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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to buy an Ocado delivery pass despite needing to keep food costs down?

21 replies

Stickwithit · 05/05/2011 12:58

I have had an email from ocado offering their delivery pass at a reduced rate of £3.99 per month (usually £10.99 per month). This will give me unlimited delivery for this price, but I would have to sign up for a year. The other tempting thing about this offer is that they will lower their mimimum purchase threshold from £75.00 to £40.00.

I need to shop on a budget but find internet grocery shopping saves me so much hassle. I have been really suprised to find that shopping with Ocado is no more expensive than other major supermarkets (I use mysupermarket and it tells me which supermarket is cheapest).

The main problem that I have found so far with ocado is their expensive delivery (often £6.50), and their mimimum spend threshold is £75.00. Other than that I have been pleased with the quality food and the service is great.

So, AIBU to pay for this delivery pass despite needing to keep my food shopping costs down?

OP posts:

RoobyMurray · 05/05/2011 13:00

YANBU. Do it. Saves soo much hassle for me that I consider it worthy of investment.

Happymm · 05/05/2011 13:00

Nah, go for it. Ocado are great and never let you down-even through last years snow! Unlike Tesco's who just cancelled orders leaving my Dsis with no food at christmas!

androbbob · 05/05/2011 13:01

Sounds like a plan to me as long as you are happy with Ocado - I find there selection is not vast and I still have to go elsewhere. But any online shopping saves a fortune anyway!

Lucyinthepie · 05/05/2011 13:02

I think it depends on how much you need to save money. If it's just a little bit that you need to save then YANBU and go for it. If you're feeling really stretched financially then investigate the cheaper shopping options like Morrisions and Aldi and save yourself a significant sum of money.

Dropdeadfred · 05/05/2011 13:02

we do this...it's great//we can get two smaller deliveries a week if necessary, stops us throwing out food so much

PinkToeNails · 05/05/2011 13:04

We need to keep food costs down and we've just done this too. I think it will work out better in the long run.

onepieceofcremeegg · 05/05/2011 13:06

I probably wouldn't do it. Only because once you sign up, they stop sending you a lot of the "deals" that you seem to get. For example most weeks I get £10 off a certain amount, or a % off total bill. My friend signed up for the delivery pass and all of that stopped.
It suits us to have a very late delivery around 10pm, which is very cheap usually a £1 or £2 I think. And I take advantage of the e-mail offers they send.
I would find them too expensive if I lost the offers.

onepieceofcremeegg · 05/05/2011 13:06

p.s. if anyone can confirm that you do still get the e-mail offers once you have signed up, then please post and tell me. :)

bonkers20 · 05/05/2011 13:13

How do Ocado compare with Tesco food price wise. I'd say about 50% of our shop is fruit and veg. Does anyone know how Ocado and Tesco compare in this respect?

Original poster

Stickwithit · 05/05/2011 13:15

Oh thanks everyone. I thought I might get flamed for considering Ocado when on a budget.

I would also be interested to know if the offers stop once you have signed up onepieceofcreamegg. Although, the brilliant £25 off has not been offered to me for months now, and the £10 off is usually off a fairly large spend.

I didn't realise Ocado did really cheap delivery slots of £1 and £2. Maybe I should consider using these slots- but then I am still stuck with the £75 mimimum spend problem........

Lucyinthepie- you are right that I could save more using Aldi and other budget supermarkets. However, internet shopping saves me so much hassle as I really am short of time. I can wait until DC are in bed and then get stuck into the shopping rather than fit it into our day. I also find online shopping saves me some money in that it is easier to stick to a list and ignore the bargainous stuff that I don't really need.

OP posts:

QuackQuackBoing · 05/05/2011 13:19

I find it hard to believe that they are cheaper!

Original poster

Stickwithit · 05/05/2011 13:24

I am not sure how Tesco compares to Ocado specifically for fruit and veg. However, mysupermarket does suggest they are comparable for my general shop which does include fruit and veg. I hope someone can be a bit more helpful.

However, I would say that the quality of the fresh fruit and veg items that I have had delivered (mostly from their basics range) has been excellent.

OP posts:

miniwedge · 05/05/2011 13:32

Sainsbury delivery is £3.50 for orders over £40.

I think you will save more money looking at other supermarkets than using Ocado.

All that comparison website shows is that the branded goods are roughly the same. The real savings are found in swapping say green giant sweetcorn for own brand sweetcorn.

miniwedge · 05/05/2011 13:33

Sorry, hit post too soon.
Ocado own brand items are generally more costly than other supermarkets.

MarionCole · 05/05/2011 13:37

I have an Ocado delivery pass and actually find that I spend less on food the weeks I remember to use it (rather than a last minute panic round Saino's at 6pm). It forces you to plan your meals and means you don't make impulse purchases. Definitely a sensible move. Quality is good too and the shelf-life is much better than other supermarkets.

BeerTricksPotter · 05/05/2011 13:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Ginabraz · 05/05/2011 13:39

I have used Ocado for a long time and throughout this time I have tried Asda and Sainsburys with the view to save money. I didn't and I think the Ocado service is far superior. Like you I took advantage of buying the block deliveries and it has been brilliant. Do it!

Fiddledee · 05/05/2011 13:40

Which report did look at prices of the supermarkets of a certain bundle of good over several months, Ocado was over 10% more expensive than Asda (the chepeast), and 5% more than Sainsbury's (the next most expensive after Ocado.

I think fruit and veg cheaper at sainsbury's. I do have a Ocado delivery pass - to provide that vital pint of milk as I live in the sticks (see another thread about living in the countryside)

Whatevertheweather · 05/05/2011 13:43

Agree with MarionCole. I've had the delivery pass for just over a year now (I know that as I had a lovely bottle of of free wine with my last order as it had been a year ) during that year I think i've had 2 £10 off a £75 shop and 1 £5 off but only seem to come if I havent used it for a while which negates paying £10.99 for the delivery pass.

I had been considering cancelling the pass as i'm rubbish dis-organised and end up doing a whizz round Sainsbos but then I got the email about £.399 a month so will keep it - its definately worth that.

I do have repeated problems with Avocadoes from there though - they arrive like bullets and never ripen Other than that been really happy with it!

sparklyjewlz · 05/05/2011 14:05

I've just had a look at this offer Stickwithit; since you have to sign up for a year anyway isn't it better to go for the £39.99 per year rate rather than £3.99 per month? Or have I missed something? (Think it would save about £8 overall...not enough to go on holiday with but hey)

sparklyjewlz · 05/05/2011 14:08

On reflection I'm going to go for the monthly rate. The yearly rate shoots up to £109 after 12 months and I might forget to cancel in time!

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