Washington Post - Grocery
guru Chrissy Pate knows how to stack coupons, price match and stockpile her way
to groceries for as much as 80 percent off - even scoring some products free.
She runs the savings website BeCentsAble.net and during the recession held
"coupon parties" where she taught others to shop and save as she
does.
Yet when her Kansas
City-area grocery store started offering online shopping about a month ago,
Pate jumped at the chance to try it, even though there was a delivery fee and
her store did not allow paper coupons or price matching for online orders. Why
would a power shopper be willing to forgo some of her favorite savings strategies
the time to stack coupons and price match, shopping in-store will bring bigger
savings," Pate explained. "But, let's face it, many people are never
going to do that and, for them, online shopping is another way to save, because
you can keep an eye on your running total as you shop to stick to your
budget."
So Pate took the plunge.
"Right after I placed my order, I went to the store to test out what the
price difference would have been," she said, "and I found everything
I ordered was the same price at the store."
Marking up
Whether grocers mark up
prices in their online stores is a big question. I checked prices at Giant and
Safeway, two of the largest grocery chains in the country, against those of
their own delivery services. The total for 10 popular products at both chains'
brick-and-mortar locations came to about $45. Their online store totals were
within a dollar or two of that, not counting delivery. Of course, I priced only
10 items, but when the website Cheapism.com compared stores' online and
in-store prices it also found that they were pretty consistent.
So if we consider that
settled, then it's all about whether you can make back the delivery fee. Stores
charge between $7.95 and $12.95 to deliver your groceries, depending on the
size of your purchase. You may also want to tip your driver, although some
stores don't allow it.
undefinedYou offset a little of that
money right away because you do not have to pay for gas, but the bigger benefit
is the time saved by skipping the trip. Shopping online saves time in other
ways, too. First, even on your very first online shopping trip, if you enter
your loyalty card number, all the products you've bought at the store in the
past should pop up as a customised shopping list. Just click the ones you'd
like to buy again and you're done. No inefficient wandering from aisle to
aisle. Second, shopping from home also means you can check your pantry to see
whether you need something, rather than guessing and wasting food. Third,
taking kids to the supermarket inevitably takes more time. Delivery solves
that. "You can shop in your PJs after the kids are in bed," Pate
points out.
Earning back
But by far the best way to
earn back your delivery fee is by using the online store's running cost tally
as you shop. "A lot of people like that ability to manage their budget and
take things out of their cart if they need to," said Peg Merzbacher of
Giant's Peapod delivery service. And you can do it without making a scene in
the checkout line.
The computer's knack for
sorting also can help you shop around. "We make it easy to sort your
selections by unit price," Merzbacher said. "That's a little
cumbersome to do in-store, looking up and down the shelves, but it's easy to do
online."
Personally, when I have
time, I enjoy going to the grocery store to see what's new and what's in
season. I think of this as "inspiration" for my cooking. Others would
call it by another I-word: "impulse buying." Shopping online
short-circuits those unplanned purchases. "For us, it's kind of
challenging, because we may be losing some of the impulse buys,"
line: If you're a super shopper with the time and discipline to stack coupons,
price match and shop in-person, that's how you will save more money. But if
you're more of a frazzled shopper, you could well do better by shopping online,
sidestepping impulse buys and watching that running total so you stay on
budget.
More tips for grocery savings
Online:
- Some stores allow you to
use paper coupons for online orders by presenting them to your driver. Others
have virtual coupons right on their websites.
- Look for tools that list
products you have purchased in the past that are currently on sale.
- Some grocers have coupon
codes for free delivery or offer free delivery for orders over a certain dollar
amount. Manufacturers will sometimes pay for your delivery if you buy a certain
amount of their products.
- When certain delivery time
slots are not filling up, stores often discount them.
In-store:
- As I compared in-store and
online prices, I saw several in-store deals that were not available online.
Keep an eye out.
- Advanced couponers know
that you can usually "stack" manufacturer and store coupons.
- To save the most, try
stocking up on nonperishables when they are at their cheapest, rather than when
you need them.
- Scan all the store
circulars in your area, then cherry-pick the best deals all at one store that
price matches. This usually works in-store only.
Leamy is a 13-time Emmy winner and 25-year consumer
advocate for programs such as "Good Morning America" and "The
Dr. Oz Show." Connect with her at leamy.com and on Twitter:
@ElisabethLeamy.
WASHINGTON POST