groceries

[mellowtigger]

It's good to have options.

I dearly appreciate the micro-route bus available in my neighborhood. It has, however, been unreliable lately. They book appointments only if they can reach you within 30 minutes, otherwise you just get a message that no service is available right now. I've been seeing it too often, leaving me stranded at the grocery store unless I walk back through the warzone to my house. I don't like the small stress of that uncertainty.

I don't usually pay any attention to the coupons on receipts, but I noticed for the last 2 visits to Cub Foods that the back of the receipt tape had only a single advertisement on it: "This space could be yours". Well, that's not good. Is local business hurting that much? Is this Cub Foods location hurting that much? We must not lose our last big grocery store in the area!

I started worrying about where I would get my frozen meals that I rely on as unthinking choices for food during the stressful work day. Has Target improved its online delivery processes yet? I don't know. Coincidentally, however, I also received a postcard in the mail from Hy-Vee, another grocery chain in the Twin Cities metro. They were advertising that delivery is now available in my area.

Really? They deliver to the warzone? It's worth a test! So yesterday I ordered all of the things that I usually buy at Cub. I got my "Healthy Choice Power Bowls". They're important because they are 1) healthier food than most frozen meals, 2) gluten-free, 3) paper bowls instead of plastic. I scheduled (2-3 hours ahead) when the order would be picked and delivered. I included instructions to leave the packages inside my front porch. Everything arrived as expected, requiring only 2 substitutions for things not on the shelves at the time. Overall, I'm quite happy with the process.

The cost, though, is very different. It was $10 (plus $5 default tip, with options for $0 or more money). At $15 for delivery versus $2 for micro-bus ride, that's a big difference in cost. If I did that once every week, that's $780/year instead of $104/year. That's no difference to sneeze at.

Still, though, it's good to know that I have options for groceries, living in the warzone without a car.

(Aside: I'll know more soon, but I tried ordering a computer desk today for my work-from-home setup, but the webpage wouldn't let me place the order. It kept showing the error message: "Sorry, we cannot ship to military addresses." I filed a support ticket to ask what they meant. I would find it hilarious if my warzone is officially classified as a "no-go dangerous territory" for deliveries by some commerce sites.)