Discussions

I will be utilizing this in the New Year for a majority of our groceries and am really hoping for some guidance on what grocery store you recommend. Because I’m used to being able to hop to a store every other day to grab a few items I need I’m hoping for some feedback around a) available pickup times and quick deliveries when you do arrive b) produce quality and availability c) how you have issues corrected and how easily it is done (and anything else you feel is helpful)  
 
Because we live out of town it is not convenient or sometimes possible to go back to get something fixed, replaced or something that was forgotten. All feedback and recommendations are appreciated  
 
Thank you very much!

For the past year, we have used Heritage Co-op's Curbside pick up. Their website is excellent and easy to navigate. One places an order online at minimum the day before (no same day order and pick up). We've actually found this really convenient as it allows time to add to our order grocery items we'd forgotten to select. Once finished placing the order, one selects a pick up time and pays online with a credit card.  
On the day of collection, your receipt as well as grocery items not in stock pop up on your e-mail. When ordering you will not know what items are not in stock BUT the website has a "substitute with" option on all grocery items you order which we've found really helpful. Right now we are finding items not available are the Oat Milk beverages.  
There are designated Pick and Collect parking stalls on the east side of the Heritage Co-op on Richmond Ave parking lot. You park, phone that you are in which numbered pick - collect stall and in a few minutes out comes your order. Pop open your trunk and the Customer Service Clerk places all your groceries into the trunk of your vehicle. Wave a thank you them and drive away. Simple.  
The vegetables and fruits have always been wonderful quality and fresh.  
We have always found our order to be accurate and amazing and have never had any issues to correct.  
We would definitely highly recommend Heritage Co-op for your pick and collect order. While I realize you live out of town, Heritage Co-op now has a delivery option intown on this same website. https://www.shop.crs/brandon#/

Walmart-all the time. I started using the service when it first came available, months before the pandemic. It is easy to use, they are accurate at picking the orders (if they do make an error it is rare, and in that case there is no hassle on getting a refund). If you allow substitutions they make good choices in picking an alternate product when the kind you wanted is not available. When I have ordered produce I was satisfied with the freshness and quality.  
 
I have used voila.ca at Safeway but was not impressed with the service. The website does not list everything in store-things I buy regularly in Safeway are not listed for on line ordering. I once tried to order at 8 pm for next day and there were no spots available-yet when I went to the store next day the pickup stalls in the parking lot were empty. It seems they have a very early cutoff time for ordering.  
 
Walmart allows me to order at 10 pm for next day pickup; I can order at 7 am for noon pickup.

I have used Walmart since they started offering curb side and find their service to be excellent. Their website is easy to use, you can choose whether or not you want them to substitute items that are unavailable, and it remembers previously ordered items for ease of reordering. I have rarely had an error in any order and if there was, they are excellent to correct it. You will receive an email letting you know of any items from your order that weren’t available. Their staff are great, you check in when you arrive, let them know the parking spot # you are in and vehicle colour and they are out with your order in just a few minutes. They load it into your vehicle and you are done. It’s the easiest grocery shopping I have ever done.

I also use Walmart and have had no issues. Some of the prices may vary compared to shopping in store. One item I buy for example is 2/$5 in store but online it is $3.29 each. One other small thing that bugs me is they never have cauliflower online only the organic which is $5 each.  
 
Their substitutions are good, can be to your benefit sometimes. Once I ordered 4 single bananas and got 4 bundles (for the price of 4 singles).  
 
I tried superstore once. I had spent over an hour getting everything in my cart and clicked something I shouldn’t have and it all disappeared. I was mad and just gave up and went to the store instead.

Thanks for all the great feedback! Super helpful-I didn’t even realize co-op provided that service. Also good to know Walmart has a good reputation for Curbside. I forgot to ask about ease of website.  
 
Appreciate the help!

meal planning for the week. Plan out everything from breakfast to supper and see what ingredients you will need. This will eliminate the need to hop in every couple of days for what you need and you can just do a once a week shop. You may find you will save money too as you will be using up what you buy instead of it going bad. I do this all the time as a family of 6 with a home daycare. Saves me so much time and money.  
 
I also recommend Walmart. I haven't set foot in the store in months! I even was able to get all my stocking stuffers online! I meal plan a couple of days in advance, order what I need online and pick a pick-up date for at least 24-48 hours ahead. After you have placed your order, you will get a notification that you can make changes up to a certain time (usually midnight the night before you pick up). If I discover I missed something I need, it will automatically add it to my order up to the cut-off time. I live in the city and still only need to go out once a week for groceries.

Something to add about Walmart discount prices. Sometimes it looks like online checkout does not give you the same in store discounts. However-when you get your order all finished-before you actually checkout-look at the bottom of your cart listing. It will show you your sub total, and right below that it shows your total discounts. Then below that are your taxes, your rewards amount if you use a WM mastercard and choose to redeem reward dollars. This is the only place it shows you multi-buy discounts and such. Once you actually checkout, that discount no longer shows up. So yes, you (usually) do get the same in store discounts, you just cannot see that on your final receipt. I do wish that the actual item price showed up as the discounted price as it would be easier to check that way.  
 
New online shoppers can usually get a discount code to get $15 off their first order too.

We’ve been doing click and collect for quite awhile, well before Covid. Superstore and Walmart are the two I use most often. Each have pros and cons but both are great! It is very rare that I have to go into an actual grocery store anymore. M&M’s has click and collect too and maybe it’s just me but I don’t find their website to be user friendly