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Muffy Aldrich's SALT WATER NEW ENGLAND

Friday, February 19, 2021

The Joys of Online/Curbside Grocery Pick-Up

Photo by Salt Water New England

 

26 comments:

  1. This would be so stress inducing for me - what if they are out of my favorite thing? What if they give me the wrong bananas? What if there is a special on my salad dressing that I don't know about? Nope, can't handle it.

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    1. I'm not sure about all stores, but Hannaford Brothers allows you to take a pass on substitutes or give instructions for what is an acceptable substitution. A few hours ahead of pick up they send an email that let's you know If anything is out of stock or if substitutions have been made. You can turn back any substitutions you don't want by calling ahead of pickup. It works very well.

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    2. I'm sure all of the stores have policies - it's just not a big enough deal to me. I spend all of 10 - 15 minutes in Whole Foods once or twice a week - well within the exposure guidelines for risk for someone my age/health. I come in contact with more people in my day to day life. If I still had kids at home and had to do a large grocery run weekly, I'm sure it would be a very different ballgame.

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    3. Patsy; I'm with you. We tried the online pickup and will do it again if the virus numbers go up here but I don't like it. Now we go to the store at 7 a.m., split the list between us and are in and out in 15 minutes.

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  2. This is the best thing ever!!! I just picked up our 127th curbside delivery from our local grocery chain today and have not been inside a grocery store since early March 2020.

    I realize that not all curbside delivery services are equal and we are extremely fortunate to have a wonderful service here. We can talk with the shopper as he shops and make substitutions along the way when necessary.

    All sales are posted on the website and if the store is out of what we want, it would still be out of it even if we went inside. We press an icon to say when we're on our way and someone is out front with our groceries when we drive up.

    I hear people say they want to select their own produce and who doesn't? But we're not risking our lives for the sake of finding the perfect apple.

    We do occasionally mask up and visit our local outdoor produce stand during the hot months for seasonal produce but, for the bulk of our routine purchases, curbside pickup is stress free shopping and has changed our shopping habits forever.

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    1. It's really wonderful, isn't it? I prefer to pick out my own produce as well, and venture out to our local butcher about once every two weeks to choose cuts of meat, but I think shopping for standard, run of the mill items will be forever changed in my household. We will stock up on pantry and other mostly non-perishable items every several days, and curbside pickup is a complete joy in terms of the time it saves. One of our grocers (a large regional chain) has even re-engineered its physical store to include significant refrigerated and frozen space for pickup orders. Bags are color coded by which contains frozen items, refrigerated items, and non-perishable. The convenience is grand, and I can't believe we didn't take advantage prior to the pandemic. Although I love perusing the aisles, we buy the same items the majority of the time, and don't need to spend time waiting in line for checkout just to pick up the same oatmeal, ground coffee, and other items. I hope they don't pare the services back once the pandemic subsides, because it truly is a great time saving convenience. Between not commuting to the city and not having to shop for groceries, I've probably added some 16 hours or so of life to my typical week!

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  3. I haven't been to a grocery store since last March. I've been getting my groceries delivered about twice a week. There are mistakes made but a simple call fixes it and I get a refund or they deliver the right item. Like Susan I like to select my own produce but it's not worth the risk to me. There is no delivery charge with minimum orders and the amount I pay in tips isn't more than what I was paying in gas to drive back and forth.

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  4. I've never naturally enjoyed shopping, so online/curbside pickup has been a huge plus for me. Now that I'm acclimated to it, I hope it's never discontinued.

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  5. Muff, do the poverty-stricken, unemployed folks in Hartford and Bridgeport crowding food pantries qualify for this thread? If so, I have some comments.

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  6. Our local H-E-B almost immediately introduced protocols to keep staff and in store shoppers safe. I have yet to experience any of the other shopping methods. As regards Ferd's comment, when I can I support our food pantry. It is hard to say "no" to the various folk who are always asking for funds, but until people can be fed, the other charities will need to stand in the queue. It is wrenching.

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  7. We have been fortunate in our small town, the grocers instituded safety protocol very early, so we have been able to continue shopping in a fairly normal fashion. Thanks so much!

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  8. I love it!! Some caveats are that I like to choose my own produce, milk and eggs. Otherwise its the way I like to grocery shop.

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  9. Eh, my better half is immune-compromised, and we have continued to shop in person using sensible precautions. We tend to be efficient and focused in shopping so do not linger and have extraneous interactions with people in the stores in any case. Having long medical expertise because of the career, and keeping up on the best data sources, it is foolish to throw away a year or more of normal life because of irrational fears stoked by a poorly-performing public health system.

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    1. Being focused, not lingering and not having extraneous interactions isn't normal grocery shopping for me. I've always chatted with the regular employees, people in line and enjoy perusing products. I'm looking forward to when that normalcy can return. Until then home delivery is terrific.

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  10. You folks from "up North" make a big deal out of simple things. Please don't ever move down South and mess up our way of living.

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    1. Your timing is impeccable as we just rocked it with our response to cold and snow!

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    2. As long as you stay where you are, it's a deal!

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  11. As Covid 19 variants continue to spread worldwide we curbside fetchers are lucky to have cars & online accounts so we can keep safely away from enclosed spaces with people who are not from our house or pod. I miss picking out my own fruits and vegetables but I also do not want to risk catching this awful virus at my advancing age. My hunch is that we will be using curbside pickup for a long time to come. I feel grateful to be able to take advantage of every opportunity I get to keep my distance from others during this awful pandemic. My favorite grocery pickup is Kroger owned Harris Teeter.

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  12. Patsy, I had a good laugh at your comments above because I experienced the same exact anxiety the first few times I shopped online. I'm very picky. However, I've used Insta-cart many times this year and it's been mostly fantastic even though I don't always enjoy sitting at my computer watching them shop for my groceries- ready to advise them on how to choose a replacement when necessary. On the rare occasion that a shopper doesn't follow instructions, the company is quick to rectify or reimburse. The key is to know your store and be available to communicate with the shopper via text or chat. I also provide detailed instructions in the notes/preferences under each item- "very green bananas."
    I once tried the curbside pickup at The Fresh Market but that was just too chaotic!

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    1. Good to know you are young and healthy enough to buy green bananas! ;)

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  13. I think it is great. I am however tired of the reason for its popularity or necessity, COVID!!!!!!

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  14. Due to a serious knee issue, I was using curbside pickup and delivery way before Covid, and it was a nightmare for me when everyone started using it and I couldn't even reserve a space/time/slot. I've only had a negative experience with one local grocery chain, everything else has been fine and I will continue to use it long after Covid has gone at any store that it is still available. It allows me to manage my pain and use the time when I'm pain free in a much better way than getting groceries, etc. I've had great experience with getting the items I wanted, very good communication for the most part on substitutions, etc. I wish this kind of service had been available several years ago when I was sick and unable to do much of anything for almost two months, it would have been a god send!

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  15. Our grocery store has offered pickup for some time, however I didn't try it until recently. Ordering is easy and the shoppers do a terrific job. I'm saving money (no impulse buys) and time. When things get back to normal and life becomes more hectic, this service will be useful. I live in a small community. While I enjoy running into people in the grocery store, there are definitely days that I don't have the time to do groceries AND chat.

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  16. Would also like to say I would KILL to have a pantry like we had growing up. I've walked through some houses under construction in our neighborhood and it seems like people are going back to building them again. It's one of those things which should have never disappeared; it would be so nice to 75% of everything at eye level again.

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  17. Was using my local Kroger curbside well before the onset of Covid. Some reasons why:

    1. Convenience and time savings. Let someone else do the shopping and loading of the car.

    2. Kroger has a nice substitution policy. If they substitute a more expensive item, they only charge you the price of the one you ordered. Also, you can specify to substitute on an item by item basis.

    3. It has been a wonderful thing in the recent midwestern cold snap.

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  18. Our perspective has changed,
    at chemo #12/chest port,
    the "winning numbers" of weekly blood draw results
    and working hard to stay on THIS side of the dirt...real life happens.
    Use your resources, try all tools that help YOU and yours.

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