some around here get their supplies online and delivered from Woolies down the coast. It's a trap unless you order over a certain amount though as the delivery charges go up as the order volume goes down. It's free delivery over 2 or 3 hundred bucks but it can cost $10 or more if you only want a kilo of sugar and a loaf of bread.

I've done a bit of research on the site and decided I'm not quite decrepit enough yet to make it worthwhile for saving me the occasional drive to the supermarket. The day could be coming though and as mentioned, it can be a lifeline for those who can't get around much.

Those who do use it rave about it and I've never heard of any problems with the quality. They're really surprisingly flexible with delivery times too and you can pretty much pick any time you'd like within reason.
The only thing you can't order is cooked chooks etc. They can handle cold and frozen but won't transport hot food for obvious reasons.
 
Not really, pizzas are delivered as they're cooked, supermarkets pack orders overnight, or at least hours before delivery times, and have cold room storage but hot food wouldn't fare well being delayed.

They use casual staff in off hours to pack orders, they don't have enough day staff to cover making dashes for hot food just as each truck is ready to go. They have to turn a profit after all.

Also, and most importantly, pizza vans make a B line for the address, supermarket vans make stops all along the route.
e.g. the nearest to here is a good 25mins drive away at top kliks on the highway so add a few stops in towns off the highway and delivery time stretches to hours. I wouldn't want to eat something that's been 'on the road' in this climate for a few hours except under refrigeration.
It not only wouldn't be hot any more, it could be salmonella central.

Not sure but I think it would be illegal, besides stupid, for them to deliver 'hot' foods under the conditions they operate in.
 
I've ordered online a couple of time and it is great to have a load delivered and carried in to your kitchen.
The delivery charges here depend on the time window you want. The more exact the time the higher the charge.
I found a 4 hour window not too heavy on the purse.

Later, when I'm not so mobile, or we don't have a car, I plan to make use of this type of shopping more regularly.
 
Diwundrin said:
Not really, pizzas are delivered as they're cooked, supermarkets pack orders overnight, or at least hours before delivery times, and have cold room storage but hot food wouldn't fare well being delayed.

They use casual staff in off hours to pack orders, they don't have enough day staff to cover making dashes for hot food just as each truck is ready to go. They have to turn a profit after all.

Also, and most importantly, pizza vans make a B line for the address, supermarket vans make stops all along the route.
e.g. the nearest to here is a good 25mins drive away at top kliks on the highway so add a few stops in towns off the highway and delivery time stretches to hours. I wouldn't want to eat something that's been 'on the road' in this climate for a few hours except under refrigeration.
It not only wouldn't be hot any more, it could be salmonella central.

Not sure but I think it would be illegal, besides stupid, for them to deliver 'hot' foods under the conditions they operate in.
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Ah, okay, once again we have cabbages and Kings ... at least where I am on the East coast everything is pretty much within spitting distance of everything else. My thinking has conformed to this kind of proximity, not the long-hauls you folks have. Maybe if I lived in the mid- or far-West I could identify better.
 
Even city people here seem to live with distance in mind, everyone I know always refers to travel times between places rather than mileages.
They're flexible estimates according to road conditions, speed restrictions, road works, weather etc but it's usually close enough to be more useful than saying 100k. which could take and hour or 3 depending on the formentioned.

Guessing the same would apply in the rural US but you have better main roads over-all than we're used to. We catching up but it's been a slow process, we don't have the population you do there to carry the costs of infrastructure being hurried.

Towns get closer together as the roads get upgraded. Coffs Harbour just crept up about 10 minutes closer last weekend when they opened a new stretch of by-pass highway.

Problem I have with it is that I don't have a clue how or where to get off it to get into the town I shop in, guess I'll find out Monday when I venture out for supplies. I've looked at the online maps of the new routes but they are a typical government botch that do more to confuse than illuminate.
 
Diwundrin said:
Guessing the same would apply in the rural US but you have better main roads over-all than we're used to. We catching up but it's been a slow process, we don't have the population you do there to carry the costs of infrastructure being hurried.
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This might be one of the few times I can hold my head up with pride and say "I'm a city boy!" :playful:

I guess I'm just spoiled, because even in the worst of times (like now) I have a convenience store 2 blocks away, and several grocery stores a 20-minute bus ride away.

Towns get closer together as the roads get upgraded. Coffs Harbour just crept up about 10 minutes closer last weekend when they opened a new stretch of by-pass highway.
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Again, one advantage of city living - nutz-to-butz amenities. :D

Problem I have with it is that I don't have a clue how or where to get off it to get into the town I shop in, guess I'll find out Monday when I venture out for supplies. I've looked at the online maps of the new routes but they are a typical government botch that do more to confuse than illuminate.
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I take it you're not the adventurous type?

When I decided to take a road trip to California from New York, I didn't even pack a map - just jumped in the car, threw in a few pairs of socks and headed West. Of course, I was 22 at the time so I was full of urine and acetic acid ... got lost a lot of times, but wasn't on a time-clock and had some great adventures.
 
Jackie22 said:
Pappy, I had to look up the Aldis store......https://www.aldi.us/en/new-to-aldi/shopping-at-aldi/, I like the fact that they are a 'green' type store....read that they are 'the ikea store' for groceries.

I'm planning on doing some after Christmas shopping in the city and will certainly check it out.
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Just remember Jackie....no frills, bags or help. Just real fast check out and you are on your own. The wife and I bring a plastic bin with us for the loose items and a big freezer bag to hold frozen stuff. I understand that they are a Canadian company and we have found their meats and produce to be excellent and less expensive. Example. Pint of blueberries $1.49. Publix, $2.69.

oh, and you need a quarter to unlock their grocery carts, but you get it back when you return cart.
 
We have an Aldi's in the area - unfortunately a bus-ride-and-a-transfer away - and they're a pretty good bargain. I used to shop there when I lived in the area and was always happy with their quality and their prices.

I like that it's a self-help kind of place - that appeals to my monkish nature. :cool: I don't need a fruit-man to tell me if his bananas are ripe, or a butcher to choose my meat for me. I'm a big boy now!
 
Pappy said:
Just remember Jackie....no frills, bags or help. Just real fast check out and you are on your own. The wife and I bring a plastic bin with us for the loose items and a big freezer bag to hold frozen stuff. I understand that they are a Canadian company and we have found their meats and produce to be excellent and less expensive. Example. Pint of blueberries $1.49. Publix, $2.69.

oh, and you need a quarter to unlock their grocery carts, but you get it back when you return cart.
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I've got an Aldi about 4 miles away, but have never tried it... maybe after the first of the year.
I like the idea of online grocery shopping, but don't find it too practical for my needs.
Edit: I've heard about the new division of Amazon .. FRESH.. sounds interesting, but it's only on the West Coast for now. And doubt if it is a cheaper way to go anyway.
 
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Lurrrve Aldi. Haven't been to one lately but there's one in Coff Hbr, it's just a bit out of the way for me to get to now.

From what I've read it's wholly owned by German brothers who run it to suit themselves without being answerable to shareholders.
They franchise it and it's run pretty much the same way world wide. Shoestring running costs, no dividends to worry about, no frills, and minimum staff which is how they can make profits and still offer good products far cheaper than the competition.

Their policy is to procure local fresh produce wherever possible which supports the growers and producers in the regions and countries where they operate the franchises. They're big enough to buy manufactured goods in massive quantities and rebrand them to sell cheaper than rivals. They are the equivalent of the 'benevolent dictators' of the retail world.

The only 'Aldi brand' product I ever bought that didn't measure up as well or better than 'name' brands was their chocolate.

A quarter for a cart? Try $2 here. Maybe we're lazier about returning them or something?
 
Diwundrin said:
Shoestring running costs, no dividends to worry about, no frills, and minimum staff which is how they can make profits and still offer good products far cheaper than the competition.
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Yeah, they used the same principles in WWII as I recall ... :jaded:

They are the equivalent of the 'benevolent dictators' of the retail world.
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You're really on a roll here today ...

The only 'Aldi brand' product I ever bought that didn't measure up as well or better than 'name' brands was their chocolate.
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As can be expected from a chocoholic!

A quarter for a cart? Try $2 here. Maybe we're lazier about returning them or something?
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No, you just have a $17/hr minimum wage. :playful:
 
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