Grocery cub

[vaneramos]

GroceryGateway.com sent the same delivery man for months, but lately I have had somebody different each week.

The guy today was in his late 20s, 5'11" and 240 solid pounds under that flannel jacket, as far as I could guess. He had a round, handsome face with a wool toque tucked over his ears, and a beard of short, fiery scrub. He was friendly, too. Unhh.

Comments

[leafshimmer.livejournal.com]

Wowee. Too bad you didn't ask him to pose for your digicam, so we could have all enjoyed his beauty.

It seems to have been the day for firebearded cuties. I had one who chatted with me this a.m. in my tea shop. He first impressed me when I heard him informing a customer that he could make up some Scottish breakfast blend for her order, correctly describing it as a mix of ceylon and lapsang souchong teas. Truth to tell, I'd already noticed his bright eyes, sweet smile, and gorgeous beard.

I, of course, looked like the drowned harridan of Cornwall, but he was polite enough to chat, and did actually aim that smile in my direction at one moment.

Those wool toques frame the male face so gorgeously, don't they?

Shimmer

[danthered.livejournal.com]

I've never tried Grocery Gateway, though I do see their trucks around town quite a little bit. Any thoughts?

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

I started using the service when I was recovering from surgery, and found it so convenient that I have continued.

Advantages:

1. Convenience, convenience. It saves me walking 15 minutes each way to a pricey Italian grocer. Without a car I do not have easy access to a supermarket.

2. Shopping online I have an easier time budgeting because I don't spend compulsively on snack and luxury food. The minimum order is $60, and I manage to spend less than $70 on groceries every week.

3. Their customer service is on par with Enterprise Rent-a-car. Last week the delivery was late (the first time in 25 orders) by about 90 minutes and they gave me a $5 credit. The delivery guys are courteous and helpful.

4. I can pay at the door using my debit card. They also accept credit cards or online payment.

5. Besides the usual grocery and pharmacy products, they offer a limited range of products from Staples, Homo Depot and LCBO. There is a $1 surcharge on liquor items, but I don't mind because otherwise I would have to take the bus across town to the liquor store.

Disadvantages:

1. Although the prices of most items are competitive with Loblaws, meat seems a little pricey. Normally I fit it into my budget anyway, and when I need anything special I have an awesome bulk meat store across the road.

2. Although the produce is fine, I don't like not being able to choose my own. Never buy their sale-priced produce; it will likely go bad within 48 hours.

3. It's hard to buy small quantities of things, but this problem is improving. When I started using the service, they only offered bananas in two-pound quantities. I would freeze a few for muffins. Now you can buy bananas individually--the same is true of apples, pears, oranges, tomatoes, green peppers and few other things.

4. Delivery costs $8, but I get a $4 discount by using the same reserved delivery period every week, between 1:30 and 3:30 on Thursdays.

5. Sometimes they're out of stock on standard items. This week it was molasses. Sometimes they run out of stock after you have placed the order, then they try to substitute a similar product or simply deduct it from the order.

So there are a few annoyances, but the convenience combined with their excellent customer service has made it a winning experience for me. Even if I had a car I would probably continue using the online service most of the time.