Shopping with Woolies Online

Woolies online grocery shopping would have to be the best invention ever!  Working full time makes it extremely difficult to do grocery shopping in non-peak times, so I always seem to find myself battling the crowds at the supermarket at 5 o'clock in rush time, or on my weekend - when I wish I was outside enjoying myself like everyone else.  I also know that some of my friends who have young children have given it a try, and are delighted that they can re-stock their pantry without taking the 'tribe' anywhere at all.

A little while back I decided to give online grocery shopping a try, and I will admit that I am hooked!  First things first - why Woolies?  Well, I guess you are either a Coles person or a Woolies person - my family are Woolies people, so that is why I go with Woolies :)  I don't have a Woolies in my little suburb, only IGA down the road, or Coles on the other side of a neighbouring estate.  So to say that having Woolies groceries delivered to my door for as little as $3 excites me, would have to be an understatement!

So, today I thought I would share some do's and don'ts that I have learnt through my personal experiences, to help you get started if you haven't tried it before...

As always, I plan my meals for the week ahead.  You can see how I do this here.  I also update my shopping list during the week, so that I ensure to replenish everything as it runs out - you can read about my shopping lists here.

The first time you try an online order, allocate yourself about an hour.  You will need to familiarise yourself with the website, and work out how to search, order, etc.  Now that I am used to it, I can do a small shop in around 15-20 minutes, and a big shop in around 30 minutes.  Make yourself a coffee and sit down at the computer with your shopping list and meal plan for a leisurely shopping spree.  If you are thinking this is a lot of time, balance this against the time you drive to the shop, fight for a park, try three trolleys before you actually get one that rolls straight, and then meander around the shops stopping to say hi to everyone you know and throwing random 'sale' items into the trolley, then lining up at the checkout, then packing the car, returning the trolley and racing out of the car park before two people have a car park fight for your park - phew!  I know which option I prefer ;)

And the best part is that when it arrives on your doorstep the next day, you are not exhausted from the entire shopping experience!  You are excited that your groceries are here, and you simply have to carry them inside and put them away where they belong.  Too easy!

I say YES to ordering just about everything... meat, dairy, fruit, vegetables, taco shells, eggs - not a problem at all!  The cold stuff is COLD and has long expiration dates.

Delivered on the 24/10/11 - both the cream and sour cream came with long expiration dates.

The fragile stuff is IN TACT.  Eggs always come in their own bag, the drivers I have had are always nice and gentle.  The fresh produce is FRESH and ready to eat.

I say NO to ordering bread.  My husband has always called me the 'Bread Nazi', and I will admit that I was disappointed when I did order bread and it was a little squashed on one side.  It is probably me just being over the top, but I like fresh bread that is in tact, so I just avoid buying my bread online if I can.  The other NO is ice-blocks.  I tried it this week, and although the delivery driver got the boxes out of an insulated cooler bag, my poor hubby has ended up with Maxibons that are rather lopsided!  Yes, the ice-cream obviously started to melt and has pooled up at the bottom end of the wrapper, creating a lovely big 'air-bubble' at the top end!  Oh well, we can't win them all ;)  But other than that, I have had no problem with anything else that I have ordered to date. 

The only other thing that slightly irks me is that I am not a huge fan of getting my groceries in plastic bags.  But if I carefully untie the knots at the top of the bags, and remove the label, at least I can recycle the bags in some way.

So, in four simple steps, this is how you shop online:

1.  Place your order by selecting items from the online shop here.

Remember to sort your list of foods on the order screen by 'unit price', this way they are placed in order from cheapest to dearest, and you can select the most economical option for your family.

2.  Select the time period that you will be home to receive your groceries.

3.  Pay for your order online.

4.  Put your groceries away, once they are delivered to your door. 

I also like to check off my items as I unpack them, and Woolies provide you with a list of your order, and little checkboxes to mark off!  I love the fact that they have thought of everything.

I think that is about all I have to say!  Make sure you send through any questions that you have :)