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Eight Reasons to Buy Groceries Online

I'm often asked why I prefer shopping over the Web to shopping in a store. Here are my answers.

Save time. My average weekly trip to the real-world grocery store used to take about two hours. Online, my weekly shopping (after getting set up as a customer and customizing a weekly shopping list) takes about 30 minutes at the computer, plus about 10 to 15 minutes for putting everything away once it's delivered. In total, I save about 75 minutes a week.

Eat well. Initially, I worried that the meat sold by Web grocers would look like something Joan Crawford made her daughter Christina eat in Mommy Dearest. I've been consistently impressed, however, with the high-quality cuts (such as gorgeous Niman Ranch filet mignons) that Webvan and Peapod deliver. Likewise, the produce has been consistently fresh and appealing--no bruised apples or overripe sacks of potatoes here.

Save dough--on some items. For this story, I compared prices for 54 items in such categories as dairy, meat, frozen foods, and household goods at Webvan, Peapod, and a nearby Safeway. In total, Peapod was the most expensive ($260), followed by Safeway ($252) and Webvan ($251).

Before you mutter "I told you so" under your breath, consider this: Peapod's total cost was higher than Safeway only because its meats are far superior--and hence, more expensive--to the chain supermarket's butcher products. Peapod's total meat bill was $49, compared to $39 for Webvan and $34 for Safeway.

It's worth noting that Webvan's meat prices were a few dollars higher than Safeway's, yet my total bills for Webvan and Safeway came out to be nearly the same. Most importantly, when I removed meat as a category from the shopping tallies, Safeway emerged as the overall most expensive grocer ($218), followed by Webvan ($213) and Peapod ($212). That's because Safeway's prices for staples in the health and beauty categories--and for some other items--were often higher than the online grocers.

Unlike supermarkets, Web grocers charge delivery fees (on the order of $5 to $10) if you spend below a certain amount. (Webvan's minimum order to avoid paying a fee is $75; Peapod's is $100.) But a week's worth of groceries is bound to put most families over the minimum. As for tipping, Webvan couriers are forbidden to accept them; Peapod encourages the practice.

The bottom line: If you select your products carefully, you can spend less money by shopping online. Of course, that's based on the price you pay before you deduct the savings from manufacturer's coupons or supermarket "clubs" that offer a discounted price. Web stores don't take coupons or offer special clubs, though they do have weekly specials. If you're a habitual coupon clipper and buy lots of house brands, a regular market could end up being cheaper for you.

Save shoe leather. The kitchen in my San Francisco condo is 35 steps from the street level. So let's see: Would I rather schlep my groceries--including bottled water, wine, and chemical fireplace logs--up all those stairs myself? Or would I rather let Webvan and Peapod do it for me? Hmmm, that's a tough one.

In addition to doing all the hauling, Webvan and Peapod couriers are typically prompt, courteous, and accommodating. For elderly and the handicapped--as well as recent parents too busy with the infant to head out to the store--this service is a phenomenal by-product of the Internet age.

Come home to a grocery delivery. There's nothing worse than returning from a long out-of-town trip to an empty refrigerator and the prospect of a grocery run. Fortunately for the well-organized traveler, most online grocers let you place delivery orders at least a week in advance. Midway through a recent 12-day trip, for example, I ordered groceries at Webvan and scheduled the delivery for the morning after my return.

Get organized. Writing up a weekly shopping list before heading to the store can be the definition of tedium. But online grocers let you build custom shopping lists to keep track of your regularly needed items. With one click, all the items you need for a week of meals slide right into your virtual shopping cart. The only difference I notice is that Webvan's shopping lists are more flexible and convenient than Peapod's. At Webvan, for instance, you can easily save the entire contents of your shopping cart as a list; Peapod makes you add items to a list one at a time. Both services let you create multiple custom lists.

Get more than groceries. Most brick-and-mortar supermarkets these days sell items (such as flowers) beyond the realm of food and beverages. Webvan takes the concept a few steps further, delivering a limited amount of music CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes, video games, books, magazines, office supplies, baby products, pet care items--even Old Navy T-shirts and Toshiba notebook computers. And with delivery guaranteed within a day or two, you can even get last-minute gifts faster and more cheaply than using a traditional online store and FedEx.

Shop securely. Online grocery shopping is as secure as any other online shopping. Both sites I tested use SSL encryption to protect your credit card number in transit. And according to their stated privacy policies, neither Webvan nor Peapod sells your personal information to third parties. Safeway, by contrast, explicitly states that it uses its Club Card data to profile your shopping habits. If you value your privacy, it's best to stay away from the supermarket clubs.

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