I am never going grocery shopping again. At least not in the traditional sense! Parenthood is winning right now, thanks to a great new service rolling out in stores across the nation (and right here in my hometown!)
Show of hands– How many of you dread going grocery shopping with your toddlers in tow?
First you need to find a chunk of time in your day, then make sure they are wearing pants and don’t have lunch on their face (because there is always someone judging you), make a list, and drive out to the store. Find the cart with the yellow car attached. Not the red one, mom. It needs to be yellow. Don’t be deceived by the steering wheel– you are doing all the work, and it’s a lot of work to push.
Remember that list? If you can find it in your bag beneath the diapers, sippy cups, snack pouches, and mystery gunk, now you have to find everything. Toddler wants in the car, then in the cart. Then she wants to grab everything. Then she wants to be held with both hands, so you can push with your hips and steer with your elbows. And I hope you have a calculator app programed into your brain, because payday isn’t until Friday and you need to stay on budget.
Have we made it to the wine isle yet?
Well moving forward, this will not be me. Ever again. Personal grocery shopping has made life so much easier. Grocery shopping is just a matter of scroll and click, drive up, and go. They even load the car for you.
A few local chains have just implemented grocery pickup. We personally use HEB, because of the assortment of items and quality of products. Basically we get what we want, and we don’t pay a lot. Once they announced the new HEB to You Curbside Pickup, we had to try it.
Basically, you order all your items online. You browse the sections like isles, choose a pickup slot, and then checkout. Easy peasy. Arrive at your time and text the parking space number to the designated number. Your groceries will be brought to your car, loaded in, and you’re on your way! 
The Downfalls…
There is a 3% increase in prices, which covers the service. This isn’t distinctly mentioned, which I find shady. I would still have no problem with it, but transparency is important. Some people noticed their items were a few cents higher and voiced concern on a local message board, and a manager’s wife chimed in and pointed to the fine print. But nothing official mentioned when browsing.
This is on top of the $4.95 delivery fee.
As of now, we cannot in we can’t use coupons. This means no store coupons or manufacturer coupons. For a penny pincher like myself, this is a huge bummer. But it isn’t enough to defer me. The connivence still brings the value. Plus, there are whispers they are coming!
Another big downfall for allergy families, there is no way to browse the ingredients. Unless you know the exact item you are looking for and know yo be safe, you cannot confirm an item is right for your family.
The only other minor detail, if you don’t know sizes you might end up with the wrong item. I’ve ordered a single pound of rice only to realize when I got it that I normally order the 2lb bags. Furthermore, if you are picky with produce, it is important to add “notes” to describe what you want.
Overall, I am in love with this new service. I have zero complaints! They even give you a water when they bring it to your car!
And all of this makes me smile.