Netgrocer -- I am glad that you are available!!!
Written: Aug 04 '01
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The Bottom Line
This store has not replaced B&M grocery stores for me but it fills a niche for me.
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Netgrocer fills a niche in the grocery market. I have used Netgrocer approximately 20 times in the past 18 months. Each of these times, I have been extremely please with the service.
WHEN WOULD SOMEONE WANT TO ORDER GROCERIES FROM NETGROCER
When they find an excellent on-line coupon for the store. This was what lured me to trying Netgrocer. I discovered a $20 off coupon off of an order of $30. That particular promotion coincided with a free shipping week. So, I got $30 worth of groceries for $10.
When traveling. I regularly use netgrocer when traveling. I typically fly to my destination, stay in downtown hotels, and do not rent a car. To avoid spending a fortune on food, I place an order from Netgrocer four days before I leave. Then when I get there, my order is waiting for me. This is very convenient for me since downtown areas notoriously do not have many grocery stores and I don't like wasting valuable time and money taking a cab to a grocery store.
For sending care packages to my son in college or when sending food gifts. This is a very convenient way to send a care package. I don't have to drag myself out to buy the items, then drag them home, package them, and then drag them to the post office for shipment. Besides, there is no way that I can package the items as well as Netgrocer does.
When sick. Who wants to go grocery shopping when sick or recovering from surgery? No one. Netgrocer allows me to shop in the convenience of my own home and then they ship the items to me. This can be very beneficial for people who are sick or disabled. Also, this is great for new moms.
Helping hungry people who do not live nearby. When I learned that a family member was short on food (and money), sending items via Netgrocer was the perfect solution. This family member had a history of alcohol abuse so I was concerned about sending money. I wanted to make sure that my money went toward food and not something else.
WHAT TYPES OF PRODUCTS DOES NETGROCER OFFER?
Netgrocer reminds me of a neighborhood grocery store I regularly visited as a child minus fresh foods. At my childhood grocery store, you could get everything you truly needed but there were not as many choices as we have in the mega supermarkets we now have.
The Grocery Store
There is a wide range of groceries sold here. Most are non-perishable. However, I was very surprised to discover that you can buy loaves of white bread there. I was even more amazed to discover that they arrived at my home less smashed than the loaves I buy at our local grocery store. That is how well Netgrocer packages their items. You will find cereals, canned fruits and vegetables, milk (yes, milk), juices, snacks, international foods, canned meats, soups, pastas, etc. Almost anything that could be purchased on a shelf in a grocery store could be found here. However, choices can be limited. For example, there are only a few types of potato chips versus the extensive selection of them found at many stores.
Drug Store
The drug store has a fairly wide selection of over the counter medications, health, and beauty products. One is able to buy shampoos, conditioners, deordorants, pain relievers, cold remedies, feminine items, various birth control items, etc. from Netgrocer.
General Store
This is the place to find items such as laundry detergent, household cleansers, baby care items, pet food, spatulas, baking dishes, books, toys, film, batteries, clothes hangers, alarm clocks, school supplies, and various other items that many supermarkets carry. The selection is not vast. However, the selection reminds me of when supermarkets first started carrying these items a few decades ago. You could survive with what was being sold.
Solution Store
Most of the items in this area can be found elsewhere. However, there is one section that I feel is very helpful -- the section on gift packages. This section gives suggestions for various gift packages. However, you get to pick the items you want put into that package. Then they put the package together and deliver it for you.
OTHER FEATURES ON THE NETGROCER SITE
My Lists
Basically, one can develop various grocery lists and then later just go back and choose items from that list. So, whenever one has some spare time, they can browse the entire site and add things to their lists. Later when they want to order items, item selection can be done very quickly. I have three regular lists: general grocery list, son's college list, and vacation time list.
Directory
The directory lists all products categories sold by this company in alphabetical order. So, lets say you have a cold and want to buy some cold medicine, you could just hit on "cold remedies".
Search
If you have a particular product in mind that you would like to order, you could do a search for it. However, I do not like the way this command works. Most of the time, I get about 10 pages of hits of which only a few are really close. Unlike other systems, the hits that are most close to the searched word do NOT appear first in the list. So, you have to browse through pages of items. Therefore, I find that this is typically a waste of time for me.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
I have contacted customer service on two different occasions and I have found them to be very helpful. Each of these times, I was in search of particular information I needed. I never had to contact them in regards to a problem.
PRICES
Prices on groceries vary through the country. We live in an area where the cost of living (and the income) is lower than elsewhere. Also, I use coupons extensively so I do not spend very much at all on groceries, in comparison to other individuals in my area. So, to me, the prices are higher than our stores and definitely higher than I would like to pay on a regular basis. However, if you lived in another part of the country and do not clip coupons, this may not be the case for you. When I am needing the services of Netgrocer, however, I am usually willing to pay a little more for the convenience.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
luv_sunshine
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Location: Illinois
Reviews written: 62
Trusted by: 31 members
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