Peapod

i received my first peapod order today. everything went really smoothly. over the past couple of weeks i'd been debating if i wanted to use the service or not. after reading and re-reading every detail and asking other people in boston how they liked the service, i decided to go through with it. and i'm glad i did.

one great thing is that when you order the groceries on line, the specials are clearly marked with a little red tag. i was worried that i wouldn't get these savings because i don't have a stop and shop card. but when i went to place my order, i was asked if i wanted to sign up for a card. i said "yes" and the savings card number was given to me right then! i will get the actual card in about 2 weeks, but the numbers were available for me to use on the order i was about to place. i was psyched because i saved $20 with the card.

i had reserved the time block of 11am to 1pm for the delivery to arrive. the guy came at exactly noon, so i guess that's literally between 11 and 1. he brought the groceries up the three flights of stairs, left them on the counter and table in my kitchen, told me about the service (since it's my first time using it), told me to call the 800 number on the invoice if there were any problems, shook my hand, and then left.

i stood with my mouth agape, staring at all the grocery goodness in my kitchen, thinking "this totally rocks!" i started unpacking the bags and noticed a problem.

over the past couple of weeks, i added and subtracted many things. but when i placed the order, i didn't bother to go over my order with any sort of scrutiny. so the end result was that got 4 single rolls of toilet paper plus an 8 pack of TP. i also got 4 pizzas instead of 2 (i'd added two last night, not noticing that there were already 2 ordered), and 6 containers of yogurt. this is not the fault of the store at all. it's totally me.

so my advice: go over your order before hitting "submit". especially if you've been adding stuff over the course of a week or more. also, notice the units when ordering produce and deli items. if you want a pound of cheese, note that you will get two half pound packages. and when ordering apples, note that when you type a "2" in the box, you will get two apples and not two pounds of apples. it's strange, but that's how they do it.

overall, i think that peapod is great. my total order plus delivery charge came to $75. that seems like a lot, but i won't have to order groceries again for at least another month. plus, the time i saved going to the store and trying to get everything home on the bus is priceless.

i'm hoping that STAR/Shaws stores start this service soon. they have better prices. but in the mean time, i totally recommend peapod. it's a total time saver.