Remember when you couldn’t imagine ordering shoes or clothing online? For many of us, the concerns about online shopping have not only been resolved, but you’ve probably become completely sold on the advantages of stores like Amazon or Zappos. Since most of us are buying more online, it’s likely you’ll someday soon buy groceries online, so here are five tips for successful online grocery shopping.
According to surveys, most of us still haven’t bought online groceries, but most of us do shop online. In fact in mid-2017 64% of US households were Amazon Prime members, but 94% of people said that they still do most of their grocery shopping in stores. In 2017 only 31% of grocery stores had online shopping, but that’s changing rapidly. Most major grocery chains now have online ordering for pickup or delivery and it’s likely that many of your local stores have it.
Many of us simply “like to see my produce in person”. I get it. I felt the same way. Until I started ordering from Peapod from the comfort of my couch, one night a week. Here’s the thing: buying groceries online might just be the single biggest time saver you can find on a weekly basis.
The fact is, online grocery shopping has evolved and for busy people, it simply makes the job of feeding the family so much easier.
If you haven’t given it a try yet, here’s what we recommend, especially if you have never bought groceries online before:
5 Tips For Successful Online Grocery Shopping
Have your list ready.
Even more than in a store, its important to know what you want to buy before logging in. The easiest and fastest way to get your list ready is to use a menu planning service like The Dinner Daily. For just $1 or so a week the planning is done for you.
Be flexible.
Be prepared for possible substitutes. Inventory for online orders can be different from whats in the store, so there may be the occasional brand that is not available, or the delivery service might substitute a brand, but in general you should be able to get what you need.
Don’t wait until the last minute.
Order your groceries at least two days before you need them to get your pick of delivery times. Many times you can schedule delivery the next day but often the most popular delivery times will be taken by the day before. (Note: some services like Peapod give you a discount on delivery fees if you have more flexibility). Or, if you do wait until the last minute (hello the real world!), read our next tip:
Try the “Store Pick Up” option.
Curbside pickup will save you money and may be easier for you than delivery, especially if its hard for you to be home at specific times. With curbside pickup, you still order online and your order is ready for you when you arrive. You don’t even need to get out of the car as most stores have a special drive through or designated parking spaces and their staff load your groceries right into your car. This is a huge convenience when you have little kids in car seats or you are faced with doing groceries in a downpour.
Test Multiple Options.
Understand that not all delivery services are the same. Some will promise same day service and the delivery fee may be the same, but the groceries are priced higher. The price of groceries charged by some independent delivery services are not always the same prices that you see in the store.
Once you’ve tried ordering groceries online for either delivery or pickup, you’ll likely wonder why it took you so long. You can do all of your shopping in less time than it takes to drive to the store (heck for me its less time than it can take to find one item at the store).
Successful Online Grocery Shopping with The Dinner Daily
While we’re talking about online grocery shopping, we want to mention our One-click ordering for Peapod. Now you can get your Dinner Daily menu, make any changes you want, add other things you need (like for breakfast and lunch) to your shopping list, and order from Peapod in just a couple minutes! If you live near a Stop&Shop, Giant or Martin’s store, chances are you have Peapod available in your area.
We’d love for you to try it out. You’ll save time and money, not not mention the delicious meals and healthy recipes. To get you started, we’ve put together a free two-week trial. See how much simpler we make dinner!
My husband and I are very busy and have been trying to find ways to save time wherever we can. I liked how you said that buying groceries online can possibly be the biggest time saver you can find on a weekly basis. I usually can spend an hour or more at the grocery store and making lists of things we need. I can see how this could end up saving me a few hours every week.
Hi Sabrina. Thanks for your comment! Yes online grocery shopping has huge advantages. Let us know if you ended up taking advantage of it and how you found it!
Thank you for explaining that you need to be flexible. I’ve been thinking about ordering online for my groceries lately. I’ll be sure to keep this in mind when I make my first order.