A short time back, a friend of mine was singing the praises of one of those “grocery delivery” type places. You shop online, pay, and the groceries are delivered to your door. She raved about the quality of the food (and having had dinner at her house, I agree, it was very good), the time savings, and ease of use. Then she made a comment that really got my attention: “I don’t spend any more money shopping this way than I did when I’d physically go to the store - and sometimes I’m actually saving money.”

At that point, I decided it was time for a little frugal detective work. I grabbed several recent grocery receipts (yes, I save them for awhile, but that probably doesn’t surprise anyone who knows me or has followed the blog) and went to the website she shared with me to check them out.

First of all, there is a delivery charge, no matter how much you order. I’m hard put to figure out how that wouldn’t raise my grocery totals - and cheap enough that it would bother me. Second, I have a weird way of grocery shopping. Or maybe just a little different from the ordinary. I tend to stock up on things when I find a great price, and my shopping is generally to replenish the stockpile with other bargains. As a result, I normally don’t spend even the smallest amount required for delivery from one of these places. At least, not on a weekly basis. I know I could shop monthly, but since weekly is what I do, weekly is what I used for comparison.

First item of comparison - cheese. I had just purchased 6 8 oz. packages of a particular brand of cheese from a local grocery store. The sale was great - 99¢ for each 8 ounce package (and I got a free package of cheese slices besides). Fortunately, the delivery place also carried this brand, so I could do a one-on-one comparison - $3.00 for the same 8 ounce package. Doing the math, for cheese alone, 6 packages from my local grocery store sale cost me $5.94 (well, 7 packages, really). The online grocer total for 6 packages - $18.00. This item had the biggest difference in price, due to the really good sale. But as I said, stalking the great sales is what I do.

At this point, I’m not impressed by the “savings.”

I continue to compare name brand to name brand and “my” grocery store continues to come out ahead - a half-gallon of orange juice is $1 cheaper (on sale) at my local grocery. Shrimp cocktail sauce is 50¢ cheaper. Yes, I told you my shopping lists can look quite different from the “bread/milk/meat/produce/cereal/snack” sort.

Now, moving on to my Aldi receipt (maybe it’s not fair to compare Aldi here, but hey, it’s the way I shop…): A 2# bag of frozen strawberries that cost me $2.69 at Aldi would cost me $5.00 at the online store. I bought several different varieties of canned veggies at Aldi, and depending on the type of vegetable, they were anywhere from 30¢ to over $1 cheaper PER CAN when bought from Aldi. Shrimp (to go with the shrimp sauce, of course) purchased at Aldi was just less than half the online grocery price.

Now, I realize at this point, it might not be totally fair to compare name brand to Aldi brand. But in our house, we happen to think Aldi’s brand tastes pretty good, so it’s what we buy when in comes to many items. And I realize, too, that I scored some pretty good sale prices. Thing is, I usually do. It’s part of the thrill of the hunt for me.

Bottom line - that particular week, I had spent a grand total of $38.43 between trips to my local grocery store chain, Aldi and Walgreens. Totalling up the cost of the same or similar items from the online delivery place came to $75.27. Plus delivery.

I need to add one more important thing in here - I love to grocery shop. I mentioned the thrill of the hunt. I love trying to break my own shopping “records”, I love scoring incredible bargains, I love combining coupons with sales and seeing “how low I can go.” This may seem strange to people, particularly those who hate grocery shopping (mom, are you reading this?) But for me, it’s fun. I don’t want to deny myself that strange little pleasure. For that reason alone, I probably would not check out online grocery shopping.

Now, don’t get me wrong. These grocery delivery places serve a good purpose for quite a few people. Many people are busier than I am, and it’s well worth it for them to save this time for other things in life. Some people have transportation issues, or mobility issues. Some people absolutely hate to grocery shop (again, my mom comes to mind - a person whose description of her feelings about grocery shopping range from “detest” to “loathe” to “despise” to the all around, plain and simple “hate.”) And some, like my friend, honestly may not be spending any more money shopping that way. It occurs to me that, knowing my husband’s fascination with the displays in the grocery store, this may be a better way of shopping for someone like him - a person who easily succumbs to lure of the new and unusual. If he didn’t have me along to keep a multitude of “wants” from jumping into the cart, that is. I don’t think the online shopping would hold quite the attraction for him; he likes seeing these things up close and personal.

Bottom line is, you won’t be seeing me ordering groceries online any time soon. Rest assured, however, I can usually be found in the aisles of Aldi, Walgreens, or the local chains - most of the time, grinning like a loon.