[GA inside] What's your opinion on ordering groceries online?

I prefer to buy in store so I can chose what I want to buy. I tend to buy food for most of the week and may need things to last 4-5 days so I hate when they deliver food and it all runs out in a few days. I have a car so its not a major inconvenience as I pass a big superstore on my way home.

Thanks for the gib too!

I don't order them online because it's more expensive and I usually don't get all my groceries in the same store. I also like to choose what I'm buying.

The worst thing about buying online and getting food delivered is that they tend to chuck in food that has a very short expiry date sometimes. Now, when you live with a few people, that's not a big deal because you'll probably use it all up. But, when you're on your own, you're throwing half of it in the bin. I hate wasting food like that. At least in the store, you can check the dates and decide if you want to buy it or not.

I've never ordered groceries online. I have nothing against it, but grocery shopping is a chance to pretend to be grown-up for a bit (and ride on shopping trolleys - wheee!)

I never buy groceries online. I usually buy my groceries at different places and I mostly buy perishable/fresh food so I like to choose for myself what I get.

If I want fresh foods like produce, meats, fish, cheese/luncheon meats, I will go to the store myself. Even though it can be a PITA, since I have arthritis and a permanent leg injury that all cause me pain when I walk. And I am too stubborn to use the ScooterCartsOfDoom that my local store has.

For things that don't spoil or melt and are all basically the same quality in every package... I will order online for pickup at the door (at the store). That way i can order, pay using their secure website and a secure payment method, and an hour later drive up, and have them load it all into my car.

I will not order online and have things delivered to my home. 1) The delivery driver does not need to know where I live... I don;t know them, why would I give them directions to my house? 2) I don't know who is delivering the stuff, or how long it may sit in a truck or delivery car, and how well it may be packed to prevent damage if the driver is a maniac behind the wheel, or is involved in an accident. 3) I don;t want my groceries possibly sitting out on my front porch for hours before I get home, or wake up from a nap, to find them there, melted, spoiled or invaded by the pesky squirrels who live in my yard. Let alone the neighbors' dogs or cats, who often get out and roam the neighborhood.

When i do shop at the store, I am a night owl, and am lucky to have a large chain store nearby, open 24 hours a day (except holidays). So, I shop in the wee hours of the morning, while my family is asleep, and the store is virtually empty of other shoppers. They stock the shelves and displays then too, so I often am able to get the freshest stuff, right out of a new box or as it is put into the coolers and displays. Minimal contact with other random people, and very short lines, or no lines at all. In and out, without children running around, getting in the way of me and my cane. But, again, it is a large store, in a well-lit shopping center, with good, regular patrols by law enforcement late at night, and good security cameras. Not everyone has that nearby.

Best wishes to you. I hope you find a way, or ways, that work well for you, and is/are comfortable for you. And thanks for the gib. :)

I buy in a store for food. I try to buy everything else online. I dislike walking around a store.

But I have a cousin who buys online and picks up from the local store. Its waiting for him after work. He loves it. So I might try it sometime. He says he saves money because he is only buying the stuff he needs. He says hes never had an issue with getting bad or sub par food.

There was no vote for "I don't order because I have stores nearby," but there was one for "extra CO2"? xD Thanks for the giveaway!

thx for chance, bump
I had bought food stuff from online stores very occassionally, but not local.

Strangely enough, I get more anxious over the phone than in person. I know it doesn't strictly answer the question because a phone is not "online", but it kind of does when you think about having meals delivered. If the restaurant doesn´t have an online platform, I don't order, just to avoid the phone call.
🙄

There is definitely an option missing for someone like me. I order everything online, I'm not lazy, I'm not "occupied", I'm simply handicapped. I can't carry stuff, I don't have a car, and I can't see myself walking through the alleys while I can't stay standing for more than 30mn before I'm hurting.
It's not always about being lazy or because you're occupied, sometimes, it's life saving. When I was living alone and wasn't so sick that I am now, I would go every week and get things for myself, stuff I can't do anymore and my partner already does a lot, buying what I forgot to order (or what they couldn't deliver) and helping me with daily tasks.

I order once a month, the supermarket where I buy online from since 6 years now is making the exact same price online or on super market, we can tick a case to allow replacements and add notes to each items. So far, I only had a problem once, this summer, where the frozen stuff were not frozen anymore, they didn't even ask to check or anything, they gave back the whole money. Otherwise I get long lasting products and have a big fridge and large freezers.

I can't even think of how I would do if I was single and there wasn't this option. While my handicap is heavy enough to make my life complicated, legally speaking we're fighting for my status to reflect my difficulties, which means that for now, I don't get any sort of help, would it be monetary or human. I had to adapt to my handicap and this meant also find a way to do things I couldn't do anymore, like walking to the supermarket, picking things up and low, pushing a caddy, waiting on line. I can't do that anymore.

I admit I don't understand the CO2 being blown into the atmosphere option, after all, if a handful of people take their car to go to the supermarket and come back home, they will release more CO2 than a truck delivery to the same house one after another before returning to the supermarket.

Can I also say that Amazon monthly deliveries are life saving ? I get my cat litter from them and quality food I can't find anywhere else, I jungle with both Amazon and my supermarket to be delivered, the guys are so used to me that they come up to my home, deposit the package after knocking and then leave. They know I'm here and I'll pick it up, there is no danger for stuff to be stolen, and we made a deal long ago with the post office, the deliverymen and other groceries deliverymen that they would come and place the thing in a way I can actually handle them easily.

I think of all the old people who still rely on the rest of their family to have their food and I think I rather prefer being able to order online the food I would buy anyway and have it delivered home. To me it's essential and I believe that such option is a nice progression from before, where if you were like me, you were definitely stuck.

Bump!

Bump and thank you.

I'm just a short walk from the grocery stores here so I don't see a point in ordering online. One of my neighbors is infirm so she orders online.

I like to choose the best available but I think it's totally normal to order them online.

I used to buy when the scheduled delivery was quick. Nowadays it takes something like two weeks, so...

I don't think there is an online grocery service where I live but I'd prefer to go to the store anyway

I go to the store at night to choose the stuff for myself - and thx for the gib

Nah for the poll answer.

If that's such a big issue I can't see how you do anything else around the town.

In any case, waiting in line to pay for groceries should be an easy and quick way to try and deal with the anxiety in social situations. Maybe if you approached it that way, "Ok this might suck, but it'll be over soon and maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe it won't suck at all, it might even be a breeze".

Anyways, I'm not trying to sound like an asshole - if I misunderstood what it does to you please correct me. I don't know the extent to which that happens to you, if you're doing something to deal with it and seeing if it can be removed. As far as I know it's not nearly the same as depression, and some people get it when they have other problems that compound the issue that might've been there before but not nearly to the same extent. If you are doing something, great, I hope it works out. If you aren't doing anything about it, maybe see if professional help is of any use.

The waiting in line, as with all things that suck and are hard, will make you feel good about yourself for doing something that was difficult for you. Maybe see if breathing exercises like Wim Hof and the like can help you relax. It might also be a case of self fulfilling prophecy where you convince yourself it'll suck and you'll get a panic attack, which then causes you to get more and more anxious and actually get a panic attack.

Once again, I'm writing this with good intentions. If I've said something preposterous correct me.
Anyways, have a nice day/afternoon/whatever. :)

I haven't ordered them online mostly due to extra cost.

Also the gig economy workers are generally overworked & underpaid. So I tend to avoid those services when possible.

I order a lot of groceries online but pick them up so I don't have to pay for delivery. It saves a lot of time and if I forget to buy anything/want to buy anything else I can just grab it quickly.

Bread, milk, cereal etc don't really need any picking out so it's faster to just get someone in the store to grab it for me. Yea, I'm being lazy.

I don't see an option for I don't order online because I like walking 30-60 minutes carrying 30 pounds of groceries in each hand. Who needs a gym membership? I got groceries to lift. ᕙ(＠°▽°＠)ᕗ

I order groceries online once from each service, to use the new customer free credit. :P

BTW, working out actually reduces my anxiety. Nothing like being out of breath and struggling to breathe takes my mind off unnecessary worries. Let me know if you ever want to talk. Talking it out usually helps me.

I order online because 1) I can't physically get out to do it myself and 2) I enjoy taking the time to browse, find good deals etc. that would take way too long in person even if I could get out. The downside is not picking out your own fresh produce so it can come with short dates or damaged so I tend not to order a lot of fresh stuff. Luckily my boyfriend will go to the local supermarket to pick up fresh stuff between online shops.

Where you live do you have the option to click and collect? (Order online but go and pick up the stuff so there will be little to no queue)

Also I am no expert but want to suggest that possibly avoiding the situation that makes you anxious could make the anxiety worse next time. https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/cycle-of-anxiety.pdf