Author Topic: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?  (Read 3883 times)

kimmarg

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Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« on: June 23, 2018, 07:09:15 PM »
I've just put in my order for my local grocery store using their 'to go' system. I order online and will pick up tomorrow afternoon. There is a $5 fee for this service. I get all the same sale prices, coupons, and discounts I get if I shop in store. As mustachians what are your opinions of this service? Do I deserve a facepunch?

Pro online order:
- be able to check your stocks as you order to know exactly what you need (could make a more rigourous list)
- no tempting displays of beer, cookies or anything else you don't need
- can see your totals right in your cart and easily 'put back' a few items if it is too expensive
- saves time

Con online order:
- $5 fee
- Order is for only one store which may not have the best prices on all items

Priceless:
- not shopping with a whiney toddler in tow.

civil4life

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2018, 07:20:00 PM »
I started doing this several months ago when Walmart started it.  If you order over $35 there is no fee.

The other pro is I am not picking up stuff I do not need.   Walmart has a price match guarantee.

Syonyk

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2018, 11:13:10 PM »
Not a thing I think is offered here, but $5 seems reasonable for that.

I'm a bad person to send grocery shopping, especially if hungry, because I'll come back with far more than $5 of extra stuff that looked good.  We use it eventually, but my wife is better at not buying snacks than I am.  Or, at least, at finding insanely cheap bulk snacks.

Going to multiple stores to find best prices... eh.  If you're driving, that's probably false savings anyway.

But our 3 year old loves going shopping and is very well behaved about it, so I don't mind it that much.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #3 on: June 24, 2018, 04:56:49 AM »
I've just put in my order for my local grocery store using their 'to go' system. I order online and will pick up tomorrow afternoon. There is a $5 fee for this service. I get all the same sale prices, coupons, and discounts I get if I shop in store. As mustachians what are your opinions of this service? Do I deserve a facepunch?

Pro online order:
- be able to check your stocks as you order to know exactly what you need (could make a more rigourous list)
- no tempting displays of beer, cookies or anything else you don't need
- can see your totals right in your cart and easily 'put back' a few items if it is too expensive
- saves time
Con online order:
- $5 fee
- Order is for only one store which may not have the best prices on all items

Priceless:
- not shopping with a whiney toddler in tow.

Yes, the $5 fee is well worth it. Your time is worth more than that, wear and tear on your car, gas and oil for your car. Whiney kid not in store everyone appreciates that! All the pros you listed are valid. I have shopped off an on for years thru Peapod and it is thru Stop and Shop in CT. It is a really good service and for about $6.95 they shop and deliver! I usually order a mega load to make it worth the $6.95. They take coupons and if they make a mistake you call and most times they just remove the item and no charge. One time though, I ordered two sweet potatoes and what I got was two sweet potatoes that were the size of eggs. I didn't call for some reason that time. I was expecting the size to be at least like Idaho potatoes. Sometimes Peapod sends a coupon for free delivery too! I always tip so that is an additional expense. It is so worth it to me now and then, not every week. Plus, older people who don't drive or don't have a car it is perfect for. Your store has you pick up and Peapod has that option too. I never use it because I think it is such a luxury for someone to do my shopping and deliver it! Have not done that in a while but we do in the winter months more. Sometimes you don't get exactly what you would have picked if you had shopped for it yourself. Like if you wanted a red pepper from produce, you might get one but if you normally pick a medium size one you might get a huge one or a tiny one. That is the one thing I have found a little annoying. Go and do it!

NV Teacher

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2018, 07:01:37 AM »
I haven’t been in the grocery store for probably six months.  The $5 fee is fine with me as I normally spent that on impulse buys every time I walked through the door. 

Cranky

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #5 on: June 24, 2018, 08:48:46 AM »
I wish, wish, wish we had grocery delivery in my area, but we don't.

I have tried the pickup service, and like it - it means that *I* can order groceries and dh can pick them up on the way home from work. We've mostly done it when we've had something that disrupts our usual errand running sequence, but I'll probably do it regularly this winter if I'm laid up from surgery.

slappy

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #6 on: June 24, 2018, 11:38:26 AM »
Not a thing I think is offered here, but $5 seems reasonable for that.

I'm a bad person to send grocery shopping, especially if hungry, because I'll come back with far more than $5 of extra stuff that looked good.  We use it eventually, but my wife is better at not buying snacks than I am.  Or, at least, at finding insanely cheap bulk snacks.

Going to multiple stores to find best prices... eh.  If you're driving, that's probably false savings anyway.

But our 3 year old loves going shopping and is very well behaved about it, so I don't mind it that much.

My three year old loves shopping with me as well. I believe there is some value in taking him shopping and helping him him understand the process, too.

The only place in my area (other than Walmart) that offers the curbside pickup is about 20% more expensive than the store we usually shop at. So that’s another reason we don’t do it.

use2betrix

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #7 on: June 24, 2018, 12:24:08 PM »
My wife does the grocery shopping and has the time/doesn’t seem to mind, however just yesterday she was telling me that the grocery store was out of egg whites, so she has to go somewhere else/make another trip.

Seems like with this feature, this issue could be avoided. Interesting.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #8 on: June 24, 2018, 12:32:06 PM »
When I shop at Peapod they will substitute if they are out of a certain brand. However, there have been times when I have ordered stuff and there were no substitutions at all. They will have it listed on the sales slip that they didn't have the item.

GoConfidently

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #9 on: June 24, 2018, 01:01:35 PM »
What kind of bags do these services use? If they use recycled boxes from deliveries I might be ok with it, but if they bag in plastic that sounds like a step in the wrong direction for me. Thankfully I shop at Aldi most of the time so it’s a quick trip in and out. I like the idea of the service for older people or those with disabilities but I honestly couldn’t justify it for my able bodied self.

Dictionary Time

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #10 on: June 24, 2018, 01:02:15 PM »
Like if you wanted a red pepper from produce, you might get one but if you normally pick a medium size one you might get a huge one or a tiny one.

Wait, I thought we all pawed through the box to find the biggest red pepper possible, since they're sold by the "each".  I feel robbed if I have to get a small one.

civil4life

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #11 on: June 24, 2018, 01:21:22 PM »
Walmart uses plastic bags.  I have used Harris Teeter which used paper bags.

For Walmart you can select next to the item if you will accept a substitute.

I have never had a problem with something not being fresh.  Although I wish I could provide notes for certain items.  Like I like barely ripe bananas.

Noodle

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #12 on: June 24, 2018, 03:32:46 PM »
My least favorite parts of grocery shopping are 1) driving over there through traffic and b) lugging all the groceries upstairs. So curbside doesn't do a lot for me since I don't mind the shopping part of the process. On the other hand, I have a sibling  with twins and they would have killed for this service back in the days when grocery shopping meant wrangling two toddlers in and out of the car.

My favorite grocery store chain has a serious parking problem at its most popular stores, though, so it does me a favor by making parking easier to find!

kimmarg

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #13 on: June 24, 2018, 03:57:02 PM »
Seems like a general 'ok' concensus. Since it's my normal store and normal items I don't really mind the $5 fee. I only do it for big orders when it seems we're out of everything. Like someone else said dh is not nearly as price concious as I am so by having him and the kiddo pick up the order on the way home from the park while I'm at work it seems like everyone wins.

I do sometimes take the toddler shopping. I do agree it's important for them to learn and she likes it for a little while, but if we have to get a lot or go at the end of the day, it can be meltdown central.

Our location uses paper bags. I guess it's a bit more of a waste than me bringing my own bags but then again I can compost them?

kimmarg

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #14 on: June 24, 2018, 03:59:04 PM »
I have tried the pickup service, and like it - it means that *I* can order groceries and dh can pick them up on the way home from work. We've mostly done it when we've had something that disrupts our usual errand running sequence, but I'll probably do it regularly this winter if I'm laid up from surgery.

It's great if your laid up. That's how I first tried it. A friend had surgery and I wanted to help out. I couldn't do much with an infant but it was easy enough for me to pick up his order and drop it by the house. I got hooked.

elliha

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #15 on: June 24, 2018, 04:01:40 PM »
Several stores where I live offer it and I hope to try it out for a bigger order sometime this fall. I will if I like it continue to make an order every 3-4 months. I think it is a very good thing to be able to have food delivered at your doorstep as long as they do not charge too much to do so.

LifeHappens

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #16 on: June 24, 2018, 04:46:04 PM »
I could definitely see using a service like that if I was sick or just totally out of time. Yesterday I was in the grocery store and there were people there from a service that does all your shopping and delivers to your home. I'm sure it's not the most frugal option, but for elderly people, the disabled or SAHPs without a vehicle, it must be a great help.

TheWifeHalf

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #17 on: June 24, 2018, 07:08:03 PM »
To anyone who has taken advantage of this, have you ever bought anything frozen? How was it packaged, and where do they keep it until you get there to pick it up? How about ice cream?

Roadrunner53

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #18 on: June 24, 2018, 08:32:05 PM »
I have gotten frozen stuff and it comes frozen. I think they must keep it at the store in a freezer and when they pack the truck all the frozen stuff is packed together in a plastic tote. All the cold stuff is cold too. Never had a problem there. They really seem to have their act together.

Cranky

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #19 on: June 25, 2018, 05:20:19 AM »
My frozen stuff was fine. They don't pull things too far in advance and it seems like they keep the cold stuff cold. Also, the Personal Shoppers at our store are not allowed to take tips, which I thought was nice.

TheWifeHalf

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #20 on: June 25, 2018, 08:45:45 AM »
Thanks for the replies. The nearest Walmart is ding that now, no fee, and it would be on TheHusbandHalf's way home from work - might consider it now.

kimmarg

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #21 on: June 26, 2018, 05:32:26 PM »
To anyone who has taken advantage of this, have you ever bought anything frozen? How was it packaged, and where do they keep it until you get there to pick it up? How about ice cream?

The store I use (Hannaford) keeps it in a big walk in freezer/fridge until you pull up. THen they bring it out to your car. i've never had temperature issues with anything.

OtherJen

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Re: Groceries: Order online and pickup curbside?
« Reply #22 on: June 26, 2018, 07:20:33 PM »
To anyone who has taken advantage of this, have you ever bought anything frozen? How was it packaged, and where do they keep it until you get there to pick it up? How about ice cream?

The store I use (Hannaford) keeps it in a big walk in freezer/fridge until you pull up. THen they bring it out to your car. i've never had temperature issues with anything.

That's great! I like to do my own shopping, but this would be an absolute godsend for my friends with multiple small kids.