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Online Supermarket Shopping

(56 Posts)
mollie Wed 05-Jun-13 14:03:05

I've only tried this once or twice in the past. I have the time to do it myself so it's of no benefit but I've been prompted out of curiosity to try a comparison website to see if I can save a few pounds by shopping around. Having typed in my shopping list it seems that my supermarket of choice comes out cheapest. In addition, the comparison site offered a nice discount for my first delivery so I decided to take advantage this time and hit the buttons. But when I got to the checkout of the actual supermarket my final bill (with delivery added and discount voucher deducted) was nearly £20 more! Apparently this could be due to a number of factors... needless to say I hit the cancel button and will be going myself as usual. Is it just me?

Ariadne Sun 21-Jul-13 02:16:18

I'm up too! A touch of indigestion, too hot anyway, so I moved into the spare room. Now I'm downstairs having a cup of peppermint tea, and feeling very wide awake...hello, whats, and welcome!

Still a happy online shopper, by the way. smile

whatsgoingon Sun 21-Jul-13 01:27:26

The reason I am still up is because him-doors is snoring so loudly its impossible to sleep . I have been toying with the idea of joining Gransnet for a while now and tonight seemed a good time to join.
It was that or supermarket online shopping. wink

Enviousamerican Sun 21-Jul-13 01:13:39

I'm up too! But it's only 7:00 pm for me! Welcome whatsgoingon! Supermarket delivery hasn't caught on over here.Maybe in big cities but not where I am.Wish it was available.One large store let you call and order...then pick it up but it never caught on.I think people like to pick out their own food to much!

Tegan Sun 21-Jul-13 01:07:35

Haha; bet you thought you could sneak on when everyone was asleep, but I've just got back from a party and am having a cup of tea! I bet the best thing about internet shopping is that you only buy what you need and plan your meals better [no impulse buying which I'm terrible for doing]. Welcome, by the way smile!

whatsgoingon Sun 21-Jul-13 01:03:36

Hello everyone this is my first post on here so if I make a mistake please forgive me.
I have been doing online supermarket shopping for a few years now and apart from the odd blip I am very pleased with the service I receive.
To keep costs down I do one big shop once a month and I buy fresh bread,veg and fruit when needed from our local market

mollie Thu 06-Jun-13 18:40:14

Excellent! Well done Gransnet for relevancy!

whenim64 Thu 06-Jun-13 18:25:28

grin I could have been the model for that cartoon!

gracesmum Thu 06-Jun-13 17:49:57

Loved the cartoon posted on Facebook by Gransnet!! Did you all see it? grin

mollie Thu 06-Jun-13 16:56:44

Now that's something I've never tried, the on-the-go scanners! I rather like the self-service tills (no chatty check-out person to irritate me) but I might give those scanner guns a go next...at least you know how much you're spending as you go...thanks for the idea scottydownsouth!

scottydownsouth Thu 06-Jun-13 16:50:42

I first used online shopping about 12 years ago, I think Tesco were the first to offer the service. I was working full time so it was a great help. Now I have more time and like to use the zappy scanners and straight into my shopping bags.

dorsetpennt Thu 06-Jun-13 09:38:13

I am an Internet Shopping Picker mollie so can give you any advice you need. In my shop we pickers, pick very carefully indeed [I work for a high end supermarket]. All fresh food is chosen very carefully as regards expiry dates. I pick as if I were shopping for myself. So fruit and veg is chosen for both their dates and their look. Any special offers ie: 2 for 1 deals, are adhered to. Sometimes products are not available for some reason - if you have ticked the substitute box we 'sub' as close to your request as we can. Fragile items such as eggs, cakes and bread are packed carefully so as not to be squashed. The only items we cannot pick are those that have a reduced sticker due to their date. We pick for the next day so a reduction could be out-of-date by the time you receive it. We have been doing this for four years now and more and more people are using us, so much so that we are taking on extra drivers and pickers as we are opening up more and more delivery slots. As absent said it is useful for heavy items such as canned goods, cat litter, bottles etc.

seasider Thu 06-Jun-13 09:11:43

I live very near a supermarket but use online shopping for big items and use Ocado to get Waitrose products . No brand loyalty just whoever sends me a discount voucher!

Ariadne Thu 06-Jun-13 06:19:07

I have all the regular, boring, heavy stuff delivered, usually once a fortnight. But I rarely buy fresh produce online, though when I have had to, there has been no problem. It's usually over £100 so delivery is free, and I love not having to do a big shop - gives me time to potter round the shops at my leisure.

absent Wed 05-Jun-13 23:22:38

I was going to add that because my order varied only a little each month it took hardly any time to do and because it always came to over 100 GB pounds delivery was free, but the laptop ran away with me. (Also I can only find a dollar sign. not a pound sign.) I used Sainsburys.

absent Wed 05-Jun-13 23:17:46

I never used supermarkets for fresh produce but found ordering heavy or bulky items online monthly very helpful - cat litter, cat food, canned tomatoes, frozen goods, washing up liquid, dishwasher salt, kitchen roll, loo paper, Mr absent's disgusting lager and so on. At the moment I shop at the local supermarket as I no longer live near a market with butchers, greengrocers fishmongers, etc. When I finally settle after my goods and chattels - and cats - have arrived in New Zealand, I shall set up a monthly delivery again.

Mishap Wed 05-Jun-13 22:06:00

I use online grocery shopping all the time as we live in a very isolated village. I have never had a problem. I add a note about wanting a long eat-by date and that is what they send. If they send something with a date that is sooner than I might wish I just send it back with the driver and am refunded with no problem.

I save ...petrol, time wandering round the shop (listening to the awful muzak), time queueing at the checkout, back pain from loading and unloading.....it's a no-brainer. And the frozen food arrives frozen and the chilled food chilled - brilliant.

Charleygirl Wed 05-Jun-13 19:13:37

For me it has been invaluable post major surgery when I could not drive. I did find that some of the fresh goods had very short use by dates, some even the next day.

There was one hiccup when I ordered cat tray liners and received panty liners! This was not noticed immediately but as soon as I saw the error I was on the phone and also sent an email. It was resolved eventually but it took time. I have to laugh now but my cat needed the cat liners then.

I used to bat between Asda, Sainsbury and Tesco. If I did not order from one company for a while, I was given eg free delivery. I always chose the cheapest delivery slot and most of the time it worked out well especially for heavy goods such as many litres of long life milk and washing powder or whatever.

I prefer to do my own shopping but like Maggiemaybe I wouldn't be without it.

Maggiemaybe Wed 05-Jun-13 18:35:47

Just about all my supermarket shopping is done online now. Once you have used a site a few times, the things you buy regularly are all there in a favourites list, and special offers are all grouped together so no trailing round the store to find the best deals. I pick the cheapest delivery times (usually around 10 at night), and if I get an online voucher from Ocado, Sainsburys or Tesco, that's the one I'll use that week. And any problem's ironed out quickly - if the wrong thing is sent or something with a short use by date, they often slip you a money off voucher for next time as an apology. All in all, I wouldn't be without it.

Galen Wed 05-Jun-13 17:55:40

If I can do it anyone can!

Galen Wed 05-Jun-13 17:55:17

easy

Galen Wed 05-Jun-13 17:54:27

I use ocado. They have been very good.

numberplease Wed 05-Jun-13 17:44:20

Last time I try to underline something, it didn`t work!

numberplease Wed 05-Jun-13 17:42:39

To be fair Mollie, that`s the only item I`ve had problems with, and like I said, those odd times when I want dripping, I shop at Tesco online, but do find that they`re a fair bit dearer than Asda, and _they`re not cheap!

mollie Wed 05-Jun-13 16:48:50

I can see the benefit and know it can be used very successfully but I found the websites to be the stumbling block. After an hour trying to set my account up and creating a list and finally agreeing who to buy from, the checkout part becme the stumbling block. In the end I drove to the supermarket and paid cash.

Numberplease has pointed out that the offers in the shop don't always appear online so isn't that a disadvantage?

glammanana Wed 05-Jun-13 16:09:36

I order all the heavy stuff on line but wait until I get a voucher for free delivery or a money off offer,I get these every so often from Ocado I think they must do a check as to when I last ordered and try to tempt me back with discounts.All their stuff has been of first class freshness when I have bought fruit & veg from there but that is not very often as I usually go to the Farmers Market on Friday's.