Online Grocery Shopping: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Prior to the pandemic, I mostly shopped in-store. However, since then, I started doing A LOT more online, getting them delivered. I use both services like Instacart and UberEats as well as direct online deliveries, including one from Mama Earth, which is a virtual store. Which one do I prefer? Honestly, it depends. Though I lean more on delivery for convenience.
I shop at many different stores. Some are easier for me to get to than others, and for those that are harder, then I’ll do it online, if it’s available (usually, it is). I also buy a lot of items that are only available at certain stores, including a cauliflower dip (aka keto “hummus”) which is an in-house product found at a two-store local chain (can it be considered a chain when there are only two stores)? It’s delicious, though the rest of my family doesn’t seem to be big fans of it. Oh well, more for me, right?
The Good…
I use both third party apps like Instacart as well as direct from stores. Third party apps have their benefits - you can chat with the shopper directly and Instacart allows you to add items even while the shopper is shopping for you. You know what the replacements are if items aren’t available since there’s a chat where the shopper can ask if a replacement is okay. And if you don’t think it is, you can get the refund. Direct depends on the store. Mama Earth, a local online store, for example, will usually email you if something is no longer available and you wouldn’t be charged for it. And the benefit of Mama Earth is that you can “subscribe” to items and get 5% off. For example, if I want tomatoes delivered every week or firm tofu every other week, I can indicate that on my account. However, that’s not available for all products. They also have a membership program where it’s $99 for free delivery (otherwise, it’s $5) AND you get to select a time slot (if you’re not registered, it’s another $3.50). Instacart also offers a program, but there are still extra charges. Stores like Mama Earth also focus a lot on in-season and local products.
The Bad…
There have been times where items have been left out of the delivery from Mama Earth and you have to call them. Recently, THREE ITEMS weren’t included in my delivery. That’s not normal for them - usually it’s one. I had to speak with customer service (good thing they’re available seven days a week) to get my refund. As for Instacart, while the chat is usually great, sometimes, the shopper doesn’t respond to messages (okay, fine. Some stores have awful reception). There have also been times when they don’t bother looking at notes. I get that many shoppers are new to the country and perhaps don’t understand English well, but wouldn’t they need to have some basic comprehension in order to take on a job like this? Then, of course, there are the extra charges with third party. It can really add up, even with Instacart+ (or UberOne. But I don’t grocery shop through Uber that often. I have UberOne for UberEats, which I use much more frequently).
Selection can be bad as well. I first started using Mama Earth when it was Fresh City Farms (okay, fine, Mama Earth was actually a different store back in 2020, but then they merged) and I found that there was more selection at that time. After the merger, selection started shrinking. I would have thought that it would lead to the opposite - more selection! One item I miss the most is their flattened whole chicken, which I used to get every week for our big Saturday family dinners. Now, I’m stuck with parts. To make things worse, it’s only available frozen, and it takes FOREVER to thaw. You’d think that leaving it in the fridge for 24 hours is good enough. Nope. It’s got to be at least 36.
The Ugly…
There have been disastrous situations as well. About a year ago, I had a shopper who said that I had to close the order for her. WTF? That’s not what I’m supposed to do. I can’t even do that on my app…or on the browser. Plus she didn’t even get my order right and gave me several incorrect items. I successfully made her take everything with her. I have also had a delivery sent to the incorrect address. I’m not that hard to find, so I don’t really understand how that happened. I had to call Instacart customer service to get everything worked out. But I really didn’t like having to reorder.
Older people in my family don’t get why I do this. I tell them that I can be brand-loyal and some items are only available at certain stores, ones that I can’t get to that easily. I’d say that though I like the variety of stores I can shop at through Instacart, direct from the store, especially with Mama Earth is probably the best, despite their issues with having less selection.
What are your thoughts? Do you order groceries online? Do you get them delivered? Do you use a third party or do you order directly from the store?