Grocery Shopping

[tmm99]

I was never much of a fan, except for breakfast in fancier hotels. But I'm sure they are back in Vegas.

The self-serving kind?? That would shock me, but so many other things people do shock me anyway.

 

[Amethyst]

Brother from another mother, I see. Now, I might try a sample of actual cheese as long as it is not a stinky variety, but that smelly cheeseoid grease that gets melted on everything is sickening to me.

I agree with the samples, I was not born with the gene that seems them as appetizing . Perhaps because I am not a cheese fan (other than when it is on pizza), and so many of the samples seem "cheese-oriented". Now, if they were passing out samples of m&m packets, skittles, etc. I might be interested .

 

[audreyh1]

Who knew?

Old Bay seasoning, French’s Mustard, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.

McCormick CEO: 'We've been hard-pressed to keep up with' Old Bay Seasoning demand
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mc-c...-with-old-bay-seasoning-demand-180702023.html

Fortunately I have a fresh container of Old Bay.

I do love that Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. Don’t see how there was any shortage though, because I bought a bottle recently and was shocked to see an entire shelf section, top to bottom, stocked full of the stuff in various sizes. Wow!

 

[braumeister]

McCormick CEO: 'We've been hard-pressed to keep up with' Old Bay Seasoning demand
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mc-c...-with-old-bay-seasoning-demand-180702023.html

My local Kroger must have seen this coming, because some time last year they moved the Old Bay out of the spices section and put it on a shelf next to the fresh fish counter. There has been a steady supply of it here, so they obviously made a good move.

OTOH, the Ball canning jars and lids are only now beginning to reappear after at least the last 6-8 months being out of stock.

 

[ivinsfan]

I went in WalMart today and bought my own stuff. Seemed too much like work.



I was looking for a new slip for the service I need to go to this week..One kind of slip and only in sizes S or 2XL. I guess no one wears slips anymore.


I saw an online order picker and stopped and hold her I had done all my ordering for the last year online. I said Thank you for making things so easy, I appreciate you all doing this for me. She was masked but did give a big, You're welcome and Thank you for saying that.

 

[Koolau]

Folks revealing how little they care for buffets and spilling over into Costco samples: Many times I've watched the Costco preparers make the food I eat. They open the frozen box, wearing fresh gloves. They remove the food to the cooking surface which is scrupulously clean. Then place it in what looks like a new cooker. They tend it with stainless steel devices and remove it to freshly cleaned glass trays - all in my site line. Never went to a buffet - or a gourmet restaurant - where that is possible. So YES. I miss the free goodies at Costco though I agree they are not always that tasty and I'm certain the fat/salt content is high for the foodies in the group. Still, it so fits in with my frugal nature to graze at Costco. Call me old fashioned - and hard arteried - but I miss it. YMMV

 

[W2R]

Tonight I went to the grocery store with F for the first time in over 9 months. I have been getting deliveries from Amazon and Target instead of going to a real grocery store. We went at 8 PM because he said there would be fewer people there.

Nature's Own bread cost $3.59, which seemed a bit steep although I don't remember what it was before the pandemic, or even last July. Despite news stories to the contrary, I noticed that there was plenty of Heinz and Hunts catsup - - I didn't need any, but looked at the prices and a reasonably sized (medium large-ish?) bottle of Hunts was only $1.14.

I found every single thing I wanted and was astounded at the variety of products they have these days, compared with last July. That made me so happy. There were a few other customers but never more than one or two other people in an aisle that I was in.

This probably sounds like a post more suited to conditions a year ago, but I hadn't been to the store for over nine months and was feeling timid and nervous. Sort of like a trip to Mars. But actually it seemed much more normal than it did last July. People were still following the mandates but I guess they are more used to it by now and more relaxed. So that helped me to relax and calm down too.

 

[RobbieB]

We've been going to the grocery store forever. Been through the empty shelves period, the no sanitizer period, the limit 1 period and still going strong.

No food deliveries except specialties. Wagyu, sushi and truffles.

 

[audreyh1]

Wow, W2R, I’m glad you found your visit not so stressful.

I’ve been going grocery shopping in store the whole time, but definitely reduced the number of visits per month, and used pretty thorough PPE and went at uncrowded times where it was easy to avoid other people.

 

[Badger]

We love buffets, and never got sick - but store samples never called our names.

First of all, we dislike "dabs" of things. One time, someone was giving "samples" of fudge, so tiny and thinly-sliced I could barely taste it. Another time it was a teeny cup with a single grape and a couple drops of some kind of dressing. What are you supposed to do, down six of them at once, in order to get an idea of the taste?

Second, too much of it is greasy/salty stuff with a dribble of melted mystery cheese.

They are called an "amuse bouche" when you are in a fancy restaurant but I guess "dabs" will work for

Costco.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

We have been doing the pick up option for a while to avoid folks in general (COVID or not, I don't like crowds) and haven't had too many issues. DW signed up for a trial of the Wal Mart + which includes delivery of groceries in about two hours. Seemed like a pretty good deal, but 1/2 of the fresh veggies they sent were not suitable for human consumption. So, I think we will be back to shopping in person. BOO!!!

 

[harllee]

Due to DH's knee replacement surgery I have tried grocery delivery with very poor success. So far I have tried Walmart and Instacart (Wegmans) grocery delivery and have been very disappointed in both. Any suggestions of any other grocery delivery services that might do a better job?

 

[ivinsfan]

Due to DH's knee replacement surgery I have tried grocery delivery with very poor success. So far I have tried Walmart and Instacart (Wegmans) grocery delivery and have been very disappointed in both. Any suggestions of any other grocery delivery services that might do a better job?

Sadly no, it's annoying to pay for a service and sometimes pay more for the food and not have it be acceptable. Hopefully your DH will improve rapidly and you can go back to WalMart pickup.

 

[Likes_to_Lurk]

Due to DH's knee replacement surgery I have tried grocery delivery with very poor success. So far I have tried Walmart and Instacart (Wegmans) grocery delivery and have been very disappointed in both. Any suggestions of any other grocery delivery services that might do a better job?

I have been using Whole Foods delivery (via Amazon) for almost a year now and have been very happy with it. I have not had a problem with bad produce. My biggest issue is that the eggs frequently arrive damaged. Annoying, but I always get a prompt refund, no questions asked.

You pay the same price for delivery as in store. The only additional cost (assuming Prime membership) is a tip for the driver. In my area (NYC), WF prices for their own brand of dairy and eggs are better than other grocery stores. I have been happy with the WF brand for just about everything, except bread.

In my zip code, there is also Amazon's Fresh warehouse-based grocery delivery service. The selection is somewhat different with Fresh. They have more name brands, especially for pantry items. Prices are competitive and a driver tip is expected.

Note that both WF and Fresh require Prime membership and availability varies by location. WF also offers pickup.

 

[Badger]

We have been doing the pick up option for a while to avoid folks in general (COVID or not, I don't like crowds) and haven't had too many issues. DW signed up for a trial of the Wal Mart + which includes delivery of groceries in about two hours. Seemed like a pretty good deal, but 1/2 of the fresh veggies they sent were not suitable for human consumption. So, I think we will be back to shopping in person. BOO!!!

This is exactly why I don't do pick-up or delivery. We eat a lot of fresh produce and I want to pick out my own for the freshest, most flavorful, most healthy and have the option of making any other substitutions of my own choice.


Cheers!

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

This is exactly why I don't do pick-up or delivery. We eat a lot of fresh produce and I want to pick out my own for the freshest, most flavorful, most healthy and have the option of making any other substitutions of my own choice.


Cheers!

I think this is inherently difficult to do (as a delivery service) since most folks are fairly particular about how they want their fruits and veggies. My thinking is that the delivery isn't a bad deal for box/bagged goods and we can just hit up out local farmer (and a couple of markets) for the fruits and veggies.

 

[Amethyst]

So far, Walmart pick-up has been okay for fresh foods.

I haven't tried grocery delivery, because it is in some ways less convenient. The delivery is likely to get there in the heat of the day, possibly with no one around to grab it off the south-facing front steps.

This is exactly why I don't do pick-up or delivery. We eat a lot of fresh produce and I want to pick out my own for the freshest, most flavorful, most healthy and have the option of making any other substitutions of my own choice.


Cheers!

 

[harllee]

Actually my delivery problems have not been with the produce--the produce has looked pretty good. My delivery problem with both Walmart and Instacart (Wegmans) is that I got charged for items that were not delivered. Plus on the Wegmans delivery they included 2 pricey items I did not order--they charged me for them and so far have not refunded the money. Very disappointing.

 

[Koolau]

I certainly don't feel bullet-proof now that I've had my 2nd Covid shot plus 2 weeks. BUT my little-bit-of-lingering-Covid-anxiety has been relieved quite a bit when going to the store. It's kind of nice, really. I never really LIKED going to the store, but it was such a part of my routine of life, that, maybe like a wart that disappeared, I found I missed it. We don't go as often as we used to and we do follow all the guidelines. Still, it's STARTING to feel normal again. I hate to say it about shopping, but that's worth a lot right now. Normal is good though YMMV.

 

[Mmm Rrr]

Actually my delivery problems have not been with the produce--the produce has looked pretty good. My delivery problem with both Walmart and Instacart (Wegmans) is that I got charged for items that were not delivered. Plus on the Wegmans delivery they included 2 pricey items I did not order--they charged me for them and so far have not refunded the money. Very disappointing.

I've tried various delivery options and have settled on Amazon Fresh. The quality of meat and produce has been good, the prices are really competitive, I almost always get same or next day delivery windows, and on the rare occasions where there has been a mistake, I get a refund within minutes.

They strongly recommend a $5 delivery tip, which I always leave on the order. For that I get a little knock on my 4th floor condo door and the well-packed bags of groceries are beside my door.

 

[harllee]

I've tried various delivery options and have settled on Amazon Fresh. The quality of meat and produce has been good, the prices are really competitive, I almost always get same or next day delivery windows, and on the rare occasions where there has been a mistake, I get a refund within minutes.

They strongly recommend a $5 delivery tip, which I always leave on the order. For that I get a little knock on my 4th floor condo door and the well-packed bags of groceries are beside my door.

Too bad--no Amazon Fresh where I live.

 

[Retch The Grate]

So I was in Safeway 4 different times this week, after a year of almost exclusively online delivery shopping only. I think we'd been in a grocery twice total since March 2020. Being vaccinated is wonderful, it was so nice to be in the store in person. I'm still ordering online a lot, because getting our weekly staples is easy, but being back in the store is nice. I also stopped washing/cleaning/storing the groceries specially, which has made DW happy.

 

[pacergal]

I have been into the physical store for shopping a few times since fully vaccinated (Safeway and Costco). Much less anxiety, but I realized how much of a time waster it was!
I have learned to prefer a few clicks for my cart , check out online and pick up or delivery when convenient for me.
I plan to continue online. I don't mind avoiding in person shopping! And, luckily, we have not had any really bad experiences or too many bad products.

 

[braumeister]

I was in the habit of shopping at our local Kroger supermarket 2 or 3 times a week. I don't like to get huge orders, just enough for the next few days. That's fairly routine in many countries.

Once the pandemic started in earnest last March, I cut down to only 1 or 2 times a week, but that crept up very soon to normally twice every week.

I rather enjoy the process, and I haven't felt uneasy at all. People have been wonderfully good about masking and distancing around here, and I always go early in the morning. The staff at the store have universally been friendly and helpful.

I would probably have more anxiety about letting someone else do my shopping and then arranging for pickup or delivery, so doing it in person works much better for me. I'm glad it works for so many others, but I'm strictly a DIY guy here.

 

[mystang52]

Early on in the pandemic we had deliveries from Whole Foods and ShopRite, and frankly was satisfied. After a few months we started going back to the stores, but only in early morning weekdays. We still do this; stores are relatively empty.