After years of grocery
shopping three times a week for my kids and their friends, it was time to try online food shopping.
Peapod recently combined
with Stop & Shop in my area to offer dairy, produce, frozen, deli, seafood, can openers, party supplies, pain
killers, batteries, books, newspapers, flowers, gift baskets -- from any computer, anytime.
There are several ways to shop and I initially chose Browse Aisles, which is just what is sounds like. Start with major categories and
work your way down. A little time consuming, but the pages load quickly and, presumably, items will always be in
the same "aisle."
Once you're at a desired food item you can view its nutritional value, and,
for some, a picture. Click Buy to put it on your shopping list, or click Add to List which puts it on your Personal
List for regular use. You can view your full shopping list at any time, and a running tab appears as you shop.
Something you can't conveniently do in the store is sort items by calories, sodium, fat, etc.
I spent three days picking items before submitting an order, which requires
a credit card number.
Deliveries can be scheduled as soon as the next day, or two weeks ahead, even Saturdays and Sundays. Depending
on the day, there are four to ten 2-hour segments to chose from.
Having only one grocery
store in town I've never been a comparison food shopper, but I'm told by those who know prices that these are the
same as those in the supermarket. Peapod by Stop & Shop also has weekly specials, E-coupons, and accepts both
manufacturer and newspaper coupons.
My first order arrived as promised, and in good condition. Driver Anthony, handing the bagged items to me through the front door, said he is not
allowed to enter homes for liability reasons. I've had more deliveries since with only two errors, both minor.
Unlike many suppliers, Peapod by Stop & Shop has responded promptly and
courteously to my email.
Shopping this way
cuts down on impulse purchases, but I miss looking around for new and unusual goodies. The other thing I miss is
a product sales pitch -- you really have to know what you want. On the plus side, perishables seem to last longer
since they are not subjected to a half-hour ride home in a hot car.
Since you don't have to sign up for a minimum number of deliveries, give it a try. I'm hooked. For PC World's in depth review of online grocers click here.
Peapod recently combined
with Stop & Shop in my area to offer dairy, produce, frozen, deli, seafood, can openers, party supplies, pain
killers, batteries, books, newspapers, flowers, gift baskets -- from any computer, anytime.
Aisles, which is just what is sounds like. Start with major categories and
work your way down. A little time consuming, but the pages load quickly and, presumably, items will always be in
the same "aisle."
Something you can't conveniently do in the store is sort items by calories, sodium, fat, etc.
soon as the next day, or two weeks ahead, even Saturdays and Sundays. Depending
on the day, there are four to ten 2-hour segments to chose from.
Having only one grocery
store in town I've never been a comparison food shopper, but I'm told by those who know prices that these are the
same as those in the supermarket. Peapod by Stop & Shop also has weekly specials, E-coupons, and accepts both
manufacturer and newspaper coupons.
Driver Anthony, handing the bagged items to me through the front door, said he is not
allowed to enter homes for liability reasons. I've had more deliveries since with only two errors, both minor.
Shopping this way
cuts down on impulse purchases, but I miss looking around for new and unusual goodies. The other thing I miss is
a product sales pitch -- you really have to know what you want. On the plus side, perishables seem to last longer
since they are not subjected to a half-hour ride home in a hot car.