Online grocery shopping is my new thing.

Following up from last week which was my giant list.  Hmmm I got a fair amount done although nowhere near finished!!  Some of it was a little out of my control like the wireless modem (nice work telstra) and the craft (it has been too windy to set up glitter etc outside!!) but I am pretty stoked with most of what got done!!  Thanks to everyone for the comments and suggestions on the "grandpa" present. 

One thing that came out of the list was my discovery of online grocery shopping.  I know its been around for years and I have checked out websites from time to time but last week out of a little desperation I gave it a go.  I am now a convert but after using it once I have worked out some of the pros and cons.

Cons

• The website was hard to navigate as there was way too much to choose from.
• I especially found the specials section annoying.
• The 3 hour delivery window only suits me a few days a week if I want cheap delivery.
• I would not buy fruit and veg, bread and meat online (I am fussy!!) so its not a one stop shop
• I may never have to leave my town again which may see me turn into a recluse.
• I quite often buy marked down stuff but this cannot happen online.
• Sometimes I like to read ingredients which can be hard to do if you do not have the product sitting in front of you.
• Knowing the correct names and spelling of stuff so the computer can find it. 
• I really had to pay attention to prices to make sure I was getting a good deal.  Eg I needed a carton of soft drink and found 24 cans + 6 free was the same price as 24 (duh) but that was not marked as a special and if I had not been looking really hard I would have missed it.
• The delivery driver nearly drove off with a carton of beer.  Lucky it was a big item and I could instantly tell it was missing.  If you are getting a lot of stuff it  can take a while to do an inventory of whats there and if something is missing I can only imagine what a nightmare that would be to deal with the shop.

Pros

• No longer will I have to lug huge bags of dog food or cartons of drink.
• I can buy cheap booze from the comfort of my dining room table.  We live in a small town and the 2 bottlos we have charge whatever they like!!
• I will not have to do battle with the crazy Christmas crowds.  The shops will be shut for 2 days in a row it is not the end of the world people.
• Although the delivery is pricey if I factor in my time, petrol and stuff for the kids to keep them happy it probably works out cheaper.
• I can still buy all the stuff I won't buy online at my local supermarket so there is no pressure to have to do it all in one go.
• Finding sizes of stuff I never knew existed like a giant tub of nappy rash cream.
• Finding cat food on special.  Cat food is never on sale anymore.

I am aiming to do an online shop once a fortnight which means being organised and having a rough idea of a meal plan.  I think this would be the only way to do it rather than browse through every single section.  Hopefully next time will be slightly easier than the first go.  It seems like I have more cons than pros but in my case the pros are out weighing the cons!!  For me just getting the big bulky items delivered is a win!!

If you have any foolproof tips on online grocery shopping I would love to know them!!

Its Tuesday which is IBOT with Essentially Jess!!