Online Grocery Shopping Tips: 7 Tips to Save Money
Online grocery shopping with in-store pickup, curbside collection, or home delivery has become a popular strategy for avoiding contact with other people while the Covid-19 outbreak continues. Examine the data, and you'll see: Around the middle of 2019, online grocery sales made up just 3% of the total in the United States. In the year 2020, over 80% of consumers report buying food online during the epidemic.
The rising number of online grocery stores is excellent news for shoppers since more vendors mean lower prices. However, as anybody who has ever gone a bit beyond with their online shopping basket knows, the clicks may quickly add up to a significant sum. But don't assume that you're condemned to overpay because you can't browse the aisles of the supermarket and compare prices right then and there. You might save money on groceries when you buy online in the same ways you would save money if you went to the store.
When you next go online to stock your fridge and pantry, consider using some cost-cutting measures...
1. Pickup options include curbside and in-store.
Do your shopping when you're not rushed, not hungry, and not stressed.
You should spend as much time weekly online grocery shopping as you would in a traditional supermarket.
If you're in a hurry or under a lot of pressure, you may ignore detail and end up forgetting to add anything to your virtual shopping basket that you do need. And what about the cliché that says you should never go food shopping while you're hungry? Its validity is undeniable even now. If you go grocery shopping when feeling hungry, you'll be more inclined to choose high-calorie, low-nutrition foods, such as snack foods with high per-serving expenses that will add extra pounds to your grocery expenditure.
2. Make a weekly menu plan to avoid wasteful spending.
Professor Shelie Miller of the University of Michigan's School for Environment and Sustainability investigates the connections between food waste and environmental sustainability. According to her findings, "Americans waste an amazing quantity of food," with 30–40% of what we purchase eventually being thrown away. She suggests writing up a weekly menu plan before doing any online grocery shopping so that you only buy items you know you will consume.
3. Construct a plan and stick to it.
Create a shopping list based on your weekly food plan and stick to it. If you make a list of everything you need to buy and force yourself to adhere to it, you may avoid the wasteful habit of making unnecessary purchases. Miller advises, "Be sure to include some snacks and treats to the list," which might include fruit for a midday break or an after-school snack for the kids. Remember that fresh fruits and vegetables have a limited shelf life." You shouldn't purchase more ripe peaches than your family can consume in the first few days after receiving your supermarket delivery or picking them up yourself.
4. You should use the app's functions.
If you want to start buying groceries online, you may do it by installing one of many free applications on your smartphone. While the specifics of each chain's app may differ, in general, you should expect to be able to take advantage of online-only discounts, digital grocery specials, and price alerts.
Examples include the Kroger online shopping app, which lets users build shopping lists and menus and use digital coupons. Several apps, such as the one for Wegmans, a grocery store chain in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with over 100 locations, may help you examine your prior purchases to avoid duplicating items. Plus, there's another way that supermarket grocery shopping might save you money. The items in your shopping basket may and should be reviewed before clicking the "pay" button. Get rid of expensive impulsive buys and make sure nothing is duplicated.
5. Plan your weekly purchases around sales.
When you sign up for online grocery apps, you'll receive several promotional emails, such as online discounts, weekly bargains, and shopping recommendations based on past purchases. Even while it may seem like more spam, it pays to plan your weekly online shopping around the alerts you get.
Harris Teeter, a chain of grocery stores owned by Kroger, sends out a weekly circular to eVIC app users every Wednesday. On Fridays, it will give you targeted discounts based on your previous purchases, as well as weekend-only discounts. This means placing a supermarket order over the weekend is the best option if you want to save money.
6. Find bargains on store-name products.
Grocery shopping apps help you find bargains and cheaper items if you are ready to buy store brands or lesser-known labels instead of brand names. Carol Dundas from Maryland noticed that when she searched for "bacon" on the Wegmans app, she was presented with a list of all the many kinds of bacon the store had, including turkey and vegetable bacon, and highlighted the ones that were currently on sale. A brand name may be on sale, making it more affordable than the store brand, or the opposite may be true. This ties back into the previous point: saving money by doing your online food shopping when you have plenty of time to consider your options carefully.
7. Pickup options include curbside and in-store.
Among the three available methods for receiving an online grocery order, home delivery is the most expensive. Instacart is linked with many stores to provide grocery delivery, with delivery to non-members beginning at about $4. (It should be noted that tips are appreciated.) Deliveries cost nothing if you sign up for an annual membership of $99.
Curbside pickup is more cost-effective than other options. Many supermarket shops provide this service at no cost. Curbside service at other stores, such as Harris Teeter, is offered on a sliding scale of $3 to $5 or at no price with a paid monthly or yearly membership. Store pickup is the cheapest at this grocer, but also the least convenient. The only cost is the time spent walking in and out of the shop with your purchases.