Today was grocery day. Except I didn't really go to the grocery store. You see, I've stopped going there 3 years ago, when I discovered the convenience of IGA's online store with home delivery. It's such a time saver and really easy to use. You can even save shopping list to your profile and go "click click click" next to the items you want to put in your cart next time you visit the online store.
"But I love going to the supermarket" some of my friends say when I talk to them about it. "I like to see the stuff on the shelves, eat sausage slices from a frilly toothpick and choose my own milk carton." Sure. Me too. And I still go to farmer's markets and cute little foodie boutiques for fun. But I love sleeping late on Saturdays and lazily making pancakes for breakfast more. I like coming home on a Thursday night and getting my delivery just in time to cook supper and watch Jeopardy. I like to give a tip to the guy, close the door and unpack my brown bags, checking everything like it's Christmas.
When I go to the store, it takes me 15 minutes to get there. Then I have to shop - that takes at least 40 minutes. Then I have to come back - another 15 minutes. And that's all on foot, using a rolling shopping cart, sweating and swearing as I go, since I don't have a car. Not to mention I can't stock up on big bottles of Perrier and heavy cat litter tubs when I go - I am only one woman after all and that stuff weighs a ton.
My time is more precious. My energy is more precious.
"But it's expensive. And I bet they make mistakes or send you the wrong stuff" the non-believers will add, crossing their arms in front of them. Well, yes and no. It costs $3 to have your order assembled. You can then go pick it up at the store, if you have a car or if the order is small enough to carry in bags by hand. If you choose the delivery option, you add $6 to your total. I don't know about you, but to me, saving an hour of time on the weekend is worth $9. And don't forget that with online shopping from a list, you don't fall into the impulse buy trap.
The supermaket people rarely make mistakes. In three years, it happened only twice and it was no big deal - something like getting a different brand of English muffins. Sometimes, they even call me to tell me if something is missing and ask if I want something else instead. But I did once order a 25 kilo bag of flour by mistake because I hadn't read the item description well. Now that, my friend, is a lot of cakes and muffins.
So yeah, IGA's online store pretty much rocks*. This is what I ordered today, including household items.
Perrier (8 bottles)
Diet Coke (12 cans)
Salmon pie
Chicken liver
Cat food (3 big cans)
Ground beef
Pork shoulder roast (2)
Corn on the cob (4)
Sour cream
Butter (2 pounds)
Cream cheese
Ricotta cheese
Garlic
Bread
Mozzarina cheese
White vinegar
Gelatin
Mayonaise
Food coloring
Sub-total $83.17
Plastic containers
SOS scrub pads
Garbage bags
Ziploc bags
Cat litter (2)
Paper towels
Sub-Total: $46.80
So with assembly, delivery, bottle deposit and taxes, the total comes to $156.12. For now. Depending on what is in stock, items may be missing from this order when it gets delivered. I guess I'll do the actual tally on Thursday.
*Full disclosure: my employer has IGA for a client, but I've been praising IGA waaaay before I started working there. Just ask my friends. They'll tell you how annoying I get when someone gets me started. I love IGA. Love, love, love IGA.
Image source: Neato Coolville's Flickr feed
