Grocery shopping online - have you tried it?

applecruncher

applecruncher

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Location
Ohio USA
I'm not fond of spending time in stores these days. So I've been thinking about online grocery shopping.

A few friends have shopped for groceries online and then picked up their order at the store. No major complaints.

Since I no longer drive, when my shopper/helper isn't available I'd have to use delivery service ($35 purchase minimum). The fees don't seem too bad.

Anyone have good/bad experiences?
 

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I have done the click list through Dillon's aka Kroger which is the curbside service. Groceries not always kept at proper temps.

Then I went to delivery through Instacart through Dillon's. This is proving to be a bit more challenging. Some of the Instacart shoppers aren't paying enough attention. They're either getting the wrong product or no product or you're getting charged for stuff you're not getting. It's $10 extra. But they do all the leg work and bring it to the door. Yesterday I didn't get one of the pizzas I ordered at all. It wasn't listed as out of stock either. They charged me for 4 gal of water but I never got them.

It beats going in the store and chancing the infection but...it has it's drawbacks. I wish I could just be safe to go in and get my own damned groceries again.
 
I haven't tried the service. I hate the thought of someone picking out my meats and produce.
I try to go when I know the store isn't going to be crowded. I shopped well before the Thanksgiving rush.
I am lucky to have two big chest freezers which now has enough to get me through for the next couple of months and maybe even longer.
I freeze milk and scramble eggs which freeze very well.
The only thing I'm missing is fresh veggies and fruit. Rather than risk our lives I can do without.
 

Ruth n Jersey said:
I haven't tried the service. I hate the thought of someone picking out my meats and produce.
I try to go when I know the store isn't going to be crowded. I shopped well before the Thanksgiving rush.
I am lucky to have two big chest freezers which now has enough to get me through for the next couple of months and maybe even longer.
I freeze milk and scramble eggs which freeze very well.
The only thing I'm missing is fresh veggies and fruit. Rather than risk our lives I can do without.
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Sometimes if they don't have certain things I look for other stuff to alternate it with. And I order both just in case.
 
I've done it lots of times. Only a few times was there a problem.

My instructions at one place were to call or text if my item was not available for a substitution and once, they did not.

Sell by dates are always in the future.

My Aldi not only texts to ask but sends pictures of possible subs.

In these days the call for home delivery is so great, dates may be hard to get, and employees are pressed. New hires not yet up to par.

I consider any fees and tips well worth the safety and convenience.
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
I haven't tried the service. I hate the thought of someone picking out my meats and produce.
I try to go when I know the store isn't going to be crowded. I shopped well before the Thanksgiving rush.
I am lucky to have two big chest freezers which now has enough to get me through for the next couple of months and maybe even longer.
I freeze milk and scramble eggs which freeze very well.
The only thing I'm missing is fresh veggies and fruit. Rather than risk our lives I can do without.
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Actually they've done pretty good at picking my head lettuce.
 
It’s something I‘ve considered and may have to do if the numbers become really bad. I like to choose my one meat. Short stale dates for bread & milk really bother me. Last week one major store had milk (gallon size) that was short dated at 5 days. I’d be really upset to have that arrive at my door.

For delivery I’d expect to tip (no idea how much). Do you also tip when you pick up at the store.
 
I have used it and been very satisfied. You can choose if you want a substitution or not. You have a preference box that I always use. I tell them that I want a long expiration date on milk and will refuse it if its not done. You get a message for anything not available and its refunded. You decide how much tip for the delivery person and add it at the time of order. I get messages when they get the order, when they start shopping, when they check out, when they are on their way and when they are at my door. I don't order any meat but have ordered chicken salad, pasta salad and others. HEB is my store of choice as Kroger has a $ll.98 delivery fee which is too much in my opinion.
 
I get my groceries delivered regularly. The cost seems reasonable, considering what is involved. I would much prefer to do the shopping myself but hate supermarkets and the small shops don't have everything I want. Overall, the service is good, though things are very often too close to their sell-buy date, which is annoying.
 
Yes, I have decided to go back to ordering online as the stores are getting more crowded because of Christmas. Mine has been good as long as I tick the box that says "no substitutions" as I never know what I am getting. Some items are out of stock when I order and if I really need those items I will run into the store to get them. A funny thing that happened; I check "5" on bananas thinking I would get just 5 bananas but I received over 20! When I picked up the store person said it was a lot of bananas and she took them back and my account was credited in a few weeks.

This is really great for heavy items like pop, milk, laundry detergent and canned goods.
 
After going to Walmart numerous times for some grocery shopping, and getting fairly bad diarrhea after each time, we decided to the online "curbside pickup". Was ordering on our iPhone, thru the Walmart app, then found ordering to be easier on our desktop. We always check "no substitutions". We don't buy meat, fruit (other than canned fruit) or vegi's. We go to Safeway for that stuff. Our Safeway is a whole lot less crowded than Walmart is, but the costs for the items we buy thru Walmart are most definitely more expensive.

As far as how accurate our "curbside pickup" is with Walmart, not really any problems at all. But, have figured out that if not ordering/pickup the same day, there can be items that go out of stock. For example, when doing an online order on Monday, for a Tuesday pickup, the order won't be done until Tuesday. So, things ordered on Monday may not be available on Tuesday.
 
Yes, I do it at Kroger's. Mostly good experience, however sometimes ya get either no substitutions , or not near what you want. Also [take bananas for example] sometimes they are way over ripe , and I end up throwing away one or two. If i were doing my own shopping , I would have never picked those bananas .

But the convenience of it makes it worthwhile.

Send the order on-line, and [usually] just go to the store and they bring it out and put it in my truck. In really bad weather , cold/snow, etc. I have the order delivered.
 
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So for those of you who click "no substitutions" what do you do if you need milk and they have none? Just go without? What if you need it for a recipe?
 
I would allow subs for those items that are crucial. If there is no milk in the store at all you'd have to get it elsewhere I guess.

Staples like milk, eggs and bread are usually always in supply. Uness there's a snowstorm, LOL!
 
Jules said:
It’s something I‘ve considered and may have to do if the numbers become really bad. I like to choose my one meat. Short stale dates for bread & milk really bother me. Last week one major store had milk (gallon size) that was short dated at 5 days. I’d be really upset to have that arrive at my door.

For delivery I’d expect to tip (no idea how much). Do you also tip when you pick up at the store.
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Jules at stores I've used online have a suggested amount for a tip. It's usually 5% but there is always is a drop down menu where you can change it or not tip at all.
 
I've done grocery pickup at several stores, and routinely use the Walmart and Smiths (Kroger). On the couple of occasions I've gotten something I didn't like or a wrong thing, I've just called and they've refunded the money to my credit card, no questions asked.

At the stores from which I've picked up, no tipping is allowed.
 
I've been using an online shopping service through Stop & Shop for the last 8 months, out of necessity. They sometimes have a few items that are out of stock, but all in all I've had a good experience. The delivery drivers have all been really nice, polite and helpful. I'm satisfied with it.

I've also used Instacart, where you pick your items and a personal shopper delivers them within 5 hours. They not only bring groceries, but will shop at CVS, the pet store and a variety of other places.

Both cost more than if you go to the store yourself, but it's worth it to me since I'm vision impaired and mobility impaired, they're a great resource for me.
 
Butterfly said:
I've done grocery pickup at several stores, and routinely use the Walmart and Smiths (Kroger). On the couple of occasions I've gotten something I didn't like or a wrong thing, I've just called and they've refunded the money to my credit card, no questions asked.

At the stores from which I've picked up, no tipping is allowed.
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Same here Butterfly, the store I've picked up from have their own employees pull your items and they don't allow tipping either.
 
RadishRose said:
I would allow subs for those items that are crucial. If there is no milk in the store at all you'd have to get it elsewhere I guess.

Staples like milk, eggs and bread are usually always in supply. Uness there's a snowstorm, LOL!
Click to expand...

With the china virus scare, a few items are sometimes not available .
 

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