I can see the advantages of online shopping and I expect to have to use it at some stage as I have a disability which will eventually stop me from shopping for myself, but the Woolworths that I shop at frequently is an online shop and they have heaps of people doing orders for online customers, I have watched them and I do not like the way that they have young kids who have no idea shopping and selecting produce, I have also watched them remove a reduced to clear sticker from almost out of date chicken and put that in a trolley, if I was the recipient of that product I would not be happy, I will try and continue to shop for myself and select my own products for as long as possible as I do not trust the shoppers, I also have a sister who uses them as she is very busy, she often comments that it is like a lucky dip as you never know what you are going to get, items missed, sometimes others shopping, like I said it has its benefits but I like the independence.

catchoftheday or scoupon. they are great for cheap stuff,but it is easy to buy stuff you don’t need!

I have to say I’m not the biggest fan shopping for all my groceries online. With major sale items you can’t rely on the store having stock to fill your order and I found the dairy products I bought didn’t have as long a shelf life as when I went in store to buy them. I love the veggie boxes that you can get delivered. Again it cost more and you don’t always get a to choose what you want.

My 16 year old son did all the online grocery shopping and he preferred coles over woollies. We did online shopping as my husband was in hospital and we had no other way of shopping for food. We had no problems at all

I’ve being thinking about you. Just yesterday I watched “The Checkout” where they talked about online shopping. The video is here, if you want to watch it.
http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/checkout/LE1302H016S00#playing

There are definitely pros and cons of getting groceries online. I do it simply for the convenience of avoiding the shops with three kids. I find it slightly more expensive than shopping in a store, but in saying that, I shop online with Woolworths but would go to an Aldi if in store. The one thing I don’t like is not being able to choose my own fruit and vegetables, but am starting to get used to this. And in the notes section, I always write what I’m looking for (eg slightly under-ripe for bananas etc). I also use the notes section for expiry dates. I have started asking for dairy with long expiry dates. They are pretty good with these requests. Using the list function is good to keep an ongoing list during the week. Just add something when you run out. Overall, I will continue out of pure convenience. Once my kids are in school, or at least two of them, I may go back to instore shopping.

When I have shopped online I find it to be fine and no more expensive then instore snooping to me. It does take a bit longer to do online but that is fine I used to do it during baby’s naptime and could see what I had in the pantry and what I need to get. I loved that it remembered the items I brought the most which in turn halved the shopping time. Give it go if it does not suit then go back to the shops

I tend to shop from the specials – they are the same online as in the catalogue for Woolworths. Otherwise the proces can be slightly higher than in the shops.

I say don’t shop online with Coles, it is THE hardest most annoying site to try and navigate.
Woolworths is better but they get orders wrong a lot, which is frustrating too.

I’ve been doing shopping online for years and the slight increase in cost out-weights the convenience for me! But I find I spend less as I impulse buy otherwise and end up with heaps of stuff I didn’t really need. I do the click and collect as that suits us – hubby goes and gets it on his way home from work – saves us having to wait around for them. It takes a little while to find things to start with but once you get used to it it’s really quick and easy. Your previous products are saved so I always go to my last shop first and add all my regular items in, then go by category for the other stuff.

I have had both good and bad experiences with this. Sometimes the deliveries can be very late! I am talking hours and hours. Also, I’ve noticed that the prices of products are slightly higher online than in store. I used it when I had my third baby and it was much easier than actually going to the shops, but it wasn’t a long term solution for me.

I find online shopping quite convenient but, like somebody already said, I don’t like the fact that they use a lot of plastic bags. They should deliver in boxes or in crates. Not very environmental friendly. I just shopped with Coles in the past. If you order on Wednesday you’ve got free delivery, what I really find a plus. You can chose some delivery time windows, paying more if you give just 2 hours window, and less if you give 3 hours. What I noticed is that sometimes the online prices are more expensive than the prices in shop. On the other side they’ve often got Internet specials. So, check the prices very well before ordering. And check what they deliver before stacking it away because you could find some items missing. If you phone and let them know, they will take care of that. Shopping on line is very handy for big and heavy items and if you are stuck in the house sick for example.

Its easy.
Just go to the site and set up an account.
Accounts with both Woolies and Coles are god and depending on whats on offer that week depends on who you shop with. Check not only prices of goods but whats on sale and delivery costs.

At our last place I fell in love with Woolies ‘click and collect’ – it was great for nights when we had sports and I had to pick stuff up on the way home. I could just pull into the parcel collect and get the groceries without really leaving the car. We also use Aussie Farmers Direct – the prices are comparable to online with the majors and you know the money is going back to Australian farmers. Plus there was nothing better than waking up Saturday morning with your breakfast delivered to your door – all we had to do was bring it inside and chuck it in the frying pan (they deliver overnight – you leave an esky at your front door and wake up to it full). There are a few different companies doing this now so it may pay to look into the different options and products available and find one that best suits you and your family.

I would suggest initially giving some thought to the bigger picture. My understanding is that Coles and Woolworths only deliver in plastic bags, and from an environmental perspective this is the downside of shopping online. I don’t do the bulk of my shopping at either of the big 2 because I notice that their own brands are starting to dominate over smaller Australian made/grown/owned brands and companies, which are increasingly being removed from the shelves. Recently, I noticed that Grants herbal toothpaste (Australia) and Red Seal herbal toothpaste (NZ) had both been removed from the shelf and the only one available was Woolworths own brand. I also could not buy Defiance flour and the home brand/select one was the only choice. I personally object to being railroaded by these big corporations into buying their own brands as someone suffers down the line, usually a smaller business or farmer who simply can’t compete. It’s like the well known argument about what they are doing to the dairy farmer by offering such cheap milk under their own brand. There are some things I won’t compromise on, and being brand aware, supporting Australian owned businesses, and minimising my use of plastic bags are high on the list. Just some things for all readers to think about…….

Shop with Woolworths. Their app is 1000 times easier to understand and use than Coles online is. Also if you don’t mind the brand being changed tick the substitute button at the end of each item you’re ordering. I didn’t do this the first time and about a quarter of my shopping didn’t arrive coz it was out of stock. They refund but it’s annoying to have to either do without it or drive to the shop to pick up a different brand.

The first time I shopped I mentally walked up and down the aisles to complete a handwritten shopping list then worked off that. Basically once you have shopped online once or twice, it remembers the items you choose and there will be an option to shop from that list in the future.

look for special deals like free postage. I often do click at collect. but check your order as its always wrong. but you may pay for 200g of meat and receive 250g so bonus!

Definitely check out the specials first and make sure you use your Fly Buys card if you shop through Coles or your Everyday Rewards if you do Woolworths. I find the service and pricing pretty similar for both in our area. Coles has some things Woolworths doesn’t and vice versa so I use both depending on what I need and what specials they have. Both will remember what you have purchased previously and prompt you.

Definitely check out your specials first. The great thing about coles online shopping is that you can set a list of constantly purchased items, like bread milk etc and you can just load that up each week and add to it. Make sure the delivery fees arent too hefty, but Coles have a lot of promotions with free delivery for new customers for the first couple of shops etc. Its a much cheaper way because you refrain from splurging on items you dont need when you can see it adding up right in front of you.