UNITED STATES—Nothing is more satisfying for me than going to the grocery store and buying food. It is just a calming experience for me which is why I find it so satisfying. I will point out that I’m not a fan of going to the grocery store during busy times. I can say that because I have experience in retail and let’s just say some places are busy 24/7. I want to be able to enter the establishment and move around freely and pick up my weekly items without feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
However, COVID-19 changed a lot when it comes to grocery shopping. Why? You no longer have to visit the establishment. You have Instacart, Door Dash, Uber Eats, Shipt and so many other delivery services where people will go to the grocery store for you and pick up your items and deliver them to your home. Here is the slight problem I have with that: how I choose my fruits, veggies, dairy, meat and other pantry staples, others might not do the same.
One would hope people will do such, but this is a job for most people so don’t expect it. Then you have to worry about that delivery fee. Which I chalk up to shipping fees. If there is one thing anyone who knows me knows ABOUT ME, I don’t like to pay for shipping. I rather just pick up the item myself than having to wait for it to be delivered and then NOT knowing WHEN it is going to be delivered which is the absolute worst.
With that said, there are some grocers that allow you to have the items picked up in store or they will personally have one of their workers deliver the groceries to your actual home. I have utilized the home delivery service from an actual grocer and the process is not bad. The prices are the same if you were to go in store and the price to have the items delivered are quite affordable, as you’re not spending more than $7 for delivery.
In addition, I feel a lot more at ease knowing that actual workers with the grocer are picking up your products. There is a bit more care there and you can specify if you want green bananas or yellow bananas, you can also note no substitutions and picking up the cheaper price of meat if possible. There are some checks and balances if you utilize the actual grocer versus third party companies. There have been a few times where some of the items were damaged or not of the best quality. If that is the case you can report it to the grocer and they will provide you a refund for the issue. I love that, don’t you?
However, going to the grocery store provides actual in-person communication. Our country has become so lazy as of late, especially as a result of COVID-19, where we are just staying at home ordering everything on our computer, cellphone or tablet and not getting out as much. We need face-to-face interaction; we need to talk and see people. In addition, how I select produce, I know other people are not going to do that, and you tend to always find something special just for yourself when you head to the grocery store, those club warehouses or the local farmer’s market.
There are pros and cons to both shopping in-person (large crowds, slow wait times) or online (higher costs, damaged goods, slow deliver times). The end result is that you have to do what best benefits you, but a combination of both doesn’t hurt from time-to-time.
