Online food shopping question

[Jemster]

After another failed attempt at shopping with dd, 2 yesterday I am thinking about trying online shopping again. I wasn't that impressed in the past as it took me ages to plan the meals, then hunt for the ingredients online and a there were a few technical hitches which made it even longer! Also several items were substituted and didn't really get what I wanted.

A lady I work with does it every week. The other day she logged on to it and placed her order in a matter of minutes! She said she just clicked on same order as last week which is great but I don't think I would need or want exactly the same every week. Does anyone else do this?

I would like some tips on how to do this to make my life easier but preferably not taking two hours to place an order! Any advice please?

Ocado do this. I've been using them for years and rarely have substitutions. It's quick to type the item you want into the search bar, ie beans, then all of the beans they have come up. It may take a while when you first register as you need to get use to the site so please be patient with it. I can usually do mine in 20 minutes or less.

I don't use the 'order the same as last time though as I get bored of eating the same things. That's why it takes 20 minutes.

The first 3 or 4 times it takes ages. But after that it is much quicker. I buy 75% of the same stuff every week so I just go through my "previously bought items" and add them to the trolley. Then search for individual items using the search function.

I have reserved the same slot every week and it automatically adds stuff to my trolley, Normally it is a bit overkill and eg if you buy fillet steak once it will add it every week without fail! But it takes 2 mins to delete what you don't want and then add what you do. You can also add stuff until 5pm the night before delivery (I have an early morning slot) so can change your mind quite often. I use Ocado. Although I do buy most of my meat and bread from local buthcer/bakery and the fruit is occasionally a bit hit or miss - but 95% of the time it is excellent.

If you sign up with Sainsburys a few days before you order, your Nectar card data will be on there so everything you've bought will be there for you to scroll past and click and then searching for extra things really doesn't take long. Don't know if other shops do that but they certainly remember previous orders so you can easily do regular stuff.
I tend to do a shop about once a month for heavy and bulky things and buy a few fresh things when passing - best of both.
Some local stores and staff are much better than others.

I tend to shop through my favorites first and then add on any extras I know I need

I do it every week

I cant do it online, I leave the kids with DH and go on a sunday morning. Online just takes forever for some reason (Tesco and Ocado) so I have officially given it up.

I do it every week and I find it took a while at first but is much quicker now that I'm used to it. I do a meal plan then write down what I need, then list what I need for packed lunches then just go onto Tesco site and click click. Rarely have substitutions but they are normally sensible. Find I spend much less than in store as no impulse buys.

Don't like Sainsburys though as they don't price match their substitutions. And don't like Asda because they bring you a van load of fresh produce that is on the brink of its use by date.

I find I put things in my basket on my phone as i wander around (sit in traffic etc), eventually place the order and then get dh to login and add the stuff I've forgotten. Apart from the usual 5 carrots vs 5 bags of carrots I like it a lot. But I agree that it's a case if getting used to it - I'm quick with tesco which I use a lot, slow with others I only use once or twice a year.

I use Ocado and have it set to do a shop automatically with the things I buy most often once a week (the basics don't change much like milk, bread, yoghurt, fruit etc). The night before, I go in to check the basket, add anything else I want, remove anything I don't want. Takes me about 10 minutes.

My Ocardo order takes about 2 minuets. I place it quickly a few days before to get the best slot then do a final edit the night before.

I very rarely get a substitution. Now I find meal planning a bit easier tbh as you can search for items by name rather than walking around looking. I also have a list of things that I only ever buy when they are on offer so that has saved me money.

I use Sainsburys and love it. It uploads all the stuff from your nectar card as Favourites, plus any other items you buy. Then each week you can look at your favourites first a re-order from that. You can re-order a previous order if you want to but I never so.
The 'shop' is arranged in aisle like the supermarket so you can browse in the same way. Their new search function is pretty good too.
I like that it highlights offers eg mulitbuys so you can click on the link and it will list everything covered by that particular offer.
I don't ask for substitutes - I can always pop to a local shop for anything I'm desperate for.
Anything close to it's use by date is kept separately so you can send it back if you don't want it.
After the first few shops, it now takes me about 10 mins to put in an order.

I use the "no substitutes" for most of the items on my sainsburys order too.
The niggle that I have is that the store the on line orders come from is a smaller store than the one I use and some of my regular items are not available

I do an online order from Asda or Sainsburys once a month but I only tend to order heavy stuff like cat food, cat litter, cleaning stuff etc and fresh stuff I buy more or less daily. There are some foods I prefer from M&S and also some of their cleaning wipes so I do shop there also.

Do you order everything online or just certain items?

I changed to Waitrose after Christmas when they wooed prospective customers with champagne and several discounts ranging from ten to. Twenty five pounds. You get free delivery if you spend£50. Also, if you tap the selected item up comes a box for a message to your shopper. This is really handy. You can select from "your favourites" or from previous orders. If you sign up for a Waitrose card and register it on the online shopping site you get further discounts. They are not as expensive as they used to be and have lots of offers. I trust their meat and fish. Their Duchy beef burgers are good and their boneless leg of lamb. You do get a few subs but you can refuse them at the door or say no subs in the above mentioned box. It is remembered so don't have to repeat this every week. As soon as you have placed your order you get an e mail to show you what you have ordered and the no subs you have stipulated. Customer services are good if there is a problem.

I am totally in love with online shopping. Disability plus children minus car - you do the math :o

I don't order exactly the same thing each time, like you I'd get bored. What I often do though is scroll through my favourites (items I've bought before).

I use tesco and have very few unavailable/substitutions, compared with asda who were shite. I have the delivery saver and get two smaller deliveries a week.

I love online food shopping. Did my order last night came tonight. Once you've done it a few times it will be easy.

I love it! Monday is my day off work so I get it delivered once I've done the school run so I can batch cook some meals for the rest of the week.

It's so time efficient. I can be getting in with the housework while I wait for the delivery and then it's brought straight into the kitchen. For me to unload. When I go to a supermarket map now it drives me mad - chose item, put into trolley, offload item into conveyor belt, collect other end, back into trolley, out of trolley into car, out of car into house.......

I use my favourites for the standard stuff - bread, rolls, milk, OJ, basic fruits and veg and then meal plan to decide what else we'll have that week.

I also find it easier to make the most of deals that are on as I can see the deals as I go through rather than them being dotted around the shop.

I reserve my slot a few days in advance and then can amend up until midnight the day before (I usually have a 10-11am slot). Substitutions are very few and far between with this slot (Tesco). Sunday evening deliveries are much worse for substitutions IME.

I used to do this when I used to be able to afford shopping at tesco and it was brilliant, so easy and such a time saver.

I shop online every week now. I used to work 3 days a week now I work 5, it saves me even thinking about going to the supermarket. Don't think I could go back to going myself now. I certainly save as don't see any instore bargains. Don't think I'll even go back to doing it myself when I go back to my part time hours.

When I was at work and exhausted, I would have given my right arm for online shopping. Go on, do it. You need every ounce of strength if you have a family. Take advantage of the modern world.

As others have said, the first few times takes a little while, after that it takes 5 or 6 minutes.

I use Tesco, which has a "my shopping list" option. I have a long shoping list of all the things I'm likely to buy and the quantities I buy it in. I then click on each one I want to add to my trolley. So, for example, I have "4 salmon fillets" listed, but would only add them every third shop.

Both dh and I work fulltime and could not manage without online shopping. I can't remember the last time we went to a supermarket for a full shop.

I've used Ocado for about 2 yrs, used to use Sainsbos but the service wasn't as good and some of the substitutions were downright odd.

Once you've done a couple of orders it's mostly a case of ticking off from your favourites, takes about 10 mins, fantastic.

when i did online, i had a default delivery set for every week with all the essentials, bread milk minced beef, chicken, packed lunch stuff which arrived on a monday. on sunday morning, i would just add anything else i wanted for the week

I couldn't imagine having to do a full shop with kids in tow anymore. It IS slow the first few times you shop online but once you've got the hang of it, it's a ten min job.

I've used them all. They all link into your loyalty card (where appropriate). They mostly do one hour delivery slots.

Tesco - very easy site to use, substitutions are generally sensible, maybe get 0-2 subs a week, delivery slots now one hour not two. Slots for following day often gone by the afternoon before.

Sainsburys - very easy site, subs can be weird (or not offered e.g. there was no sub for a white loaf one week - really, no white bread in the shop at all?) Often still have slots available for following day the afternoon before. More expensive than Tesco for a full shop.

Asda - very simple site, turn up later in the slot than earlier in my experience, need to book slot couple days in advance, substitutions rare, most things in stock. Cheapest shop.

Ocado - site more awkward to use initially but ok afterwards and the shopping app is great. Was expensive but they're now brand matching so v similar to Sainsburys. Poshest van drivers!