shop til you drop (and only lift a finger)
Written: Sep 20 '00 (Updated Sep 20 '00)
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When Home Grocer first came to our area, I was skeptical.
I'm a tactile person; I like to go to the store and squint under the bright lights, feel the firmness of my avocado, smell the perfumes of the people who walk past me. I am also, however, the mother of a 2 1/2 year old. More often than not, I'm simultaneously walking through the store trying to quiet and calm her, the only tactile experience being holding her little hands to keep them from clearing the shelves.
My first introduction to Home Grocer came from Amazon.com. They had a great promotional offer -- Buy $50 worth of groceries, get $25 off and free delivery. Can't beat that, I thought to myself. It's certainly worth a try.
Home Grocer sucked me in and now I'm addicted
the good stuff:
1) Home Grocer is really easy to use.
Whoever designed the Home Grocer website knew about intuitive user interfaces. There are multiple menu's, clear instructions for how to move around, and excellent categorization. You can shop by product, you can browse products in a category, you can list all of one kind of item, you can search by brand name, type (frozen, canned, fresh), and actual product.
You can also compile a shopping list (for the current week), see all of your past purchases (I like this because I often buy the same things each week, such as diapers, milk and bread), and create multiple lists for different reasons (I have a special list for my daughter's upcoming birthday party).
2) Home Grocer plans your meals for you.
Ok, they don't go through your budget or your family size, but they do nearly everything else. There is a recipe section, which gives one detailed, instructive recipe (per week) and then lists the products you'll need below the recipe, along with a convenient buy button so you can make it yourself without the hassle of making a list or searching the site.
3) Home Grocer gives you excellent quality produce and meats.
I admit, I was hesitant about buying fresh fruit and meats. It just didn't seem like I could get the best deal - I couldn't compare, I couldn't touch or smell. My first order came with a free bag of produce, however (probably because most people feel as I do about ordering produce sight unseen), and the quality was excellent. We received a small bag of peaches, some apples, a pear, an orange, and some berries. All were in perfect condition, well packaged, and delicious.
Later, feeling adventurous and in the mood for a special pot roast recipe, I ordered a pot roast. It arrived, very cold, well packaged and nicely trimmed. It was tender and an excellent cut.
4) Home Grocer is really darn convenient.
You have tons of options when you arrange your delivery time. You can pick a day (up to a week in advance - great for that party when you need a fresh fruit tray!), and any of several 1 1/2 hour blocks of time. You can schedule an order for the very next day, and cancel or edit that order up until 11 pm the night before the delivery. They even give you
the option of arranging your delivery time -before- you shop, so that you can reserve it and not worry about somebody else taking it.
5) Everyone I've talked to at Home Grocer has been almost frighteningly nice.
We've had 3 different delivery guys, and every single one of them was polite, well-mannered, and friendly. They wore little booties on their shoes to keep from soiling the carpet (really!) and they refused the water I offered them. You don't have to tip the delivery guys (in fact there is a strict no tipping policy) and they lug your groceries into your house (in our case, up our stairs) and place them wherever you want them (unfortunately they don't put them away).
the bad stuff:
1) Home Grocer is expensive.
I suppose we should define expensive. My husband and I did a comparison test with our local Vons grocers, and we came to the conclusion that using Home Grocer is like shopping at a grocery store without the perks (club card, member's savings, etc.). Home Grocer also does not accept coupons, so if you rely on coupon savings, stay far away, the prices will shock you. Home Grocer does have occasional specials, but they are nothing like the specials the walk-in supermarkets have.
When you use Home Grocer you willingly pay more for service. You pay to have the luxury of sitting on the floor in front of your computer in your jammies, shopping through the virtual aisles while simultaneously reading a book and making breakfast, and lounging around on your couch watching tv while somebody else carries your bags up the stairs. It's all about convenience, baby, and if you decide it's worth it, then worth it is.
[Note: there is a $9.95 delivery free for orders less than $75, for orders -over- $75, delivery is free.]
2) Home Grocer is sometimes out of stock.
They have a great written out-of-stock policy on their website, saying that if they're out of stock of something that you've ordered, they'll go to the nearest supermarket and get a replacement item, giving it to you for the same price, even if it's bigger or costs more. I haven't seen this to be true in reality, however. My last order included 2 loaves of sourdough bread, and none was given to me. I wasn't charged for it, true, but I can't
imagine that finding sourdough bread in San Diego is a difficult thing. I didn't see any of the effort that their site promises, and that was disappointing.
3) Home Grocer delivers your fruit at the peak of perfection.
You can't go to Home Grocer and buy strawberries for next week. Their fruit is fresh and delicious and always ripe - completely perfect for the moment. This means that it must be consumed nearly immediately. While this isn't necessarily a problem for me, I've learned that if I want lasting, less ripe produce, I just run to my local farmer's market and buy it there.
(I also was delivered a gallon of milk with a rather late (early?) 'sell by' date. Rather than the 2 or so weeks the walk-in grocery store gives you, this milk had a date only 2 days away.)
4) Sometimes the drivers are fussy about their schedules.
Our first order was delivered exactly on time - within the first 1/2 hour or our 1 1/2 hour block. Our second order was delivered about 6 hours early (apparently the driver had another delivery in our apartment complex and decided to combine them). He did call first, but we weren't quite ready for company at that moment. The third order was delivered in the last 5 minutes of the 1 1/2 hour block. I had my finger on the phone to dial customer service when the doorbell rang.
Overall, I've been very pleased with Home Grocer
I love the flexibility of the lists, the ease and convenience of buying from my home, the luxury of having somebody else bring my 4 2 litre bottles of pepsi one up our very long stairs. I've discovered the fruit is excellent and ready to eat, the lettuce is green and my frozen items arrive still frozen. I've had excellent delivery men with good manners and
excellent luck with nearly everything I've purchased. I've willingly paid more for the service, and sacrificed coupons for home delivery.
Everything comes with a 100% guarantee -- you don't like it, call them and they'll take it back and refund your money. That isn't something you can get at your local walk-in supermarket, and it's something that I remember every time I place an order.
If you're willing to pay a little more, try it. Even if you aren't, hop on one of the specials (get X amount off minimum purchase plus free delivery) and try it, anyway. You can always return it for a refund, and you just might like it more than you think.
(I think I'm starting to get addicted... my time is my own again. And hey! Now I can buy my trashy, trendy magazines in secret at the virtual checkout line. My reputation holds.)
Recommended:
Yes
Type of Products Delivered: Food
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Epinions.com ID:
tesserae
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Reviews written: 53
Trusted by: 46 members
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