Author Topic: Online groceries?  (Read 10072 times)

igthebold

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Online groceries?
« on: May 25, 2012, 09:18:29 AM »
Amazon sells groceries, but it's mostly processed foods. We don't buy that many processed foods, and the ones we do buy aren't the best deals.

The rest of our groceries are either vegetables and a little meat from a farm, or "ingredients," like rice, flour, oats, baking powder, Sriracha, etc.

Do any of you buy groceries online to save trips in your own car? Should I give up on considering the idea?

Galvenoc

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2012, 09:36:31 AM »
I don't know about amazon selling groceries online, but i do know that some branches of big chain supermarkets (stop and shop and shop rite for example) do have delivery services for actual groceries too. You can place the order online, its (near me anyways) roughly $10 delivery fee and you have to have a minimum of (i believe) $50 before they consider it.

With that said, if the gas expense to drive to your local supermarket is >$10, it would make sense to use a service such as that to get your groceries delivered. I personally live within walking distance of a supermarket, so it wouldn't be sensible for my situation, however I know people on the opposite side of town who do it every other week for either laziness, money saving, busy schedules, or what have you. you do get stuck on whatever prices they have set for your groceries online though...

The service from stop&shop and is called PeaPod (in my area) for what it's worth. If you don't buy processed food, don't start. I've was brought up in a house that ate only processed crap, got fat, bad health, etc.. weened self off of processed food and lost 60 pounds in a year.

just my thoughts :-)

JR

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2012, 09:40:16 AM »
Amazon is hit or miss when it comes to groceries and varies greatly depending on your local food market.  I can't even buy 25 lb bags of white flour locally for what I pay for a 25 lb bag of organic whole wheat on Amazon.

shedinator

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #3 on: May 25, 2012, 10:21:38 AM »
I don't know about amazon selling groceries online, but i do know that some branches of big chain supermarkets (stop and shop and shop rite for example) do have delivery services for actual groceries too. You can place the order online, its (near me anyways) roughly $10 delivery fee and you have to have a minimum of (i believe) $50 before they consider it.

With that said, if the gas expense to drive to your local supermarket is >$10, it would make sense to use a service such as that to get your groceries delivered. I personally live within walking distance of a supermarket, so it wouldn't be sensible for my situation, however I know people on the opposite side of town who do it every other week for either laziness, money saving, busy schedules, or what have you. you do get stuck on whatever prices they have set for your groceries online though...

The service from stop&shop and is called PeaPod (in my area) for what it's worth. If you don't buy processed food, don't start. I've was brought up in a house that ate only processed crap, got fat, bad health, etc.. weened self off of processed food and lost 60 pounds in a year.

just my thoughts :-)

I initially thought PeaPod was a good idea. $10 in exchange for not using gas or taking 2 hours out of my day to go grocery shopping seemed like a fair trade. But when I began "shopping," I noticed that a lot of the bargain-bin deals were not listed online (ie, meat they need to sell ASAP that's going for $0.99/lb). Since I tend to try and buy cheap ingredients and make a menu out of what I bought, I decided PeaPod wasn't worth it. YMMV

igthebold

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #4 on: May 25, 2012, 11:30:05 AM »
Thanks everyone, that all seems to jibe with what I've been thinking. I'm going to set it aside in favor of shopping local deals, etc.

gooki

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #5 on: May 25, 2012, 01:35:58 PM »
The real benefit of buying groceries online comes when you don't have a car at all, and/or are getting to old/frail to transport yourself there.

CNM

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #6 on: May 25, 2012, 01:54:03 PM »
Another option to consider is joining a CSA.  CSA stands for "community supported agriculture" and it's basically a bundle of farmer's market goods.  Most CSAs deliver or have pick up locations weekly or every two weeks.  It depends on your region and growing season what is offered.  The price varies widely on your region and your CSA; they can be more or less expensive than your supermarket.  To find one in your area, check out your local farmer's market or see if there's something for your area on localharvest.org.

igthebold

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #7 on: May 25, 2012, 03:27:27 PM »
Another option to consider is joining a CSA.

We're part of a CSA now, but it doesn't do deliveries. That's the biggest grocery trip we have, and the only one we really have to do in a car. Well, "have to," in the "we just started doing the bicycle thing in earnest," sense.

We love it, though.

chucklesmcgee

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #8 on: November 22, 2012, 11:17:35 AM »
Amazon sells groceries, but it's mostly processed foods. We don't buy that many processed foods, and the ones we do buy aren't the best deals.

The rest of our groceries are either vegetables and a little meat from a farm, or "ingredients," like rice, flour, oats, baking powder, Sriracha, etc.

Do any of you buy groceries online to save trips in your own car? Should I give up on considering the idea?

Amazon really can't replace the grocery store. But they have pretty incredible prices on some foods and groceries. Bulk spices, toiletries like razors, toothbrushes, soaps, pet products, supplements, protein powder, etc. There are some pretty nice deals compared to the grocery store when you've got free shipping, 5% off from subscribe and save, no sales tax and you don't have to take the time and gas to drive to and from the grocery store. Your grocery store will often have them beat on fairly heavy but inexpensive items, like 20 lb bag of rice or canned goods, but for lots of other stuff, they can be the best, especially when your grocery store doesn't offer it in bulk.

Perhaps their Sriracha 6 pack is a good deal? I don't know what bottles go for: http://www.amazon.com/Huy-Fong-Sriracha-17-Ounce-Bottles/dp/B001EO5ZHO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353607954&sr=8-4&keywords=sriacha

spider1204

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #9 on: November 22, 2012, 07:35:15 PM »
Ya, I can't any better deals in a retail store on soy sauce or sesame oil, although it seems like there must be better places to buy groceries online than Amazon.  I'd definitely like to find a better place to buy lentils.

aglassman

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #10 on: December 10, 2013, 09:32:42 AM »
I just placed an order on PeaPod, so I'll update how that goes.  They are supposed to deliver tonight!  They do have "hot deals" which appear to be very good deals.  Organic chicken for $1.99 / lbs,   Pork Tenderloin for $2.50 / lbs.  The other items seemed to be consistent with Pick n' Save prices (between high end and Wal-Mart).  The delivery charge starts at $10, and works its way down depending on how much you buy.  I found an online promo code that took $15 off my first order, so this one is pretty much a freebe.   There were also promo codes that took $2 off the total order. 

I think I'll try this out for awhile to suppliment what I can't get at Aldi.

impaire

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #11 on: December 10, 2013, 10:03:13 AM »
Amazon really can't replace the grocery store. But they have pretty incredible prices on some foods and groceries. Bulk spices, toiletries like razors, toothbrushes, soaps, pet products, supplements, protein powder, etc. There are some pretty nice deals compared to the grocery store when you've got free shipping, 5% off from subscribe and save, no sales tax and you don't have to take the time and gas to drive to and from the grocery store.

+1. I compared item by item with my local store (even the cheapest local store is relatively expensive), and have switched a few things to online (spices, which I'm starting to buy with a friend, some household and hygiene items, etc.)

Since we have some storage space and I things that keep from amazon, I also organize the deliveries to be 5 items or more on the months we get them (discount goes up to 15%). I check before each delivery if amazon has coupons on any of the things I get, and regularly get a couple extra dollars off my total this way.

lysistrata

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #12 on: December 10, 2013, 12:06:30 PM »
I live in New Zealand and buy my groceries online. Absolutely love it and it does save us a lot on our grocery bill, and saves a lot of time and headaches. I can't drive (legally blind) so if I want to do the shopping, my husband would have to drive me. He HATES the supermarket and gets very grumpy and rushes me and then whenever I turn around, the trolley would be filled with chocolate and treats. It is like shopping with a two year old. I can now do the shopping in 15 minutes every fortnight from home and because you have to actually SEARCH for the items on your list, it's very difficult to impulse buy. We save more than the delivery cost in this alone.

Also, for me, it was always hard to get the best deal as I struggle to see all the prices when items are on the shelves (I need to be about 1 inch away from a sign to read it) and leaping up and down and pressing my nose against the shelves is a bit embarassing and bad for my back. On the computer, it's easy to compare.

Although, we also use a vege box and our own garden for produce, and we buy meat in from farmers or raise our own. And I buy spices in bulk from a middle eastern shop when I am in town. So this is mostly for bulk items and basics - milk, flour, canned tomatoes, etc. We're trying to cut down to once per month, but it's quite difficult.

aglassman

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #13 on: December 11, 2013, 04:01:22 PM »
So I got my first PeaPod order last night!

Pros:

1) Was easy to figure out cost / Meal.  I will need to do this AHEAD of time for the next order!
2) Produce was very good quality.  The Avocados were perfectly ripe.
3) I got a coupon for free delivery for the next 60 days.

Cons:
 
1) I had to overbuy things like  burger buns, sweet potatoes, and onions as they only came in bags.  Same with cheese as normally I'd just get 2-4 slices form the deli. These will get used, so not a huge loss.
2) Delivery window was 6-8pm, they came at 8:15pm.


Also price / meal should actually be lower as I use leftover spinach, cheese, olives, salsa in my morning omelettes.
I could also try to find recipes with fewer / cheaper ingredients.  I also bought grass fed beef, which added a lot to the cost.  I may just avoid buying that even though it is very good.

Taco Salad      Meals   $ / Meal
meat   7.99      
spinach   1.99      
olives   1.49      
avocado   1.25      
tomato   0.49      
seasoning   0.99      
salsa   3.99      
TOTAL   18.19   4    $4.55
         
Whole Chicken         
garlic   1.78      
rosemary   1.09      
lemons   1.99      
chicken   7.61      
sweet potato   1      
TOTAL   13.47   4    $3.37
         
Burgers         
buns    3.79      
meat   7.99      
lettuce   2.99      
tomato   0.49      
cheese   3.49      
avacado   1.25      
pasta salad   3.99      
TOTAL   23.99   4    $6.00
         
split pea         
ham   5.84      
ham hocks   5.23      
onions   1.5      
split peas   1.19      
veggie broth   2      
carrots   1      
TOTAL   16.76   6    $2.79

somepissedoffman

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #14 on: December 11, 2013, 04:41:24 PM »

We're part of a CSA now, but it doesn't do deliveries. That's the biggest grocery trip we have, and the only one we really have to do in a car. Well, "have to," in the "we just started doing the bicycle thing in earnest," sense.

We love it, though.

If you have friends at work that also (or want to) do CSA, some farms will deliver direct to an office if you get a big enough order (I think the magic number was 10ish* boxes for the one I saw, but don't remember exactly).  We considered doing that at our office, never quite worked out, but could be convenient. 

*When does Sean Connery arrive at Wimbledon?

Nords

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #15 on: December 11, 2013, 11:07:30 PM »
If you're on the front range of Colorado, between Pueblo and Fort Collins, take a look at Mile High Organics:
http://www.milehighorganics.com/p-180-delivery-areas.html

----------------

Slightly different subject:  we don't use online grocery shopping, but we've discovered the next-best thing for busy parents.

When our daughter got her driver's license, she wanted to do all the driving.  We wanted that too, because Hawaii drivers don't get enough road time to practice their skills. 

So every week for nearly two years she did all of our grocery shopping. 

She learned how to prep the list, how to pick out the fruits & veggies, how to track prices, and how to handle a budget.  She kept half of every coupon she used, and we paid her a 5% "delivery fee".  She also got to listen to whatever music she wanted as loud as she could stand it without my accompanying "helpful driving tips".  She thought she was getting the better half of the deal, but we would've paid far more for the privilege.

When she finally left for college, having to resume our own grocery shopping was a harsh dose of reality.

To this day, most of the grocery cashiers still don't know my name but say "How's your daughter?"
« Last Edit: December 11, 2013, 11:10:38 PM by Nords »

annaraven

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Re: Online groceries?
« Reply #16 on: December 12, 2013, 01:24:21 AM »

We're part of a CSA now, but it doesn't do deliveries. That's the biggest grocery trip we have, and the only one we really have to do in a car. Well, "have to," in the "we just started doing the bicycle thing in earnest," sense.

We love it, though.

If you have friends at work that also (or want to) do CSA, some farms will deliver direct to an office if you get a big enough order (I think the magic number was 10ish* boxes for the one I saw, but don't remember exactly).  We considered doing that at our office, never quite worked out, but could be convenient. 

*When does Sean Connery arrive at Wimbledon?

Also, you could take turns with another family to pick up your CSA.

I use subscribe&save from Amazon. Anything to keep me out of the grocery store. I save a lot of money just by not going into a grocery store, which helps avoid impulse purchases and those "oh, I'll make a lot of big salads this week" good intentions that end up being treats for the chickens.