To ask why any sane person would take their dc's to do the food shop?

[TENDTOprocrastinate]

The kids hate it, it's more difficult to do it with them (for many reasons varying with age). Why not do it online (unless they don't deliver to your area- does this happen?) it's quicker to do it online once you've set it up. It's cheaper- as you don't tend to browse and buy crap so easily. And there is no crying/moaning/complaining children to drag along. You don't even have to load stuff excess times. Ie from shelf to cashier belt to bags to car to driveway to kitchen. No brainer really?

I take 2yo dd2 to the supermarket every Sunday afternoon. It's her weekend treat . She loves it. She rides in/on the trolley, she carries her own little basket, she counts the apples into the bag for me, she chooses her own yoghurts for the week, she helps unload the trolley onto the checkout, and she has a play on the Peppa Pig ride on the way out.

It isn't cheaper to do it online as I only buy what I would buy online anyway and I don't need to pay the delivery charges, and at least when I do it myself I get what I want with no poxy substitutions.

My DC are 10 and 13 and because they've been to the supermarket regularly , they are well behaved.
Of course it's easier to leave them at home with DH (if I go late evening) but I know I can rely on them to behave because they know better.

I'm also hoping it will make my DS easier to marry off. I don't want my future DIL wailing "He's not housetrained " and sending him back

I find internet delivery very hit and miss, especially with fresh food. Plus I like to browse to compare offers etc to get the best deals which isn't that easy when shopping online IMO.
Plus, I really don't want to waste my rare child-free moments going around Asda

I think it is very beneficial for children to 'learn to shop'. I do a lot of my shopping online but I do also go in store at least once a week and alternate which dc I take to help me. They have errands to do, I show them how to pick the freshest or spot the good deals and how to work out if a multibuy is actually a bargain or not.

It is a basic life skill that I want them to have so for me it's worth taking them. I do not take my 6 month old twins, I'm not actually crazy!! Older dc's are 8 and 11

My usually unangelic DS loves food shopping and is really helpful, to the point of other shoppers commenting. Also, I enjoy it myself and would never pay for delivery!

Lp who does most of her shopping in aldi/lidl as on a very budget. Am not insane. Am lucky to have a very well-behaved child who I have to take everywhere with me, and she's used to it now .

1. We don't have ocado here. We have Tesco or Asda.
2. Asda, as mentioned on previous threads, have a problem with being shit.
3. Tesco are far more expensive than my local morrison's even before you take into account the delivery cost
4. Online food shopping takes nearly as long as normal food shopping, and eats into my child free time. It is easier to shop with Ds than to have the laptop out while Ds is awake
5. I can't deal with ordering stuff now to arrive in 2 days time. I think that all the stuff should be there immediately and can't work out why it isn't
6. I like Morrison's

I get the shopping delivered when it cheapest- aprox £3.00. (Worth it for the impulse buys you won't do- plus expensive petol/ stress you'll save!) I started doing it 6 years ago when preg with dc1. If you don't like something (expiry date/substitution etc) you can send it straight back. They also do loads of online deals- the same if not more than they do in store.

I sound like an online shopping salesperson!! Haha! I've been debating this with some of my friends- I think they are mad to go to the store!

The only disadvantage I can see are the lack of clothes/stationary/cookware that are available via the grocery shop.

I love shopping online, I hate food shopping. I don't think I've ever actually managed a supermarket trip (for a full shop!) with a romantic partner without causing an argument

Delivery only costs £2.50 if you get it early enough/on the right day. I think it's £3.50 minimum for an evening slot too. Well worth it IMO.

I hate taking DS to the supermarket, I realise it's because we never go! But last time I had to drag him away from the christmas sweets displays because he was trying to open all of the chocolates which resulted in him screaming on the floor until one of those miraculous women in their 60s who appear to roam supermarkets and take great joy in diverting small children from tantrums turned up (thank god!!) I think when I'm grandma age I might go around supermarkets doing that Also, the time before that he attempted to climb the bread display He doesn't behave like that anywhere else, so I have no idea what got into him!

I mainly do online shopping, but am often too disorganised to get it done so I end up taking one or both of the DCs (13 and 3).

The 13 yo often picks a recipe to cook over the w/e so we go and get the ingredients, or we're having people over for dinner on a Saturday and I've had the weekly shop delivered the Monday before so need to get more stuff.

I rarely do the whole shop with the DCs, but we did end up doing so this Monday. We went when it was quiet (late afternoon), had a good list (in aisle order) and he had a bread roll while we went round. All fine.

I believe I am sane, but disorganised.

I can't take him for a proper shop, but if we need milk then I'll take him in and we'll spend half an hour wandering around until he becomes too much of a handful.

Big shops though, I will do everything I can to avoid having him. Out of preference I'll leave him at home with his dad while I go alone - I get to spend some time out, browse, and get the shopping I want.

I do heavy stuff over the internet sometimes (Amazon keeps me stocked with nappies/wipes for example), but I like getting out of the house, so I'd feel shortchanged if I did it all online..

Because I'm a single parent.

Because while I do sometimes shop online I do rather like having a look around a nice supermarket. Or I can't afford / don't have the space for a big shopping session so just spend £20 or so, not worth it if you're paying for delivery too.

Because we sometimes need clothes and the supermarket doesn't do them online.

I take both of mine DD1 (2.5) and DD2(7 months) and always have, they don't cause a fuss or bother because they have always gone, it's just one of the things we do. DD1 is able to join in, fetching things and carrying them if she is in the mood, riding in the trolley otherwise. I think it's nice to let her help and honestly doesn't take much, if any longer. She isn't one of the 'angelic' ones (but she is pretty good) but it's just normal for her to go and leaves weekends etc as family time. I'm not organised enough to do an online shop, i just nip when i'm out doing other things, we tried online shopping once, the bizarre substitutions were enough to out me off, at least if i see they haven't got something inshore i can have a quick rethink and still have enough stuff for meals.

As long as 19mo Ds is not too tired or hungry we can be out of the house for 2 hours doing the food shop (plus drive there and back) and he doesn't grump once.

I do cone across as a mad woman though as I talk to him constantly about what we're buying.

YABU

Some people prefer the real shop to online.
Sometimes you need something now.
Some people have too much time.
It's habit for many people as tinterweb shopping is reasonably new.

You can also get better and random offers if you go to the supermarket I think sometimes.

In response to a few people- coupons from the big shops do work online- you just have to register them online-for eg. Club card.

Another person mention plastic bag waste!!? You can get your food delivered without bags and get extra rewards vouchers!

I still haven't heard a decent reason against online shopping except for the few kids who really enjoy it. (I remember detesting it when I was a kid!) and of course if you can't deliver to your area.

I'm not sure of the point here. Yes shopping is a chore but children need to learn chores at some point, don't they?

And yes, children can misbehave when shopping. But surely it's better to teach them how to behave in public rather than just avoid going shopping altogether?

Also I have rather fond memories of the supermarket shop. Dad used to finish work early one day a week and he would collect me from school and then we would go food shopping. He'd buy a bun or something at the start so I could eat it on the way round.

When mum reduced her hours at work she did the food shop and I'd go to be of assistance with bag packing and unloading the car.

Normal isn't it?

Next time you see a mum carting her DCs around Tescos ask her why she has them with her. It will never been from choice!

I buy other things online but i will not buy food online.

It doesnt take me that long & although my 8yr old doesnt like food shopping she doesnt make a fuss. I give her a pen & the list & off we go round the supermarket.

Most conpanies you can order late at night and get the delivery the next morning. Though I do admit to needing the occasional ad hoc purchase. (Tend to go to an express shop/petrol station/butcher etc for this)

YABU. We do a family shop every weekend, all 4 of us. We enjoy browsing the offers, I like taking ds to the bakery counter and letting him choose a gingerbread man from time to time, ds enjoys helping to choose the fruit/meat/bread, dd enjoys the ride in the trolley and the little old ladies who coo at her. I want to choose my own cuts of meat and veg, I do not want to pay a delivery charge, nor do I want to sit at home waiting for the delivery to arrive.

It's hardly a wait- we get a one hour time slot.

One thing you can not do when shopping online is your own sustitutions.

When i am in a supermarket and they do not have something i wanted i can just choose something else. Whereas if you do it online you either have no substitutions so end up with half of your shopping missing or you get something that you dont like.

Um, I like going shopping with my child. She's good fun to talk to and I like watching her writing the shopping list and crossing stuff off as we go round. OK, I only have one nice little well-behaved six year old but I can't see why I'd want to do online shopping, personally. What happens when you do online shopping is they send you shitty substitutions and chickens/mince/fruit with really short use by dates and it drives you mad.

A few years ago, shopping with DD was a bit of a torture but it's a pleasure now. There was a bit of shouting in the interim period.