One of the ways we avoid extensive contact with the outside world is by ordering our groceries for home delivery. We have two places we order from. One is our local small food store. We order from them by phone, and they deliver it almost immediately. The other is a large chain store supermarket that has an on-line order department. When we order from them it is usually for delivery in one or two days.
Both places have their limitations. The local store doesn’t stock as wide a selection as the big chain store. But because he is in competition with them, and knows it, his fresh produce is often of better quality. He also ahs bee bringing in a lot of imported brands. A large part of his clientele are originally from the US, so he brings in brands that they recognize. Sometimes he does it because they request it. The big chain store is much less receptive to that kind of service. The chain store has telephone operators that are often able to offer alternatives when the specific item or brand we want is in short supply, or not carried by them.
Delivery from the big store is sometimes problematic. Some items may not be available at the time they collate the order. They often just omit them, and do not charge us. At other times they put in a substitute that is (almost) reasonable. The worst of those came recently when we ordered a particular brand of dish washing liquid. We got a different brand. The one we ordered has a 17% concentration of active ingredients. The one they sent has only 12%. The bottles are the same size, contain the same volume, and are even nearly the same price. But the amount needed when washing a load of dishes is quite different. The one we wanted is much better at cutting grease.
When we make a large order we also must prepare for when it arrives. We clear shelf space in both the refrigerator and freezer. It’s quite hot in the summer where we live. Items need to be put away quickly. Since the delivery truck goes to several people in the same area on each run, our order may have been sitting in the truck for quite a while. The local store packs up everything and sends it off directly, and he has a much shorter ride to reach us. Not so, the guys from the chain store. They also have much less regard for their customers. They grab a lot of bags, hopefully only the ones containing our order, and dump them, rather unceremoniously, on our front porch. The local delivery man is someone we know from our village. The chain store crew are all strangers. No one has ever given them a lecture on good customer relations and the importance of being friendly.
Both stores only charge a delivery fee for smaller orders. The prices at the big supermarket are lower. But when you shop on-line you don’t have the opportunity to just see something you may have forgotten you needed, or just would like to try. Bottom line- it’s convenient, and important during a lock-down, but we’d definitely prefer to be able to do our shopping in person.
Wetherhorn 