My NOT Guilty Pleasure

I remember being extremely perplexed as I wondered why a person would order their groceries to be delivered. I really enjoyed browsing the isles of my favorite stores, picking the perfect onions, and smelling the fresh fruit. I mean who doesn't enjoy picking up random items that are not on their grocery list and giving in to the temptation of everything on the shelves by the checkout counter. (sarcasm) Then one day at the beginning of the Pandemic I decided to try grocery on-line pickup. I was eager and curious to try this new form of grocery shopping. The store, in particular, offered this service free of charge, I could use both my digital and printed coupons, and I was able to select a pickup time that worked best for me. After I downloaded the app, I was able to easily navigate to everything on my list, apply my coupons, select my pick-up time and submit my order. As it became closer to my selected pickup time, I received a notification that a few items I selected were unavailable, however, my shopper suggested great replacements. I received a text when my order was ready to be picked up, so I followed the instructions a clicked a button that alerted the grocery pick-up team that I was en route. Upon arrival, I parked in one of the well-marked parking spaces for grocery pick up and my arrival was confirmed through the app tracker. I popped open the back of my SUV and waited for less than 5 minutes for a friendly personal shopper to load up my car, explain my substitutions, and asked me if I had any additional questions. MY MIND WAS BLOWN! At this point, I did not know if I would ever step foot in a grocery store again (sarcasm again, it's no secret that I love my small markets that do not offer such services)

Then one day I received a coupon for free a free grocery delivery session! I was unsure how it all worked so I immediately G.T.S (Googled That Stuff) to get a better idea of what exactly grocery delivery was. So once again I had to download an app that was a 3rd party to the grocery stores in my neighborhood (Aldi, Kroger, and Publix), select my store of choice, then begin loading up my cart. Once my cart was fully loaded I selected the best delivery time that worked for me (to my surprise, I could select to have them delivered within 2 hours of placing my order). I entered my coupon for the free delivery session and all of my personal information and in less than 5 minutes I received an email confirmation with my full cart list, the name and picture of my personal shopper, and a way to track the session.

As my personal shopper navigated the store shopping for all of the items on my list, I would get a notification if one of the items was unavailable and a recommended substitution that I could approve or deny. As my shopper completed my shopping, I received another notification that she was checking out and an estimated time for her arrival at my front door. (There is also a map on the app that tracks the shopper as she drives from the store to your home)

Upon arrival at my home, all of the groceries were neatly left at my front door. (A tip is calculated into your total which is applied during checkout, however, I like to leave a cute note and a few extra dollars taped to my front door)

As a result of the Pandemic forcing me to work from home, I no longer spend more than $60-$70 a week for gas commuting back and forth to my office, so I don't feel bad paying a few extra dollars to have my groceries delivered once a month. (We shop at the bulk stores and smaller markets ) I read SEVERAL articles recently about parents who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, so they began personal shopping and driving for rideshare services to make ends meet. Knowing this fact makes my NOT Guilty Pleasure feel like I'm helping someone else in a small way.

XOXO

ShaVonne