I took a sip of my still warm coffee and smiled to myself as my kids ran wildly around me. I just completed my grocery shopping in under thirty minutes. The minis were running around like crazy, yelling, and demanding my attention the entire time. Yet I still have a smile on face and I can assure you it's not because I have the patience of a saint.
I've been taking numerous steps lately to simplify our busy life as a family of five. This includes hired help, babysitters, taking time for myself EVERY evening, and the best thing in the world: online grocery shopping and having my groceries delivered right to my door. This means I can easily browse the week's deals and keep a smile on my face because my kids aren't terrorizing the cereal aisle.
This wonderful, life changing service is provided by our local grocery store HyVee. I have been using their delivery service since school has been out for the summer and I couldn't be happier with it! It's so simple: shop online, $4.95 delivery fee if your total is less than $100, free delivery if over $100, or if you don't want them delivered you can always do their pick up option (which is when an employee shops for you, but you pick them up--without ever leaving your vehicle. Also a wonderful option, but not one that I have tried yet).
The first time I tried it out was after a long weekend of over scheduling ourselves. We found ourselves with a long list of things to get done on Sunday evening; grocery shopping being one of them. I had seen many advertisements for this new service provided by HyVee and many of my mommy friends had tried it out (and loved it). I was unsure and a bit worried that we would over pay for some items I knew we could get cheaper elsewhere. But I gave it a try.
Ordering online was simple: same prices as in the store and I got to look more in-depth at food labels (they're printed online) and easily compared prices without worrying if my children were running off or knocking over displays. When our groceries were delivered, the personal shopper brought my groceries right into our kitchen. All I had to do was sign the receipt and put them away! Easiest grocery shopping experience I've had in 7 years.
There were a few items missing from our first delivery, so I contacted the store. I am amazed at HyVee's amazing costumer service. Not only were the employees incredibly apologetic, but they delivered the missing items within 20 minutes of my phone call, refunded my money for the missing items (something I told them was totally unnecessary since they delivered them afterwards, but they insisted on doing so), and wrote an apology note for forgetting some of my groceries. I was already impressed with the service offered, but their customer service went above and beyond my expectations. For that reason alone I've kept using their delivery service with no issues since.
Having the bulk of our groceries delivered each week (sometimes twice a week) has really cut down on the amount of time we spend running errands each week. Sure we still make Target, Trader Joe's, and craft store trips, but now nearly all of our grocery shopping is done online and delivered through HyVee. It makes our shopping trips to Target go quickly and smoothly (and a lot less costly!) when we've just got a few items on our list. If you've got young kids, HyVee grocery delivery is a must.
Thinking about trying it out, but still unsure? Here are some helpful tips from my group of mommy friends who utilize this service multiple times a week:
- Have a meal plan/menu figured out ahead of time.
- $100 in groceries goes a long way when you shop the deals. Pay attention to your meal plan(s) and how much food you're getting. We ordered a lot of fresh fruits, veggies, and meats our first time and could barely close our refrigerator.
- Tip your personal shopper. They just did your grocery shopping for you! We tip $5 each time, but always ask if they accept tips first. Some businesses don't allow employees to accept tips. All of the shoppers who have delivered my groceries have been extremely thankful and have accepted the tip.
- Keep an eye on your emails. You'll get an email asap when your shopper completes your shopping list. In that email will be any notifications of price changes (some things have been on sale and at a lower price or our steaks last week wound up being .29 cents more than originally quoted) or if they were out of stock of any items. I use this to let me know if I need to add any items to my Target list to pick up.
- Check all online ads and coupons before shopping. I've altered my list a few times because of some excellent deals that we couldn't pass up (hence eating steak last week).
Definitely give this service a try. You'll be happy you tried it when you no longer have to rush to the store after work, with kids in tow, or try to make your way through the crowds on Saturday morning.