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Why do you still go to the grocery store?

House Cat

Ideal_Rock
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With online ordering, we can have groceries delivered from every grocery store in town including Costco. It’s so wonderful to have everything delivered to the front porch rather than hauling it from my car. I feel that my life is changed forever because I will never grocery shop in person again. I’ve heard from so many people, including my own parents that they are pretty much sheltering in place “except for grocery shopping.” Doesn’t that defeat the purpose? A study was done that proved that 20% of grocery store workers had antibodies for Covid. This means Covid is being spread to the workers and they are possible sources of infection.

If you aren’t in a rural county that doesn’t offer online ordering, why do you still grocery shop in person?
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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I haven’t tried online delivery here but when we were in Brooklyn in March and April and May we couldn’t get delivery. Too many people were using the service and the system was overwhelmed.

One of the reasons I haven’t tried here is there are older more vulnerable people who need it more and while we are ok I don’t want to take up their spot.

Another reason we go food shopping in person is I prefer choosing my produce but that’s not the main reason. Though I do like to see how fresh it is and make sure the date is good.

However should circumstances change I hope we can get delivery. We live in a relatively dense area so not sure we would be able to.
 

House Cat

Ideal_Rock
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I haven’t tried online delivery here but when we were in Brooklyn in March and April and May we couldn’t get delivery. Too many people were using the service and the system was overwhelmed.

One of the reasons I haven’t tried here is there are older more vulnerable people who need it more and while we are ok I don’t want to take up their spot.

Another reason we go food shopping in person is I prefer choosing my produce but that’s not the main reason. Though I do like to see how fresh it is and make sure the date is good.

However should circumstances change I hope we can get delivery. We live in a relatively dense area so not sure we would be able to.

That’s a good reason that I haven’t thought of. Luckily, we have so many spots that we can get same day delivery at most places.

My OCD used to tell me that if I picked out a bruised apple, someone would die if they ate it. I had to do a lot of letting go in order to have online shopping.
 

kenny

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I go to a few stores to buy food.
I might buy, say, apples and any of 3 locations depending on quality and price on that day.
I only know what I'm going to buy where after I see things on that day.

I don't trust anyone to pick out my fruits, veges, or cuts of meat.
I need to walk the aisles to notice some things I need.
If I try to just think them up while sitting at home I'll forget some things.

Who knows whether the person selecting and delivering my food sneezed/coughed on their hands or on my food, or washed their hands before selecting it ... and can I trust them 100% to wear a mask while driving in their vehicle with my food, etc.
They may have several delivery stops before my home, so my cold/frozen food may warm up.

Delivery costs extra plus maybe a tip. No thanks.
I have masks.
I bring my own home-made alcohol wipes in a ziplock bag and wipe down all 4 sides of my cart myself.
My SO meticulously cleans everything that enters the house, or it sits in a corner in quarantine for 72 hours.

I like getting out of the house.
Some days it's the only thing close to exercise that I can manage.
 
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Slickk

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I tried the grocery delivery in the spring. I was not happy with my shopping experience. The substitutions she made were crazy. Advil PM instead of Advil? I’m not trying to sleep through my endless zoom meetings. They also gave me a very hard time returning it.
I also like to pick my own produce like @missy as it’s the bulk of my order.
 

dk168

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I LOVE food shopping in supermarket in person, so that I could select the non-perishable produce myself, e.g. to have a sniff and have a squeeze to see if a fruit or avocado is ripe etc., and to see if there is anything new on the shelves.

I love going to markets for the same reasons, to be able to browse and select in person, or even pick something up to have a good sniff etc...

Can't do that online.

DK :))
 

Made in London

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We have not been grocery shopping since last march & at first we got frustrated with waiting for delivery slots etc but Tesco seems to have got it's act together & offers 24hr delivery slots.
 

dk168

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Before C19, I would go grocery shopping at supermarkets late in the evening at about 21:00 when it was quiet with less people about, and more importanlty, less critters and ankle biters.

This strategy of shopping late in the evening serves me well during C19 for certain.

DK :))
 

seaurchin

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I do use and love grocery delivery.

But I also agree with what's been said about picking out your own produce, and that is a large percentage of my list.

Also, I like to shop at the giant stores where you can get everything at once, not just groceries. So sometimes I have to go to the store anyway because I also need some of their non-grocery items, which they don't always deliver (though they are getting better at it in my area). Things like clothes, makeup, prescriptions, booze, motor oil, etc. infinitum. If I have to go anyway, may as well save the delivery costs.

And sometimes high demand items are ALWAYS gone by the time they pack up your order (covid toilet paper).

There are also bargains you miss out on online, for ex. the half-price day old bakery goods, the shelves with out of season or discontinued items marked down and so on.

Finally, during non-pandemic times, sometimes I just want to get out of the house so may as well get something done and save a few bucks on delivery.

So, while I feel like grocery delivery is wonderful, it also has its limitations. I probably go to the store myself 75% less now.
 
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House Cat

Ideal_Rock
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I tried the grocery delivery in the spring. I was not happy with my shopping experience. The substitutions she made were crazy. Advil PM instead of Advil? I’m not trying to sleep through my endless zoom meetings. They also gave me a very hard time returning it.
I also like to pick my own produce like @missy as it’s the bulk of my order.

Ok, this is funny. I haven’t had that experience. My substitutions have always made sense!
 

Austina

Ideal_Rock
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We have weekly deliveries, but we still go out for fresh berries, we just can’t get enough delivered to last us a week.
 

stracci2000

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I am a food vendor and I have to go into 3-5 grocery stores everyday.
So I don't have a choice.
But the stores are still thriving, maybe more than ever.
The pandemic has not stopped people from shopping. And the delivery services are booming as well.
Covid has been very good for the food industry.
 

YadaYadaYada

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We go in person because when I did online ordering due to being in quarantine (so no choice) they messed up my deli order. Instead of the one and a half pounds I needed they only gave me half a pound. Couldn’t even go pick up an order curbside so we were stuck. The delivery fee for another trip would have cost as much as the order.

There are also products in store that I know they have that don’t show up for online ordering.
 

winetime12

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I am very selective when I shop for food, and I'm not cool with substitutions, I would rather just stop at a different store if I had to. I actually enjoy grocery shopping and I go when it's less busy.
 

House Cat

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What I hear over and over again is that personally choosing your groceries is worth the risk of catching Covid. Is this right?
 

seaurchin

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What I hear over and over again is that personally choosing your groceries is worth the risk of catching Covid. Is this right?

During the pandemic, I greatly prefer to have my groceries delivered.
 

YadaYadaYada

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What I hear over and over again is that personally choosing your groceries is worth the risk of catching Covid. Is this right?

For us we have already had it and recovered so maybe it is a different perspective in that we aren’t worried about catching the virus. It still does annoy me to see all the rule breakers though.
 

Slickk

Ideal_Rock
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What I hear over and over again is that personally choosing your groceries is worth the risk of catching Covid. Is this right?

Well, I’m still going in for in-school instruction so I’m vulnerable no matter. At least I get to have my favorite food items to help me through. I wear my mask. Avoid others and grin (though no one can see this) and bear it. :lol:
 

_dracarys_

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Because it is the one thing I can leave the house for. I am home all the time otherwise, which was not normal for me pre-covid. My mental health is just as important as my physical health.

This thread has a bit of a judgy undertone.
 

MeowMeow

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Well I can tell you that 1) no Costco here. Just sams club who load it in the back of your car. They don't ship everything either. So my husband does that on a day he HAS to work in the office. He's allowed to work from home part time but MUST be in the office the rest of it. If he doesn't work then 3 of us and a precious kitty starve. Not everyone is in a position to just say I'll stay home and not leave. Not every essential job lets you stay home and work. My husband's job is essential. If it wasn't he would have been furloughed. I consider us lucky that he can work from home at all. The rest of us stay home other than necessary medical and dental care to both protect us and my husband and other essential workers like him who cannot stay home either. We think it's essential for US to help others by staying in as much as is possible. Love your neighbor and stay home and such.

2) if you use Shipt and instacart they don't pay them an hourly wage so they expect 20 percent or more tips to make up for their pay. Which is FINE. It's a luxury service so I don't blame them for wanting it. But we aren't in a position to give 25 dollars or more for the other groceries a week so we don't use them more than once a month. And go get our own the rest of the time. Look at the Shipt worker sub reddit and read their complaints. A lot of them are quite valid.

So yeah. Going out for the groceries is how it has to be for us.
 
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pearlsngems

Ideal_Rock
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I ordered from BJ's Instacart 4 or 5 times but stopped when I began receiving moldy zucchini and cucumbers and slimy boxed salad greens. Maybe BJ's just had a few bad shipments-- I never had this problem before with their packaged vegetables when shopping in person-- but that was the last straw for me.
 

House Cat

Ideal_Rock
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Because it is the one thing I can leave the house for. I am home all the time otherwise, which was not normal for me pre-covid. My mental health is just as important as my physical health.

This thread has a bit of a judgy undertone.

I’m sorry. I’m not trying to come off as judgy.
 

chemgirl

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We use Instacart for most groceries. The new house is rural, but the groceries still arrive within 2 hours.

They don’t go to my favourite grocery store which is small and local. I’ll still shop in person for things like locally farmed meat, sustainable fish, and amazing baked goods.

My sister got me on to it. The big box stores don’t spark joy, but we still need staples that they don’t sell at the local market. We both use Instacart for things like canned goods, baking supplies etc.

The one downside to this particular service is the lack of sales. I’ve noticed items in the sale flyer are often not marked down within the app.

I’ve also run into trouble with quantities. Like ending up with 3 bunches of bananas instead of 3 bananas. My fault, but funny when DH unpacks the bags.

Editing to add that we rarely go out now due to covid so we’re currently surviving on Instacart.
 

MaisOuiMadame

Ideal_Rock
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- leaving the delivery options for vulnerable people

- few slots available

- my local organic farm shops don't offer it and are sufficiently distanced or outside to not be a problem

- gross produce (I have tried to order some quite hardy vegetables like celeriac, beets , rutabaga and they were wrinkled or moldy... So, no thanks)

- about 20-25 more expensive.

It's illegal here to not pay an hourly wage (which is a good thing I'm home), so they make everything 20-25% more expensive.


All this together has me shopping in person.

Masked, gloved, distanced
 
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Lisa Loves Shiny

Ideal_Rock
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Expired yogurt. I found you can't trust the people who pick out your items to check their expiration dates. Or maybe they just want to get rid of the expired or soon to be expired items without tossing them and hope you won't notice. Either way- I find it better to pick out my own food.
 

elizat

Ideal_Rock
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What I hear over and over again is that personally choosing your groceries is worth the risk of catching Covid. Is this right?

But what about the risk to the people that are working for these services and are working at the stores?

They are still having to be there and not only having to be there but drive around and go to multiple people's houses and touch multiple things to accommodate the masses.

Personally, I am of the view that everyone weighs their own risks. I would rather go to the grocery store and get my own stuff rather than have it delivered by someone who is going to how many stores and how many houses?

Plus I also view that these spots should be left for people that have to quarantine, are sick, are compromised or are elderly.
 

House Cat

Ideal_Rock
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But what about the risk to the people that are working for these services and are working at the stores?

They are still having to be there and not only having to be there but drive around and go to multiple people's houses and touch multiple things to accommodate the masses.

Personally, I am of the view that everyone weighs their own risks. I would rather go to the grocery store and get my own stuff rather than have it delivered by someone who is going to how many stores and how many houses?

Plus I also view that these spots should be left for people that have to quarantine, are sick, are compromised or are elderly.

We have a compromised person in our household. This is why we use this service

This is an interesting point of view. It’s been my experience that people just drop the groceries off on the front porch. They don’t come in contact with us at all. I wave at them from the window. Even with alcohol, I show them my ID through the window.

As far as the risk to the people who are providing the service, I see this as a means of employment for these people. I tip well, 30% on large orders. I will start tipping 30% at all times now that it is the holidays. These are hard times with people out of work. This is how people are putting food on the table right now. What would they do otherwise?
 

House Cat

Ideal_Rock
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Well I can tell you that 1) no Costco here. Just sams club who load it in the back of your car. They don't ship everything either. So my husband does that on a day he HAS to work in the office. He's allowed to work from home part time but MUST be in the office the rest of it. If he doesn't work then 3 of us and a precious kitty starve. Not everyone is in a position to just say I'll stay home and not leave. Not every essential job lets you stay home and work. My husband's job is essential. If it wasn't he would have been furloughed. I consider us lucky that he can work from home at all. The rest of us stay home other than necessary medical and dental care to both protect us and my husband and other essential workers like him who cannot stay home either. We think it's essential for US to help others by staying in as much as is possible. Love your neighbor and stay home and such.

2) if you use Shipt and instacart they don't pay them an hourly wage so they expect 20 percent or more tips to make up for their pay. Which is FINE. It's a luxury service so I don't blame them for wanting it. But we aren't in a position to give 25 dollars or more for the other groceries a week so we don't use them more than once a month. And go get our own the rest of the time. Look at the Shipt worker sub reddit and read their complaints. A lot of them are quite valid.

So yeah. Going out for the groceries is how it has to be for us.

I understand. My DIL is a teacher, teaching in person and coming home to my severely asthmatic son everyday. Some people don’t have the option of working at home. I’m afraid for them everyday.
 
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