Re: Groceries
 

Metro (Ontario) are now offering online shopping and delivery - but it isn't cheap. $11 delivery fee, plus 'assembly' fee

Sobeys are using OCADO for ordering online, and they allow the deals from looking at it, their website seems much better than many for shopping, a working dropdown menu system that works. Minimum $50 order - $7.99 fee. https://voila.ca/?ds_rl=1287639&gcli...SAAEgJz0PD_BwE

Grocery Gateway are reasonable on prices.

Re: Groceries
 

They have a fixed delivery fee and a 5% service fee. The fixed fee doesn't apply if one pays the monthly 'membership' and the 5% is only 2%. Shopping for 4 people, you only need to use them twice a month for the monthly fee to be the better option. But better/cheaper is only in relation to the fees. One can see just how much more expensive it is than being there even before the fees are added.

Fortunately there is another store here (IGA) that does do flyer prices so the additional cost from instacart can be evened out.

Re: Groceries
 

Js...you might want to look at that again. If $7.94 is 5% then your bill was $158.80.

If you pay the monthly fee - $9.99 here - you would not have the $3.99 to pay and the 5% service fee $7.94 would be 2% instead which is $3.18.
So paying 3.18 instead of (7.94+3.99) 11.93, saves $8.75.

Obviously you have paid $9.99 in order to save that 8.75. But you only have to repeat the order again in the same month and you'd only need to pay $3.18 the next time instead of $11.93 again. Plus the even higher fee if you want stuff "in the next two hours" is not charged.

Of course if you're unlikely to repeat the order in a month the none of this matters. It works for us, it may not for you.

Re: Groceries
 

IGA is $4 assembly here and $10 delivery. I add $5 for the driver - it's not really local to me.
But my receipt shows I save $35-$40 every time because of the flyer prices, so I'm still quids in after the additions.

Plus they keep offering $10 discount or free delivery (same thing) :thumbup:

Re: Groceries
 

It was a mock order, I just randomly added a bunch of stuff to the cart to get the fees on an airder, and yes the mock order came to 158 ish if I recall. I added milk, cheese, eggs, beef, and other stuff to try and recreate a "normal" order.

Re: Groceries
 

I suppose that given the lower population density in NA, grocery delivery is going to be a more expensive proposition, hence the service fee.

Re: Groceries
 

A service fee - as a % of the grocery spend - is a bit odd in addition to the delivery fee but I don't have an issue with that. In my case I'd be going by bus and coming back by taxi so the delivery costs are not bad compared with that. It's those higher-than-they-should-be charges that get my goat.

Re: Groceries
 

The % fee does seem a bit unfair. For example if one were to stock up on various pharmacy items, all relatively small but high priced the deleivery fee would shoot up (despite very little increase in required delivery space). Delivery fees are understandable. Here it's from free to about £7 depending on the time slot. Typically I pay £2-4 I think, though I don't order online that often. Missing out on store discounts is definitely goat territory !

Re: Groceries
 

With instacart I don't think their business model is sustainable, hence the fees, and now they are facing competition from grocery stores more and more, and even less reason for people to use them.

IC does provide a base pay, but without tips most of the base pay isn't worth it, before we got deactivated, there was often this crazy order nobody ever took so it sat for days and days waiting for a shopper to accept, but why would any shopper accept it? It was something like 65 units, 35km delivery, $0 tip, and IC was only offering $22 for the batch, $22 plus $0 tip to drive 70km round-trip simply isn't worthwhile. You would think IC or that customer would take a hint.

US customers tend to tip better than Canadian's do, so its a more lucrative side gig in the US.

In my area Save On delivers, their delivery free is anywhere from $3.95 to $7.95 depending on time slot you choose, but their drivers are employees, driving company vans, being paid $17/hr, union, and can't accept tips.

The other big grocery stores Wal-Mart and the various Loblaws brands don't really deliver they just partner with IC, but some like Wal-Mart and Loblaws owned Super Store, Independent and some other brands do offer order online and pick up at store, where you choose a time slot, order, go to store call a number, someone comes out and loads your car. You will get the flyer pricing and store prices with the pick up serve as well, the fee is often waived too if you order enough, but is still reasonable at $3.95 ish.

Re: Groceries
 

Thanks. I really don't know about Canadian grocery delivery. Are you working at IC by the way ??

Re: Groceries
 

Did it for a few months in the spring, but IC deactivated me once I dropped to a rating of 4.96 out of 5. They are known to just randomly deactivate people, just an independent contractor so no protections under labor laws.

Was averaging 150-200 a week doing 3-4 hours each day, this was when we were living in Vancouver still at the height of the panic shopping.

Re: Groceries
 

Wholesale Club flashfood app had Schneider's 650g tourtiere pie on for $2.49 so I bought 5 of them; freezing compartment is full.

Re: Groceries
 

Are you on call kind of like Uber ?

Re: Groceries
 

Yes, you work when you want.

The app will show you available batches in your area, you pick one, then go shopping, then deliver, and repeat.

Obviously places like Vancouver are busier so its more viable income, before I was deactivated the batches in Kelowna area were few, and not very good pay, so rarely worth doing, especially considering it takes 20-30 minutes to drive to Kelowna from West Kelowna depending on traffic, and there were almost no batches ever in West Kelowna.

If I had a younger car, I'd consider Uber when it arrives to this area, but our car is 9 in January, and the car has to be under 9 years old to drive for Uber in BC, plus need a class 4 commercial license, and vehicle has to undergo a commercial vehicle inspection.

Uber in BC is not a gig job that has low barriers like elsewhere in the world, basically the same requirements as a taxi except you don't need a taxi medallion and can use your own car.

Re: Groceries
 

So on Instacrart the driver actually goes around the store buying groceries?

Re: Groceries
 

Yes in this part of the world.

In the US it can vary, they have the shopper-driver who does both the shopping and delivery but in the US they also have in store shoppers that do nothing but shop, then another person comes to collect and deliver the order, we don't have that in Canada as far as I know anywhere, so not entirely sure how that works down there.

But in Canada, yep the driver is also the shopper, the app tells you which location to go to (not always necessarily the closest to the customers home.) you drive there, shop, use the IC credit card to pay, load the car, drive to the customers, deliver, end batch.

IC pays a base rate + 40 cents per kilometer on the way to the customer, but there is no mileage pay on the trip to the store, just the final leg to the customer.

In Vancouver was averaging about $17/hr doing it 2-4 hours each day, before expenses, so once expenses are accounted for likely below min wage.

Re: Groceries
 

Sounds like a stressful gig.

Re: Groceries
 

Food is going up in price little by little. We now eat almost no meat. Purchased at Wal-Mart they tend to have the lowest overall prices of the stores available.

$94.06 got:

- Bran flake cereal, generic brand

- Thai brown jasmine rice

- dry black beans

- 2 apple sauce packages -

- Oatmeal

- Frozen mixed berries

- Frozen broccoli

- Bag of frozen zucchini

- cheese

- 6 pack coke

- Peanut Butter

- sourdough bread

- milk

- 30 eggs

Re: Groceries
 

Bloody hell! That sounds about twice what it should be for that shop, unless you bought several of some/most of those items.

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Frozen? I've never come across that before.

Mind you, IGA sells bags of sliced leeks (fresh) which I'd never seen until a couple of months ago.

Re: Groceries
 

The only item bought 2 of was the apple sauce.

Same items (mostly same brands but if not same brand, comparable product) at one of the more expensive grocery stores near my moms house, total $53 USD = About $70 CAD.

Can get about double the food in So. California for $100 US than $100 CAD will get in BC.

Re: Groceries
 

Yeah frozen shredded ones, they had no whole fresh ones in stock in the produce section which is what I normally buy and shred them myself, I mix it in pasta sauce to increase vegetable content of the sauce, I chop up broccoli and add to the sauce as well.

I am not fond of vegetables on their own, so I chop them up or blend them into other foods.

Re: Groceries
 

Have you tried roasting them? Incredibly different. Cut up some cauli, spread on a baking tray, spray with pam or something, season and roast for about 30 mins on 400.

Carrots work well too.

Re: Groceries
 

I throw in peppers and sliced onions...mushrooms would be nice.

Re: Groceries
 

I have at times, most come out pretty okay.

Re: Groceries
 

I bought my first $5 produce box on the flashfood app, and it seems ok. There are a bunch of mandarin oranges on the bottom, and it's all in pretty good shape. I think the theory is they weigh out $10 worth of stuff that's could go bad in days, then mark it $5 and post it. I regretted not getting the one with the avocados, but only momentarily. There will be other opportunities. My original thought when I saw the citrus and apples was make a pitcher of sangria, but that way lies madness. It's a great way to get your servings of fruit in, but any recipe that uses that much booze is going to leave a mark.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...be8a5af0f.jpeg

Re: Groceries
 

Checked flashfood and they had this dry French salami with blue cheese in it, and at $2 per I bought 5 of the tasty little devils.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...a324b6302a.jpg
I thought their stated reg price of $9 was way high, but for $2 I'm in.
https://www.presidentschoice.ca/prod...se/21047826_EA

Re: Groceries
 

This is tempting, but I must control the urge. It isn't sliced (as depicted), but actually a big chunk of Ziggy's brand. It's really tempting but I'd be eating smoked meat sandwiches for a week:
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...80ec01f6bb.jpg
6

Re: Groceries
 

And the best before date is tomorrow. Does it freeze? Bacon's no problem but I haven't frozen other cold cuts before.

Re: Groceries
 

There is enough sodium in this (like the salami) that it will be good for weeks.

Re: Groceries
 

Apropos to groceries...

That nice Galen Weston fella, he of the Christmas Presidents Choice ads, i currently in dispute with his workers here in Newfoundland. Despite making extra gabillions of profit during the pandemic, Dominion (Loblaws in Newfoundland) stopped paying their workers the pandemic premium. Added to that, for the last couple of years they've been moving everyone to casual, part-time contracts to avoid paying healthcare etc. The workers are unionised and have been on strike for a couple of months. Now I'm no fan largely of organised labour but if this pandemic has proven one thing it's how much we rely on those essential workers in stores & as such they bloody well should be paid a decent wage. Sure, Galen might have to forgo a new sweater this year, but Loblaws would still be very profitable. But no, the company is refusing to even talk any more and rumour has it that they will just as likely pull out altogether for a year and then go back with franchised stores (as I believe is common in the rest of Canada). In short, Galen is being a dick.

The consequences for food security are not great here. Yes we can shop at Sobeys, Wallymart, independent chains and of course Costco, but a scenario where we lose all of the loblaws stores is not a good outcome.

Re: Groceries
 

If only it preserved my heart in the same way it preserved my desired meat intake...:(

Re: Groceries
 

I thought I'd scan the app before putting the coffee on, and then I thought, "I'd like a nice salad and maybe beef tacos for supper, and something sweet as well" I'll scoot down to that store and pick up early, so maybe have bifstek ranchero for breakfast and put the taco portion in marinade. Getting tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, and cilantro should be a fast shop before picking up the flashfood stuff, and I'll be set. Total cost is probably less than going for lunch and a beer.
Edit: I went back and added a big bag of green beans to that for .74. Very healthy!
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...108864fecc.jpg

Re: Groceries
 

Remember all Unions are evil and irrelevant today according to some posters and your views will vary as to if you work in the private or public sector. Safeway were also guilty of this many years ago before they were taken over. Very few if any grocery chains hire indeterminate workers though employees at Costco might be an exception and most surveyed enjoy working for this company.
Current minimum wage in your neck of the woods is $12.15 per hour so do you honestly think Galen is going to pay them more if he can avoid it?
Now call me cynical but isn't the private sector a case of profit over people?

Re: Groceries
 

Today I finally hit the magic "50%" saving shown on my grocery receipt. No best before reductions involved.

Just a shame that it's the last day that IGA will deliver to my area. It's a real shame as they have stuff I don't see in other supermarkets and they do flyer prices whereas Instacart seldom does and sometimes has a big mark up. Today Instacart for Walmart is charging over $16 for 4lb of oranges. :ohmy:

The manager told me they have just four delivery customers in my area. I suggested he advertise their service so people know about it. I could pay them four times their usual delivery rate and still save $$.

Re: Groceries
 

FFS just put a mask on get in the car, drive to IGA, socially distance and spend as little time in the store :lol:

Re: Groceries
 

Did you forget I don't drive? :lol:

Re: Groceries
 

Some unions are good, some are bad.

The grocery store unions in BC tend to be bad, and cave into the company to preserve jobs even if that means paying min wage.

Some of Air Canada's unions are not much better, the ramp (well before COVID hit) starting salary was min wage in Vancouver. Of the 3 big companies who provide ground handling to aircraft, the 2 union companies had the worst pay.

Public Sector unions have more leverage too which helps them.

Unionize a Wal-Mart store, Wal-Mart will just find a way where the store is no longer profitable to operate and shut it down which they have done in the past.

Sobeys has closed some union Safeway stores in BC, and a year or so later open as Fresh Co and no longer union.

Loblaws has had some franchise stores go on strike in BC, they just shut some of the stores down rather than negotiate with the union.

Lower skilled private sector workers don't have leverage against these big companies, even if unionized.

I worked at a union hotel, eventually was bought by overseas investors and shut down for 21 months, and reopened non-union under a different name.

Re: Groceries
 

Wal-Mart tonight had frozen meat with simple label on it, and very low price, looked at them and the label says "Sysco Specialty Meat" and appears they were meant to be sold in restaurants, sold frozen in vacuum packed individual packages with a basic label, not your typical retail level consumer packaging.

Re: Groceries
 

That looks good.