For those without the time to shop, store pick up can be a lifesaver. But the more I think about it, I truly believe there are some advantages to grocery shopping for yourself.
I’m not saying you MUST go shopping for yourself all the time. But consider these items and you may want to shop just once in a while.
No one picks produce like you do
I like bananas that are bright yellow but still have green on the stem and a little on the banana itself, unless I’m making banana bread in which case yellow with a few brown spots is great. Maybe I could put that in notes and the shopper could get it right, maybe not.
I for sure know I don’t want anything that’s mushy. Are they going to truly watch out for that on my behalf? I don’t want any greens that are starting to turn brown either…are they watching for that.
Being physically in the store at least occasionally also let’s you see how well your store takes care of their produce. A friend of mine specifically avoids one store in her area because they don’t care for it well. It pays to check up on this.
Get it when YOU need it
I gotta say the biggest deterrent from store pick up for me is the inability to get it when I want it. I think ahead to an extent. But if I put an order in today at lunch rather than earlier (because life happened), I’d like to be able to get it right after work on the drive home…not the next day.
Can they adequately keep both refrigerated AND frozen goods stored at proper temp until you get there? You can’t even see the storage areas in my stores, so I honestly don’t know.
I’d rather get my groceries on my schedule than theirs. And I don’t charge myself a fee if I miss the minimum order requirement. (I had to throw that one in somewhere hahaha)
Substitutions? I wanna choose!
I might choose a different sub than they would choose, maybe even go to another store to get the missing item instead. Or I might change a recipe or my whole menu plan depending on what sale meat they didn’t have enough of. One substitution could make a big difference, and I want to have the power to choose.
One last argument
Okay, I know you’ve thought this one if you’ve ever passed the pickers in the aisles. If you have trouble getting ONE grocery list (your own) pulled together, how do they do multiples…even up to 9 orders at once?
Reconsidering your grocery shopping?
There are still some reasons to do your own grocery shopping, at least once in a while. Personally, it’s one of my favorite things to do! (Another person sees the advantages…see that here.) Of course now that I’m working again, I may find I need to periodically change the way I do things and actually order online sometimes. Happy shopping, whichever way you choose to do it!
Did you miss part 1 of this series? Check it out here!
