There’s no denying that the OVID-19 pandemic has changed many things about the ways in which we live our lives. Outdoor restaurant seating, take-out only options, curbside pickup and grocery delivery. Grocery delivery services, like Instacart, have skyrocketed in popularity. If you didn’t have to go to the grocery store, why would you?
Did you get any groceries delivered within the last year during the pandemic? And if so, how often did you get those deliveries?
Please tell us by voting in the poll below. If you have any advice about grocery delivery, leave it in the comments. We’re sure others would love to hear your advice and tips. Thanks!
my answer was not an option.
we used home delivery once and curbside pickup once just to see how it worked. the home delivery was awful…too many substitutions we did not want. and if i have to drive to the store anyway i might as well go inside.
we are not afraid of shopping inside and apart from those two experiments i have been doing the weekly grocery run as well as other “go inside the store” errands since the “lockdowns” began.
Exact same experience here. Used the service once to see what it was all about. Same results. Since then, I continue to follow my regular routine other than wearing the mandated mask when I enter a store. And I remove it as I walk through the exit.
And here. EXACTLY the same. I tried, but it just doesn’t feel right to be afraid all the time. No way to live, being constantly afraid. Life is short…. enjoy what you DO have!
We changed from once a week shopping to once every 3-4 weeks and have no issues. My wife is very picky when we get produce and meats so, no one else will be allowed to get our food.
We never used any but kept our same shopping routine. The only difference was we wore masks, kept the shopping carts sanitized and sanitized our hands and touch locations in the car once we return to the car. We still use the same procedures and will until things start to get back to “normal”.
Never and I never intend to. I’ve seen the careful way the store shoppers chose the products you order. And prefer to chose my own products.
I wear a face diaper to enterprise store and remove it immediately. I then proceed to do my shopping and stay away from those who display issues with my not wearing the clothe barrier that does nothing.
Happy RVing see you down the road!
“Face diaper”! I plan to steal this term. 😆 Thanks! 👍
So thoughtful of others.
Sounds like a cloth diaper was very appropriate for this person, we all know what diapers hold.
Have never use home delivery. Store pickup all the time. Two different stores, one with excellent produce, they charge 15% expensive, the other is a flat $2.00 fee where we do 90% of our shopping on line, store pickup.
Tried to use home delivery, never could get a delivery date. With some of the stories I’ve heard it can be a nightmare.
We mask up, wash our hands, wipe down our shopping cart handle, go in and get out, wash our hands and unmask and drive home.
We limited our trips for groceries and other than pizza, never used any delivery service. Could not become a hermit
Use it all the time. Love it! The local curbside pickup is free and for a while I used the membership discount on Instacart for deliveries. Lots of enterprising folks in our city jumping at the opportunity to shop, met a lot of nice neighbors that way. All our local businesses now offer curbside delivery at no extra charge. These services will likely continue long after the pandemic.
I’ve had no issues with quality, and when using apps to order can choose substitutions and write notes to the shopper (like “green bananas, please”).
LOVE not having to stand in line at the store. The savings in time and convenience have been wonderful. May continue to use it, even after it’s “safe” to congregate. I’ve enjoyed not having to deal with colds or flu this last year.
My wife used it once when Walmart didn’t have something she needed, it was on the delivery truck and when it came into the store they brought it to her.
There is no one who will deliver groceries in our area ( not even an insta-cart type service. However, Walmart pickup service has completely changed my shopping habits. The shoppers at our local (relatively speaking) store have done a wonderful job for me. Now if we could just move beyond all the plastic bags…
Once. Only once, early on. But I hated feeling housebound and helpless, and constantly fearful … still do, won’t do it. That’s just not me. I’ll wear the mask if/when Its required by the retailer, but I won’t shutter myself away, afraid of other humans who MAY (but most likely DON’T) pose a transmissible microscopic threat.
Other than some dry or canned goods, it’s not available to us where we live in rural NW Montana.
You left out ordering online and pickup outside the store. We have done that every two weeks for the past year.
I have not had any groceries delivered to my home ever. I have used the pick up service and really like it.
Hahaha no such thing here in my area of So Colorado…where I live the entire county has a total of two stoplights! The closest Walmart is an hour away.
We used home delivery twice, but decided we didn’t really care for it. Like others who have commented, we then started using our local Safeway’s “grocery pick-up” service. We order on their app, including specifying which items are OK to substitute and which are not. A few hours later they text that the order is ready. Any time in the next 24 hours we drive to the store, call a special phone number, & they bring our order out to the car & load it for us. We’ve been doing this now for nearly a year and in that time they’ve made only one error in our orders. We love it.
My wife makes the list and I am the pickup and delivery service.
Unless disabled, this seems to be just another perk for metro people. I have no desire to make myself so special that I need workers to pamper me. If afraid of C19 and use the service, isn’t that mitigated by the potential of a diseased delivery person touching all your food? Put on a mask, wash your hands and don’t touch your face before washing.
👍 Right on George
Never wanted to use an online grocery service as I like to see, in person, what I’m buying for meats & veg/fruits. With the virus just decided to be safe and gave it a try. It has worked out pretty good. However, we did make trips to Costco to get moist of our meats & used a nearby grocery if we needed something in between online orders. I hate shopping so online works for me. I would say overall orders have been 95% correct. A few times we got stuff from someones order. Stores do not take back. We’ve used all of it. Even fruits/veggies & if we order chicken or hamburger has worked out. With a 4 hr delivery window it is only $3.95. I will probably continue using this service.
Ps…from mid January to mid March we traveled from CA to FL. While on trip we personally shopped. Like using local stores for regional items. So, using online grocery, while in beginning trying to understand Covid, it was really out of hating to shop even before Covid. Forgot to mention we use Walmart for staples/non perishables. Prices good even though they are a bit higher if you do delivery, but less than grocery. $35 up, no shipping fee.
We haven’t been inside a grocery store in over a year. We’ve taken advantage of home delivery about a half dozen times, but most often, we use curbside pickup (in both rural MN and SWFL). Thankfully, my husband and I have had both shots and are inside the 2-week waiting period for full efficacy. We are looking forward to shopping IN PERSON soon! Of course, we’ll still mask up and social distance on the outside chance we could pass/receive the virus to/from those who aren’t/aren’t able to be vaccinated. Who knows if that is absolutely necessary, but why not? It’s easy and ending this pandemic is a big deal for all of us.
Actually, only once; however, we do use curb side pick up for groceries at our local market and walmart.
Have not used home delivery of groceries. We have used curbside pickup at Walmart extensively, and in combination with short, focused trips to a nearby grocery store. We combine the two stops each week to minimize the time we are in public. Although I am halfway vaccinated and my wife fully, we are still following this routine at present.
I have used the Walmart curbside pickup for more than a year. Love it and plan to continue. Carryout clerks have been friendly and accommodating. Shoppers have picked well, especially produce. Totally satisfied. Find it is a timesaver.
We didn’t use the home delivery, we used, and still use, the pick up option. Only go to a store to get whatever was not available in our pick up order that we really need.
Have been using curbside for a year and will continue. I tried home delivery with Costco twice but the independent company that hires “shoppers” didn’t work for me. I am ultra picky about my fresh fruits & veggies… they weren’t as picky. 🍎 🍐 🍊 🌽
We don’t use home delivery or even curbside pick-up for the same reason, I am not letting someone else pick out my fruit, vegetables, or meat. My wife and I both are real picky about these items and check dates on dairy and eggs.
I answered “Never,” which applies to me. I’m assuming you don’t count my daughter-in-law who does all the shopping and cooking.
The poll is not there.
Hi, Diane. You might have it blocked on your device somehow, since more than 1,700 of our readers have already voted in the poll. Jessica, one of our IT folks, explained it this way: “Sometimes script blockers and ad blockers interfere with our polls since they are from a 3rd party site. If you have one of these try and turn it off and see if that fixes the issue.” I hope that works for you. Sorry for the inconvenience. Have a great afternoon. 🙂 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Our children shopped for us. Dropped it off on the deck. Now we venture early morning or early afternoon.
I’ve actually been using a local grocery store chain to deliver groceries to my Mom in her Adult Care Facility. It has been working very good.
We live in a semi rural area so just mask up and shop when the stores aren’t crowded. The only deliveries we’ve had was pizza.
I checked very often with a caveat. We have used order online and no contact pickup every week since April 2020. We continue to use it.
We live in area with no delivery available. I tried 4 different stores and 2 different services all said same thing. Do grocery pick up every 2 weeks, works out good.