Our next-door-neighbours are a retired couple with some health issues, therefore we are doing their shopping for them. It hadn't occurred to me how deeply personal one's shopping list is.

There are things that they are extremely specific about, things that we wouldn't buy in a million years, things that they seem to be able to manage without that we couldn't live a day without...

Asking someone to do your shopping is a really exposing act of trust. We've known them for 20 years but looking at their shopping list makes me think I'm living next door to actual aliens. :)

Re: Groceries
 

Hmm...retired couple. Let me guess. Ryvita biscuits, tate and lyle golden syrup, heinz salad cream, bovril, lots of canned soup, coffee mate and no 'foreign muck' or foods with a lot of garlic.

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Spaghetti hoops, liver, cooking apples, margarine, doilies, sultanas, tins of fruit cocktail, jelly, stout.

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This made me laugh - I could officially retire and whilst I like Ryvita, Bovril and also golden syrup (but only for flapjacks or steamed sponge pudding), I love foreign food and I eat garlic every day :p Talk about social profiling! :D

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Oh yeah, I forgot tinned fruit cocktail. My nan used to serve ice cream with some fruit cocktail poured over it. Gammon and pineapple, battenburg cake, swiss roll anyone ?

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It was all in good fun I like golden syrup on toast or a bagel. Not big on Ryvita or Bovril.

Now if only Ribena or Robinson's Barley Water was cheaper.

https://abitofhome.ca/cordials-squas...ter-850ml.html

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:D I can't help you on Barley Water (although Amazon sell it in 2 packs 850ml each) Walmart sell Ribena, as do Food Basics .. https://www.walmart.ca/en/ribena/N-1002084

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It's been 13 days now since going to the grocery store, and my shopping list just keeps getting longer, so I may have to cross a few things out. Or not, the old quartermaster gene dictates that I need to buy corn starch and olive oil and kitchen trash bags before I'm on the very verge of running out. Interestingly there's no meat on the list; I still have enough pork and chicken, sausages and shrimp frozen in the fridge for another long stretch, but I will of course pick up any meat of opportunity that I want. I think the list is up around $80 now, but there's no telling what I'll wind up with on shopping day. So far all I've added today is celery, a good one for keeping in the fridge. I wrap it up in foil. I may go to No Frills and Wholesale Club or just No Frills, we'll see.

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Lemons/limes go on the shopping list. We had the last show where I work on March 14, and I think we got supplies within the 3 days 12th - 14th, and I took the big bag of lemons and limes home after we closed. I threw out 4 or 5 that went moldy on me, but I'm on the last lime now, and there's 1 lemon left in the bowl. I never would've thought they'd go a month.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...833e2c7338.jpg

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At least you won't get scurvy :thumbup:

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I have to say that Instacart is working out quite well for grocery delivery. They 'shop' at multiple stores so you can still find the most acceptable price. The express option - where you pay $10 a month and not only save the delivery fee (on orders of $35 or more) but the cheeky 5% service fee becomes 2% - is worth it.

There are certain medical things which have to come from the pharmacy and since Instacart includes Shoppers Drug Mart, I will have a regular order there.

So it's going to be perfectly easy to add 'grocery' items to that order if there's a saving on that price compared to Superstore or Walmart. Not only that, indications so far suggest that Shoppers will often have delivery times available sooner than the other stores, so if you want your eggs or milk a bit quicker, you don't have to wait. :lol:

That concludes my plug public service announcement for Instacart.

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I went to No Frills and Wholesale Club and between them almost killed my list. Considering I got more of some things than I planned on, even though I didn't get everything I wanted, it worked out well. I spent about $90 which is outrageous for me, but I'm sure I'd spend more going every day or two like I usually do. The little bottles of sesame oil for $2 are diluted sesame and soy, so I bought the 1.65 litre can of real stuff for 13 something, bingo, lifetime supply. After a week I may need to get more bread, but that's a small issue. There were over 20 things on the list, but no meat. I bought a couple of sirloins for $10 anyway, it's been awhile. While shopping I was surprised not to run into any mind readers, because they would clearly have heard me urging them to get the **** out of my way.

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A couple of negatives for Instacart.

They have a heavy items charge. Not sure exactly what's included but it kicks in at a dozen 2L bottles of pop and then rises with each one. It's not really a big deal, but I'll just order more frequently and in smaller amounts. The % service fee will be the same and I don't pay the delivery charge with the express membership so it won't cost more doing it like that.

The really annoying one is that some medical things that do not attract gst/hst (like my test strips) come up in the cart with an "estimated" gst/hst and it exactly matches the rate in this province.

Fortunately this is also avoidable as when I phone to arrange prescription delivery, I ask the pharmacy to include them and I pay that way.

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Himself did a top up grocery and household items run for us both.
How salami , chocolate & pineapple chunks got on the list I simply do not know. These are not items I eat and I think the cat would turn its nose up too.

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Salami and pineapple pizza.
My co-worker just drove up and I walked out in my pyjamas, wiped a 20 pack of disposable masks off with a Lysol wipe and dropped them through her passenger window. She gave me a surprise; a 2lb vacuum sealed pack of beef brisket, a big ring of kobasa from the Grayson locker plant, 3 cans of Campbell's bean and bacon soup and 5 lbs of potatoes. I knew she was bringing the brisket (said no way she'd eat all she had before it would get freezer burned) but all the other stuff was unexpected.

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I experimented and added to the cart enough litres of milk to exceed the weight of the 12 bottles of Pop that attracts the heavy items charge.

There was no heavy items charge for milk. A cow might be good value. :lol:

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Is Kobasa like Kielbaska? I would use the brisket to make pot roast with veggies and mashed potatoes. The soup would go to my hubby. I don't care for bean soup. Enjoy your treasures.

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I love Genoa or hard salami. In fact, just bought some yesterday. Also love chocolate and pineapple. Would make a pineapple upside down cake. The chocolate would go in the frig were I could steal a piece now and then.

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Ukrainian equivalent of the Polish kielbasa. Because we have a large ethnic Ukrainian population here we use their term. While it may not be universal, it's what they call it here.
Here's where I buy mine: https://ukrainiancoop.ca/

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Anyone who has access to Metro group and is over 70 - or has Covid-19 or in mandatory quarantine - or has limited mobility - Metro now have a Priority Service https://www.metro.ca/en/mpriority


Apparently Walmart are also going to trial a similar service, as are Loblaws

Re: Groceries
 

Sadly Walmart's not as 'universal' as it was. I used to be able to order some grocery items from them to be delivered. Large bags of rice, cereal...even toilet rolls. :lol:

But now if I try to order grocery type things - including toilet paper - I have to book a slot but only for pick up. If I want delivery, I get referred to Instacart.

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None of my personal shoppers have managed to get me any Marmite.

So in the chatbox today I made a note to say where they were in the store and the fact that there were only ever a handful on the top shelf meant that if one was taken you might only see a gap rather than the next one, depending how tall you were.

Mid-shop, the chatbox was updated with this.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...4907ee4ea3.png

Result!!! :thumbup:

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:thumbsup:

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My shopper told me he was 190cm-6ft 2".

Judging by how far back on the shelf, that jar was probably there all the times the others didn't see it. :nod:

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This is definitely true for me. One big shop every 10 days during COVID. I think this will be the norm for me once we are out of this situation.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52441772

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Too much talk of ice cream on the Trump thread, and I can't justify going for just a few things, even though I have most of a blueberry pie that is crying for ice cream.

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Blueberry or Apple Pies are naked without ice cream or cream or both.

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Yes, I finally bit the bullet and placed an Instacart order from Walmart (only because they had a couple of things I can't get easily elsewhere).. I was impressed with the service, ordered in the morning - paid an extra $3.50 for 'anytime delivery' and had the order delivered by 5pm.

I was a bit disappointed to see some totally unrelated items had been bought to replace items I had said 'do not replace' (no alternative available) - as well as some items that hadn't been purchased but had been charged for. Pleasantly surprised to find that I was able to get a refund for the items that were listed as purchased but hadn't been and the odd couple where they had purchased the wrong item. I would use them again if I needed a big shop.

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My wife placed an order with instacart last night for delivery today, giving it another shot, their window time frame given was 10am to 1pm, its 12:20p and no shopper has been assigned. See if it arrives today. The inability of instacart to give accurate delivery windows is a huge downside to them, end up needing to be home/near home as the window they give at ordering is never correct.

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Of course you're right, so I went and got ice cream, green onions, a cucumber, a can of cashews, 5 beautiful limes, a 12 pk of toilet paper and a frozen beef and bean burrito.

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My one complaint was resolved more than to my complete satisfaction in that regard. I was able to keep and use items received but not ordered and they refunded the value of the item I had ordered but was replaced with the wrong brand.

If I have said no replacement, there has correctly been no replacement. If I have named a replacement I've either had the original or the replacement as named. In other cases the chatbox was used. They've even taken photos for me to look :nod:
I believe I have given the full five stars to the last six orders.

I think I may even use the service when things get back to normal. There's a Superstore Wholesale Club (not a Club :confused:) that would need a taxi both ways and has some things not at the other stores and some things cheaper than the other stores. 72 of my first choice coffee pods for $28 instead $36. That saving alone would make it worth it.



You'll have to change provinces or something. ;) It's 5.00 pm here and I'm being offered within 2 hours from Walmart (which seems normal so far), Fast and Furious Flexible from all the others either today or tomorrow or a wide range of time slots from tomorrow onwards and every order so far has been received in the scheduled slot....except one ASAP order which came in the evening when the site was suggesting next day.

For a monopoly (here) they're doing great.

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the last 2 times we have used Instacart no one contacted us. First I knew was seeing a shadow moving by the front door. Despite clearly stating we did not want any replacements...there was indeed a lot of replacements. Many were not wanted. Will not use them again.

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There is that possibility as well but as of now haven't heard a peep from them. So far based on 2 experiences with them, I rate them 2. Wont use them again either.

If only Save On could scale their delivery quickly, its all done in house and they do a good job, but the demand far exceeds their ability at the moment.

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Loblaws supermarkets used to have their own shoppers. They were great...sent a text just before they started shopping. Then you were updated with every item placed in the cart. You could then say yes or no to replacements. Another text when they had finished and also when they were a couple of minutes from your home.

Instacart...no texts. Shopping left at door with all sorts of unwanted items. Last week they left me with 6 loaves. Probably take about 6 months to eat them as we are not big bread eaters.

Re: Groceries
 

Loblaws supermarkets used to have their own shoppers. They were great...sent a text just before they started shopping. Then you were updated with every item placed in the cart. You could then say yes or no to replacements. Another text when they had finished and also when they were a couple of minutes from your home.

Instacart...no texts. Shopping left at door with all sorts of unwanted items. Last week they left me with 6 loaves. Probably take about 6 months to eat them as we are not big bread eaters. Also got 4 giant bars of Kit Kat, a random make choc bar containing blueberries and a bag of chocs. All unwanted.

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Wot no Birds Custard?

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I received an email from a couple of days ago about how to get the best from the service.

One of the tips was something I was already doing. Opening the order page as the beginning of the time slot approached. It updates often with the shopper introducing themselves. There's info about the shopper starting, what items were successfully shopped, what might need replacing, the opportunity for approval/rejection of alternatives suggested, and the opportunity to talk (message) with the shopper - like with my marmite jar.

A couple of weeks ago I was aware that some things in the flyer were half or a third of the online price. I asked for 3 or 4 items if she could get them at the flyer price. Her instacart app wouldn't allow it for some things, but it would for others and on the one request alone I saved about $20. She put the effort in and got an increased tip from the saving.

With another shopper they didn't have the spuds I wanted, he told me of the other choices they did have and I made my choice.

It's almost like being there with them. But at a safe distance :lol:

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quite often there isn’t an actual time slot now. It’s ‘delivery before XX May’. So you have no idea when it will arrive...could be later today or sometime next week.

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Yeah that was happening here a few weeks ago when we'd just done a big shop and didn't want anything yet. I was hoping to order for X days time when we might need something but I never got that option.

They must have taken a load of people on here and options are now routinely in the next 2-5 hours or fixed time slots from next day onwards, so I book a slot for three days time and that's what happens.

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My daughter and I had a joint Instacart delivery a couple of weeks ago...almost $500. About half the things delivered were not ordered. It was so bad we thought perhaps the shopper had mixed the bags up with someone else’s order. That wasn’t the case because some things we had ordered were in the same bags as the mystery goods, Instacart still haven’t sorted it out.

another time the shopper only had time to put a few things in the cart as the store was closing. He said the manager threw them out. Why do they shop just before the store closes? Unbelievable.