Comments on: Am I the Only One That Realizes That Having My Groceries Delivered Makes Financial Sense?

By: Never Buy Candy Out Of Bins - SavingAdvice.com Blog

Never Buy Candy Out Of Bins - SavingAdvice.com Blog — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:02:04 +0000

[...] purchases, it saves me time and no gas costs to name a few – I agree with many of the points in his article of the benefits I receive from having my groceries delivered), but I would be lying if I [...]

By: Erica

Erica — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 05:27:45 +0000

Hmm, I’ve never tried it before! I am always looking to save money on groceries, though, so perhaps I should give this a shot. Thanks!

By: Gail

Gail — Thu, 17 May 2007 00:40:13 +0000

I frequently get some of my groceries delivered for free and all it costs me is an occassional free dinner for the delivery guy–my son. He is always happy to pick stuff up for me, he keeps me up-to-date on sales for items I purchase frequently. When I tell him I need bread or whatever, he knows what brand, etc. to get me. He doesn’t make a special trip either, he does this on his way home from college. Apparently I have the best of both worlds, especially as I’m disabled and find it difficult to get out at times.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 16 May 2007 19:27:50 +0000

Off the top of my head, last weekend I used coupons for canned tomatos, frozen veggies, toilet paper, laundry detergent, diapers, orange juice, chicken broth and kitchen cleaner.

I guess I could have made my own broth but that takes hours and hours and takes a lot of supplies. And I guess I could have peeled and chopped my own tomatos but that’s so much more expensive (although probably better for me).

I am sure if you don’t mind spending the extra money online shopping is great, but there is no way it’s cheaper.

By: Carol

Carol — Wed, 16 May 2007 15:05:31 +0000

Funny, I see people saying that they have to be able to use coupons. Here in the UK, coupons are mostly available for processed foods. It’s generally cheaper to cook from scratch — and it really is easy, despite what some people say. They give you coupons so you feel like you’re getting a deal, but the basic product is really overpriced.

Also, our online supermarkets have unit prices right up front. There’s no need to go to the store to look at shelf tags.

There’s an online comparison service called MySupermarket.co.uk that automatically compares prices between UK stores and also will tell you if a cheaper product is available at the store you choose. If this kind of service isn’t available in the U.S., it should be. I save �20-30 a month using it — that’s �40-60 for a two-person shop.

Oh, and to the person who said something about making shopping a “neurotic mess.” If you’re debt-free, you may have a point. If not, perhaps a little attention to small details might be a good idea.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 16 May 2007 14:27:39 +0000

I didn’t see you mention it but can you use coupons? If not, end of discussion.

You seem more interested in saving time then saving money. All your other reasoning is because you are too weak. I hope you don’t leave your house while you wait for your food or you negate your carbon savings.

I can go to the store and shop for what I need without picking up the pretty boxes of junk. I can discern for myself what fruit and veggies to get. I can read the price tags that tell me the price per pound and compare that with other products. I get to look at expiration dates when buying in bulk so I can maximize my shelf lift.

I usually buy items that are onsale that I have a coupon for. I know I am saving more then spending $10-$15 (charge plus tip) just to get the food to me.

By: Ben M

Ben M — Tue, 15 May 2007 21:21:34 +0000

Perhaps this works for high end grocery stores. I see Safeway mentioned in the comments a number of times. I avoid shopping there and similar places because of there high costs. I save lots of money by carefully picking where I shop. The cheaper grocery stores are never going to have the margins to support home delivery. The couple bucks that is charged probably doesn’t cover the overhead of the delivery costs to the store. It is just to discourage frivolous usage.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Tue, 15 May 2007 01:46:25 +0000

I get produce and grocery items delivered by a local Seattle delivery service (Pioneer Organics). While I still go to the grocery store for some items they do not have, it has cut down on my impulse buys- to the tune of $50 a month, which I can then put towards food I will like better, savings, etc.

Since I don’t really shop sales to begin with (what’s the good of an item on sale sitting on my shelf if I won’t eat it), and cook for 1-2 people a day, bulk stores really don’t offer me much like some of the people who have 5 or more people in the family, and even with eating mostly organic, natural, and local my food costs per item have barely gone up.

Added bonuses-
-they are doing multiple deliveries so there is less gas (Pioneer organics, the company I use actually has some biodeisel trucks)
-you can get neighbors to do it too. I haven’t even mentioned it to my neighbors, but several months ago the number of boxes being delivered to my building went from just me to at least 4 on my floor.

By: Richard

Richard — Tue, 15 May 2007 00:34:42 +0000

That should be $45 *off* an order….

By: Richard

Richard — Tue, 15 May 2007 00:33:59 +0000

The article DOES make a couple points… e.g. gas money on your end is in fact saved, (although for many, that’s a non-issue since there’s a grocery every other block).

For the most part though, I agree with Alex (Comment #3) here — a lot of this is basically substituting poor planning and weak willpower for money.

One *real* advantage I’d say regarding shopping online at some supermarkets, however, is that sometimes coupons are offered online that you can’t access in-store. For e.g., I just got $45 an order with Safeway online via promo codes, PLUS free delivery. Now THAT’S an advantage.