TheReader Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 I am strongly debating making the switch to one of these services, for two reasons: 1 -- I will be teaching our co-op K, 1st, and 2nd grade classes beginning in August; to limit my exposure and thus the exposure to the kids, this feels like a smart option. (plus to reduce my risk of exposing others if I were to be exposed by an asymptomatic kid/parent) 2 -- I heard from a friend-of-a-friend in my area that, basically, if she gets Covid, you can't stop her from going out from groceries, dangit, and everyone is so convinced masks work, she'll put her mask on and everyone will be fine and get over it, people. Which made me think, holy cow, are there people out there who think like that??? And are they shopping in my grocery store?? (yes, I know the risk is still low, but.....) So, help me out. We have HEB (my preferred store for sure), Kroger (which is okay, I don't love, but is convenient for pick-up), Walmart (which I've heard very mixed reviews on in my state), and Aldi which I've never really shopped at and am fairly sure wouldn't offer this anyway, right? Which grocery store does this best? Do you do curb side pick up, or delivery? Are you still getting a lot of "nope, we're out of that" on things? Are there ways to work around that? (can you put "any brand of...." or "substitutions okay" or something??) How do you order produce?? I have never weighed my fruit/veggies, I just grab a set number, so I have *no idea* what weight of apples, peaches, etc. to order. Also, I scan the produce section and buy "the apple at the lowest price that isn't red delicious, granny smith, or golden delicious." Are the prices on produce visible when you are filling out your order (so I can still select my produce that way?)? What else do I need to know in order to do this successfully??? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggie18 Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 I have been using the curb side pick up at Walmart for years, and I love it. I just order online the night before, pay online, and then choose a time to pick up the order the next day. They text me when my order is ready, and then I park, call the number on the sign and tell them that I am here and in Bay 5 or whatever, and someone comes out to my car, and puts all my food (and they also let you order other stuff like make up, shaving cream, cleaning supplies, pencils, etc) in my car, and I drive home. When I order online, if there is something that I don't want substituted, I can check a box. They are still out of disinfecting wipes in my area as well as Lysol but have pretty much everything else. Yes, the prices for produce are visible when I order. They weigh them for you. I love not having to go inside the store, especially now in light of COVID. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 (edited) I've regulary done both delivery and curbside. I've only ordered from stores where I generally think their produce is good quality and I haven't had a problem. The places I order from allow a comment for items so at times I've said "6 oranges please" or I'd order 2 pounds of brats and request 8 in the comment. And that's always worked fine. So maybe look at the online options for the places you are considering. You could mock up an order and make sure it's flexible enough for you. I always am aggressive allowing substitutions and honestly it's been fine for the most part, but maybe I'm not that picky. I don't have HEB, Kroger, or Walmart as an option here so I can't help you with specifics on those. I have used Whole Foods (via Prime) and a local chain that lets you do unlimited curbside for $90 for a year. And yes people are gross. My SIL was out wandering the world and meeting socially with people after being knowingly exposed to covid and waiting for test results. Edited July 23, 2020 by FuzzyCatz 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 We've been doing Kroger pick-up since March. It's super easy: the interface is very user friendly, and you can modify your cart up until midnight the night before. I used to have to reserve a slot a full week in advance, but now I can usually get a same day slot if I want one (I'm Atlanta metro). There are usually a few substitutions, which they text you about in advance and you can accept them or not. Most things I can get easily now, but some meat is hit or miss. A few weeks ago I had two different cuts of beef in my cart and they said neither was available and didn't offer any substitutes....so my husband went in to the store to see what he could find himself and there was a full meat counter. I think maybe they're not sure what to sub when you want a specific steak or whatever. Produce--yeah--it can be harder to figure out what to order, but they usually do a good job picking it out. We may stick with doing pick-ups even when things calm down--like maybe do a big pick up once a month and then a small weekly trip for meat and produce and milk. Mostly it's been a very good experience. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 7 minutes ago, happysmileylady said: Kroger....I am still on the fence about this. For shopping based on sales and price....I haven't ever gotten it to work. If I didn't care about sales and price and was only buying what I needed...it was ok. My biggest issue was always substitutions. For example, once I ordered butter. I ordered 5 because it was on sale. I only *needed* one. Well they were out of the brand on sale, and they had a limit of 2, so they substituted a different brand (which was way overpriced) and gave me the limit, 2. Had I been shopping myself, I would have only picked up 1 of the next cheapest brand. Instead, I ended up paying as much for 2 of the other brand, as I would have for 5 of the one that was on sale......had they been able to note that the on sale one was both out of stock and limited to 2. that stinks--our Kroger only charges you for the cheaper thing if they substitute a more expensive brand (or even a bigger size) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 We've also been doing both. Early on in the "lockdown" (or what I assumed/hoped would be a serious lockdown that would break the back of this virus) I was supplementing the significant stores of food I'd laid in by calling in small orders for curbside (vendors putting my groceries in the trunk) to small local markets (one's that had no systems for online ordering, but we happy for the business). This was OK in a jam, but not not ideal. Then we found Whole Foods had an online-ordering curbside (direct to the trunk) for Prime customers. I'd largely avoided Whole Paycheck in the past--but their prices have improved since being swallowed by Amazon--and we were in an emergency. And less expensive that getting items like milk at a mom and pop. But then we discovered Instacart. Almost every store we use (except Trader Joe's) uses Instacart to deliver food to our door. The best deal for us was to be an express member (around $10 a month?) which give almost free delivery (plus tips for the drivers). Are there ever snags, or very strange substitutions? Yep. It has happened. But with Instacart delivery we've had a relative sense of normalcy with maintaining our food and supplies without entering a store since March, to the delight of my son and wife. It seems that I was the only one "enjoying" rationing out food as if we were trapped on a lifeboat. Bill 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 22 minutes ago, TheReader said: I am strongly debating making the switch to one of these services, for two reasons: 1 -- I will be teaching our co-op K, 1st, and 2nd grade classes beginning in August; to limit my exposure and thus the exposure to the kids, this feels like a smart option. (plus to reduce my risk of exposing others if I were to be exposed by an asymptomatic kid/parent) 2 -- I heard from a friend-of-a-friend in my area that, basically, if she gets Covid, you can't stop her from going out from groceries, dangit, and everyone is so convinced masks work, she'll put her mask on and everyone will be fine and get over it, people. Which made me think, holy cow, are there people out there who think like that??? And are they shopping in my grocery store?? (yes, I know the risk is still low, but.....) Yes. Obviously, alas!, lots of people seem to feel this way. And in addition there will be people who genuinely don’t realize they are positive. 22 minutes ago, TheReader said: So, help me out. We have HEB (my preferred store for sure), Kroger (which is okay, I don't love, but is convenient for pick-up), Walmart (which I've heard very mixed reviews on in my state), and Aldi which I've never really shopped at and am fairly sure wouldn't offer this anyway, right? Which grocery store does this best? Do you do curb side pick up, or delivery? We live rural and just recently got delivery option. Yay!!! Our only choice is Whole Foods. 22 minutes ago, TheReader said: ArE you still getting a lot of "nope, we're out of that" on things? Are there ways to work around that? (can you put "any brand of...." or "substitutions okay" or something??) I have been putting more than one thing (like say 2 different brands of eggs, or two sizes or milk fat amounts of milk) plus a substitution suggestion for things I want substituted so that I have managed so far to get some milk, some eggs, some cheese, some fruit, even if main ordered one is out. Exact brands have been out, but nothing so far has been completely out. (3 orders experience so far). Though there have been cheese limits on our favorite cheeses. 22 minutes ago, TheReader said: How do you order produce?? I have never weighed my fruit/veggies, I just grab a set number, so I have *no idea* what weight of apples, peaches, etc. to order. A lot on WF have it by number of fruit items not weight. If you have to do it by weight you might be able to google typical weight of a _____ or ask here. 22 minutes ago, TheReader said: Also, I scan the produce section and buy "the apple at the lowest price that isn't red delicious, granny smith, or golden delicious." Are the prices on produce visible when you are filling out your order (so I can still select my produce that way?)? The prices are visible and what’s on sale. What is harder to know is what “looks nice” . So far it seems like a variety of smaller amounts of things that might be less nice on any day is helpful. Like one each of two types of lettuce. Or half Fuji half Honey Crisp for Apples ... 22 minutes ago, TheReader said: What else do I need to know in order to do this successfully??? Do a first not too big order as an experiment. Then use that as a learning experience for the next time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 nuance--walmart doesnt put everything up for online that is in the store. also stock is not accurate. i LOVE walmart for pickup. perfect app,no fee,and a bag of catfood willget you to your minimum. kroger has a fee after inital few but better quality organic produce. but sometimes walmart surprises me. i thimk try them all and youll know what you like 35 minutes ago, TheReader said: How do you order produce?? I have never weighed my fruit/veggies, I just grab a set number, so I have *no idea* what weight of apples, peaches, etc. to order. Also, I scan the produce section and buy "the apple at the lowest price that isn't red delicious, granny smith, or golden delicious." Are the prices on produce visible when you are filling out your order (so I can still select my produce that way?)? youll see. totally easy. the only thing tricky is say a ham. if you want certaunty, buy a pack of ground meat or bag of frozen chicken. so yes, if something is not even in stock enough to substitute, you'll be hunting in stores. around here we're good, but that's not everywhewre apple cinnamon cheerios--in stock in store but not listed online. just in case yo need them lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 3 minutes ago, happysmileylady said: Oh gosh, I haven't ever tried it with paypal lol. I just ordered with my rewards stuff and it was no problem. In theory that's how it's supposed to work. In practice, Kroger often runs sales that are "buy $5, save $5" and similar. So you have to buy X number to get that sale price. And when you are subbing in and dealing with limits, no one in the Kroger curbside department is ever going to consider how may of each particular item is going to affect the sales price. I spent more time dealing with the curbside person, face to face, than I ever would have dealing with a cashier in the store....just to make sure that I had the right number of items for the sale, at the right price, etc etc. ah yes. I noticed ours have switched to 5 or more instead of needing to have exact multiples of 5, so that makes it a bit easier. I've mostly been just not worrying as much as usual about grocery costs right now, but....that can't really keep going forever. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 I do both Fred Meyer (Kroger) and Walmart depending on what I need and who has time slots that work for me. Last week I could get a slot at Walmart sooner, this week it was Fred Meyer. I check the box next to things I don't want subs for. We have to be brand specific a lot of times due to food allergies. Other things I can easily decline the subs if I don't like what they offer. It is a bit nicer at Fredy's because I get a text that there are subs and I can go through and accept or decline before going to pick up. Walmart lets you know what the subs are, but you have to wait until you are there to let them know if they work for you or not. One problem I have had is I am terrible at sizes. I have ordered things like Oatmeal and thought I was getting the big one, and it was the small one. I also ordered plastic cups once and thought they were a regular drinking cup size, but they turned out to be shot glass size. It is my fault though, they listed it I am just forgetful about double checking. Pictures can be deceiving. I have never had a problem with produce. I can tell them I want X number of apples or X bunches of bananas. Fred Meyer lets you put in notes, I haven't seen that at Walmart. With the pandemic I have found some items can be in store only. Like for a while TP, paper towels, soap, etc. was in store purchase only. Now it is hit or miss on what is available for pick up, but mostly stuff seems to be available though limited. I do not like delivery. Walmart will not deliver to my area, and Fred Meyer out sources and they expect a 20% tip on top of a delivery fee. I can't afford that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 I haven’t managed to get curbside times at my local grocery (1/2 mile away), so I’ve been mostly getting delivery from Whole Foods (~30 miles away). I justify it because I’m staying out of shops, which makes it safer for employees, and that they probably have several deliveries in my area so it’s actually better environmentally than multiple households making the trip individually. I go to my local grocery in person every couple of weeks, mostly for perishables and items I prefer to purchase there. Whole Foods is really simple to order from since they are now part of Amazon. We can almost always get delivery within 2 hours. The shopper sends a text when they start on the order. If any substitutions are needed they send another text to confirm. When placing your order you can request no substitutions for each item if you want (like if you really only want that particular brand, or have allergy concerns etc) so you won’t get asked unless you want to be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 In the early days, delivery intervals for Peapod (= Stop & Shop, the main supermarket in my area) were 3 weeks out and you had to stay up till 2a or whenever they rolled over and put in the 21st day out -- just figuring out what time it rolled over was a challenge unto itself. We'd laid in a pretty apocalyptic supply on the last trip to Costco, but in those days I leaned really heavily on Walmart and Costco *shipping* (not delivery) of shelf-stable-only things, and started using a restaurant supplier for fresh stuff every 14 days. It's eased a LOT since then, and I've also gotten better at figuring out a sequence of 2 day fresh stuff, 5 day fresh stuff, 10 day fresh stuff and fresh stuff that lasts almost indefinitely (yogurt, hard cheese, carrots). So even though supplies are more consistent, delivery intervals are shorter and the garden is contributing, I'm still getting virtually all shelf stable stuff from Walmart & Costco (2-day turnaround, free for orders above $35) and still spacing out fresh deliveries to 10-14 days. Our Walmart doesn't have a supermarket, but I've done curbside a couple of times at one near one of my daughter's far-flung friends ~hour away, and it's worked beautifully. You park, call a number, give them your name & order number, and they come out within 5 minutes. In the early days there were some out-of-stocks (from everyone), but I usually I dis-allowed substitutions and just went without. These days the supplies (from everyone) seem to be pretty stabilized. For me the challenge was mostly around PLANNING. I've always sort of winged the shopping. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 For ours you can sort by lowest unit price so that makes it easy with stuff like which apples are on sale this week. My general strategy is to do a list, search for the items in the list and go by lowest unit price. Then if there’s room left in the budget I go through the half price sale section and stock up on anything from there my family eats. You have the option to choose to allow substitutes. They always charge the lower price so if the sub is cheaper you get charged that but if the item you ordered was cheaper they charge that. Occasionally the substitute item is something we don’t really like. I still prefer to get the subs though because mostly I’d much rather have some a different brand of milk than no milk at all. and yes people really do that. In Melbourne apparently a pretty high percentage of people who’d been tested were still getting out and about while waiting for their results. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted July 23, 2020 Author Share Posted July 23, 2020 Okay, this is all super helpful, thank you! I'll give it a try and see what happens. It's nice to know I can put notes in, allow/disallow substitutions, etc. I'm so clueless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 HEB Curbside is amazing! I did this when we lived in TX. It is SO much better than other curbsides we have tried--the produce was picked well, things were bagged well, you booked a time slot and were given a specific parking spot. I like it much better than the Kroger affiliated stores here, than amazon, and than Wal-Mart (Wal-Mart produce here has been limited and sketchy.) We did HEB curbside weekly for a couple of years....the only error we had was that they tossed in something we didn't ask for. We weren't charged for it, and when I texted back, we were told we could keep it. For the $$,$$$ we spent on groceries over those couple of years, it was a pretty amazing track record. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 Forgot to add...the HEB website has the ability to allow or disallow substitutions, as well as specific notes. So, I could specify that I want 10 lbs of bananas in the order section, but in the notes say that I prefer 5 lbs fully ripe and 5 lbs green, if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noreen Claire Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 25 minutes ago, Pam in CT said: In the early days, delivery intervals for Peapod (= Stop & Shop, the main supermarket in my area) were 3 weeks out and you had to stay up till 2a or whenever they rolled over and put in the 21st day out -- just figuring out what time it rolled over was a challenge unto itself. This was our experience, too, and it is much better now. I will say that Stop & Shop's ordering platform is extremely helpful. If you have a rewards card, you can look back at everything that you have ordered for the past 6 months (everything that is available to order online, that is - not everything is available online) and just click on it to add it to your order. Extremely easy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted July 23, 2020 Author Share Posted July 23, 2020 Just now, Æthelthryth the Texan said: One last thing- HEB marks up every item 3% vs in store prices at every store. It's super fine print buried on the website that most people don't see. Walmart has no mark up. oh, wow. Besides also the fee? That's good to know. hmm. And yes, I'm glad you weighed in since you are pretty geographically near me and have HEB. I see the HEB shoppers all.the.time. and have had to help them find stuff before so....not a whole lot of confidence there, LOL! It's going to be very hard for me to give up control over my grocery shopping and to create a plan ahead of time, but I'm thinking it will be important to lower my exposure/risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmasc Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 11 minutes ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said: I keep the handy stiff sided grocery carriers @KungFuPanda told me about a long time ago in the back of my SUV- I open them up and line them out before I leave for the store, and they just load stuff into those. Makes it so much easier not to have bags rolling around everywhere. LINK PLEASE!!! I’m normally all about the shopping threads, but missed this and could definitely use some! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 Oh one other thing. Always check your order. We once didn’t get an entire bag delivered. Would have been no big deal if it was a bag of chips or something but was meat and around $60 worth. They are quick with the refunds but I make sure to check it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmasc Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 In my area, I think the Walmart Neighborhood Market is the best. The regular Walmart is ok as my second choice. I know a LOT of people in my neighborhood use the delivery with Instacart from Aldi and think it’s pretty awesome. I haven’t tried it (yet!), but I think if your Aldi has good stuff and is a nice one, this would be a good option to try out as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 I've only used Walmart's curbside pickup. It's very easy and our store here handles it very well. I have no complaints at all, but I've used it to reduce my shopping trips, not replace them entirely. I still vastly prefer to shop in person for produce and meat (and generally I get those from another grocery store anyway). If you use the Walmart app with location services on you don't have to call when you get there. The app knows you're there and what space you're in. You'll get a notification that someone will bring your groceries out momentarily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 I'm in the Houston area too and use both HEB and Walmart. I think HEB does a better job with picking produce and has a better selection of deli items, but their website doesn't list as many products (even some I know they carry) compared to Walmart. Walmart doesn't charge a fee for next day service. At HEB you text them with your parking space when you arrive, Walmart has an app that you can use. I've had HEB mess up my order twice, Walmart hasn't done that yet but I've only been using them both since late March. At HEB you order produce by the piece or bag or bunch so you don't have to estimate how much it weighs. They even list the average price per piece. Both work pretty well and I like to switch off since they carry slightly different items. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted July 24, 2020 Author Share Posted July 24, 2020 1 hour ago, chiguirre said: I'm in the Houston area too and use both HEB and Walmart. I think HEB does a better job with picking produce and has a better selection of deli items, but their website doesn't list as many products (even some I know they carry) compared to Walmart. Walmart doesn't charge a fee for next day service. At HEB you text them with your parking space when you arrive, Walmart has an app that you can use. I've had HEB mess up my order twice, Walmart hasn't done that yet but I've only been using them both since late March. At HEB you order produce by the piece or bag or bunch so you don't have to estimate how much it weighs. They even list the average price per piece. Both work pretty well and I like to switch off since they carry slightly different items. oh, this is helpful! thank you! I'm thinking in the coming weeks I'll try them both out and see what happens. I'd love to stick with just HEB, because, HEB, but if Walmart really does this better, I'm certainly not opposed. I know we've ordered items for pick up (but inside, not curbside) and they do that really well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 May I add a question about pick-up service? Do you tip the person who brings out the groceries? I've been unsure about this. Stores in our area used to have a strong no-tipping policy, but the grocery chains have changed in the last few years, and Covid adds a new wrinkle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 Just now, Innisfree said: May I add a question about pick-up service? Do you tip the person who brings out the groceries? I've been unsure about this. Stores in our area used to have a strong no-tipping policy, but the grocery chains have changed in the last few years, and Covid adds a new wrinkle. I'd check the store's website for their policies. My understanding is that Walmart employees aren't allowed to accept tips. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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