Does anybody on the forum buy their groceries online? I've heard it's a big new fad in the States, and I was skeptical at first, but the more I read about it, the better it looks. People claim they can get reasonable prices even after you add the delivery cost, and as a bonus, you save time. I think it can also lead to lower expenses on groceries in long run - when you go to a bigger shop, you often end up buying things you didn't plan to purchase and could go on without. Buying online would get rid of that. What's your opinion?
From what I've heard, groceries are cheaper online. You could save up to 20% if you shop around but most people don't preferring instead to buy their groceries from one online store. To get better deals you have to compare prices and buy from whatever legit place is selling groceries at the cheapest prices.
I used to do it all the time when I lived in England, especially when the weather was horrible and I didn't want to set foot outside LOL However, that's a service that's yet to make it to Botswana, so I have to do it the traditional way here! I alternated stores when I used to do it, mainly because the fresh produce could be questionable at some stores. Or sometimes I'd shop for everything else and then separately shop for my fruit and veg in person. If I was feeling flash, I would opt to splash out and shop with one of the posh stores, Ocado. Their fruit and veg was always on point. Surprisingly, it wasn't overly more expensive!
I have occassionally bought some groceries from Amazon but I would think buying all your groceries online would run into money. This would be especially where I live, because it is not close to any cities or major commerce hubs. There is a food service Schwans that runs out here, but a lot of their items are quite expensive. I am going to look at a store online called Basket because supposedly they have groceries at a discount..but i am sure it can't match what I can find by going to the store.
I buy various natural products online that I can't obtain where I live, such as buckwheat flour, coconut oil, and various other items. They are hard to find find here, and if I do encounter them, they are overpriced and often out of date. So, I import various grocery products from overseas. Not because they are cheaper but because they are a necessity in my life.
I do, but I will never buy fresh food, because I much prefer to be able to take a look at those types of things myself so that I can pick the best things. When ordering fresh fruit online in the past, I have found that people have simply sent things to me that they can't sell to people who are choosing their own, which isn't right in my opinion.
Thanks for voicing your opinion, guys Yes, I guess shopping for fresh fruit and vegetables is better done in a normal shop when you can check the state of the stuff you're buying. @Lushlala - I didn't think about shopping and the weather, but I guess in the infamous UK climate it's an important thing to consider.
I had friends who would buy them online in college and use their parents credit card to get them sent to their dorms. I don't have that luxury, but they were always in good condition. Vons has been heavily advertising that service in my area.
The only thing I forgot to mention that I didn't quite like about online shopping, is that sometimes if something wasn't in stock, they'd send you a substitute. The problem with that? The substitute didn't always match up to what I originally wanted in terms of quality and in some cases taste, or it may be more expensive than I would've been prepared to pay. However, I blame myself for that because it took me a while to realise I could opt out of the substitutes.
@Lushlala That's quite strange, shouldn't the default option be to return money? Seeing that they've already failed when it turned out your requested item was not in stock, despite being available for clients, the shop should not be trying to play more tricks on a customer. But I guess that's what we got when everybody is only about their profits.
Online grocery shopping is also starting here already. Some of my colleagues who are busy mothers are availing of that scheme because they work 5 days a week and have some other chores to do during weekends. But for me, I still prefer to go shopping in the supermarket personally because I am picky with the quality of food especially with the fruits not to mention that I am always in the hunt for discounted items. Most big supermarkets here have a promo on meat and other items bundled with a freebie - the most common are big botttles of soda that is packed with a free packet of pasta or noodles.
I have personally never done it since that kind of service is not available in my area. However, if I may have a say in this, I would like to express my concerns regarding online grocery shopping. Many, including myself, would prefer to head over to the grocery store and purchase groceries themselves since they can evaluate whether or not they are fresh. When ordering online, you cannot check the quality and freshness of groceries you ordered up until they arrive at your door which is sort of late.
So far that kind of service is also not yet available here in our country as far as I know, and since I live near a lot of malls, I also would just prefer to buy my groceries in person so that I can be assured of the condition of the item.
I totally agree with you, @coalie! You'd expect that to be the case, wouldn't you?! The first time it happened I was very angry and went scouring my shopping list on the site, only to find whatever i'd ordered had been substituted with something else! I wasn't best pleased because I felt they'd snuck it in instead of making it obvious to us. But that's retailers for you, their main concern is the bottom line. From that point on though, I always made sure I opted out of the substitutes.
@Lushlala Yes, if they have already failed (since customer shouldn't be able to order a product out of stock min the first place), they have no excuse to do anything but return the cash. It should be a default setting from the start. I'm aware that retailers are in the business for profits, but honestly, I'd rather if they upped the prices than play such tricks on customers. I hate when I'm shopping or buying something and the seller is trying to weasel out of the contract later.
Exactly, @coalie! We did in fact give the concerned retailer feedback on this, which was seemingly well received. Whether or not they ever actioned it or moved to make any changes to that effect, I don't know because we then moved countries shortly after that. But for all our objections at the unfairness of a lot of things that retailers get up to, for the most part, they'll do what they want to do. I mean, if some of them can brazenly flout laws that govern them, I doubt the voice of the lone man on the street is enough to change their unscrupulous ways. For all I know, we could have been the only ones who complained about this. -and for as long as there's not much noise made about issues, retailers tend to develop this sense of invincibility and arrogantly do what they do: rip people off without a care in the world
Peapod is the established contender in the online grocery area, and it can provide a great service for those who cannot leave the home. Amazon Fresh is competing to gain market share, but I don't think I'd feel okay purchasing fresh greens and fruit on the internet. I typically like to inspect my groceries and fresh fruit, similar to how I purchase clothes, so for now, it's not for me.
If I have the strength and am still able to be active, I don't think that I would buy groceries online, it looks so unreal, I love holding the fruits and taking in their lovely sweet smells and being able to judge and pick the best, I also get to talk to a lot of folk and exchange recipes. Shopping online takes away that human interaction and I think that we are heading for a future with more and more lonely people.
I do it for small purchases and the delivery fee is not that much and I'd even go as far as to say that it probably would cost me even more to drive and buy the small items myself. For larger busy I believe it is worth the trip but for small additions here and there I am glad that there is this option. One thing I'm hesitant of is buying produce or poultry this way because I prefer to see what I'm buying when I purchase those, but otherwise, for packaged goods it's a good alternative to have.
I always buy my groceries online, it gives me more time to think about what I want to buy and to stick to a budget. I've never had any problems with fresh food being of bad quality either and it's so convenient getting it delivered to my house. I'd never do my main shop in an actual store now.
