Online grocery shopping

[Becky]

Anyone here do their grocery shopping online? I mentioned about it in the baking topic and it got me thinking... I started doing online food shopping last year because of my back problems (sometimes pushing a trolley can cause me issues) and I'm a massive fan of it nowadays.

I think I've tried all the major ones here in the UK - Sainsbury, Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado... mostly to make the most of their introductory offers! If you've not tried it then this is well worth doing - often during the first 6 weeks they give you loads of money off, so it's worth moving between providers to make the most of this.

In the end I settled on Ocado. The thing I like most about them is the live stock levels; with the others, they are all supermarkets that are open to the public, and someone goes around them with a big cart doing your shopping for you. So between placing an order and someone doing the shop, a particular item could go out of stock because you can't take into account the customers in the store. It was often the case that a number of items weren't delivered because they were not available, but to be fair you often get favourable substitutions. With Ocado, there are no customers and no shop, so generally speaking what you order is what you get.

I'm now signed up for Smart Pass with Ocado for free deliveries - think it was around £45 for the year (for mid-week deliveries), but you also get special offers and discounts, and sometimes freebies.

Since using Ocado regularly, the only downside that I have is that I now hate going to the supermarket! There are always too many people, uncontrolled kids, old ladies taking up the whole aisle... etc... I try to use smaller shops or markets to pick things up ad hoc.

Anyone else here a fan of online grocery shopping?

 

[muckshifter]

I tried once to buy from my local Asda .. they cannot process my name ... when I told them I was having problems, they told me to contact the 'online' store.

Never heard of Ocado ...

 

[Becky]

Never heard of Ocado ...

They're pretty good - and offer some good introductory offers.

I thought that I would end up spending more on groceries through doing online shopping, but weirdly I think I now spend less. Being able to look things like the cost per gram is really useful - helps you see where the bargains are

 

[Taffycat]

Yes, I have been a big fan ever since getting my first PC, way back in 2001.

Just like @Becky, I find it hugely helpful to shop this way, because it avoids the issues of queues, crowded and often noisy stores, pushing a heavy (sometimes unco-operative) trolley, plus the whole business of handling the groceries so many times! The latter might sound a bit silly, but just think: place the chosen items into the trolley, get to the checkout, take items out, put them on the conveyor-belt, load them all back into the trolley again, unload them from trolley into car-boot, unload them all again at home... then put everything away.

Sainsbury's is my regular choice - partly because they have a one-hour delivery slot, which is very convenient.

We have been pretty fortunate, and don't often tend to find that things go out of stock - mostly, I receive everything I've ordered. Occasionally, there will be a substitution (but whether they provide one, is something that you can choose to have, or not, by ticking anything you would prefer not to be substituted. Any price differences are always refunded too.)

These days, I tend to only visit a supermarket on an odd occasion when I might need just a couple of items.

Ocado sounds interesting - I have never tried it, but, I'd be tempted to give it a go if, for some reason, I couldn't use my regular store.

 

[Becky]

Glad it's not just me who doesn't like supermarkets!

 

[bootneck02]

Sarah and I like to see what we are buying so we use ether Morrisons or Tesco, I prefer Morrisons and they have a nice little cafe whereas Tesco have costalot.

 

[nivrip]

No, but one of my daughters does. She is out at work all day and can see no reason not to.

 

[floppybootstomp]

I've been shopping online a couple of years now, mostly for heavy items as I won't have owned a vehicle for five years come this January.

My main criteria for an order is whoever's stocking the cheapest draught Guinness

Which is usually Tesco. I've only used Asda, Sainsburys and Tescos and of those 3 Asda are the pits for online shopping, absolutely useless. I've actually only ordered twice from Asda.

I like to shop for real for fresh produce, I like to see what I'm buying. Supermarkets don't bother me, if toddlers are running round uncontrolled I find a good drop kick a la Rugby style usually discourages them and little old ladies I just push over, they tend to roll a little until meeting a stationary object then stay still and whimper - no problems

The biggest prob with supermarkets are the automatic checkouts, I've honestly punched them a couple of times, I swear they don't like me.

Still, online shopping is convenient, Sainsburys and Tescos have one hour delivery time slots and it saves me lugging heavy goods home on the bus or train.

 

[Urmas]

I don't buy food online. Simply because where I live, there is no point to do so. There are half a dozen convenience stores within 250 meters from my doorstep. Less than a mile (or a three-stop tram ride) to the major department stores. And so on.

If I lived further away from Gotham Central — or had issues with my health — of course I'd shop online.

Mailbox-fridge combo

http://viilea.fi/en/service/

 

[Becky]

@Urmas mailbox fridge combo?! That's genius!

if toddlers are running round uncontrolled I find a good drop kick a la Rugby style usually discourages them and little old ladies I just push over, they tend to roll a little until meeting a stationary object then stay still and whimper - no problems

I know what you mean about fresh produce. There are some things I wouldn't buy online, and I've learned which items to avoid through trial and error. Butternut squash and avocados tend to be more miss than hit unfortunately, so I try and buy those in store. Thinks like onions and carrots are always fine though.

I wonder what the wastage is like when you compare in-store shopping vs online shopping... There is a lot of wastage in supermarkets because customers won't pick up anything that doesn't look perfect, so I wonder if there is less wastage through online shopping? ie the person gathering up an online shop might be less fussy than the customer, and therefore less wastage? It would be interesting to know whether or not this is the case.

 

[Urmas]

There is a lot of wastage in supermarkets because customers won't pick up anything that doesn't look perfect, so I wonder if there is less wastage through online shopping?

Or more? It may well be that online customers check the goodies they receive with a fine-toothed comb.

Veggie wastage — there was A STORY about a Helsinki convenience store where all less-than-perfect but edible vegetables are boxed and sold at one euro per box. The grocer says that they used to dump 750 litres of veggies every week and now it is over one third less. Not a singe box has been left unsold so far.

 

[bootneck02]

I like some of you was brought up in the late 40's and 1950's during rationing we were lucky we lived in the country and we like many grew all our fruit and veg and we were self sufficient we would have runner beans practically all year round because we used to salt them in big stone jars. Apples were a bit more problematic but we would have them till Feb. But gardens now are not as big so growing fruit and veg is now problematic. Things like Bananas were not available in great quantities and soon sold out in the greengrocers and strawberries were only available if you grew them, and then most homes would make a large proportion into jam.