"Roland Perry" wrote in message
.uk...
In message , at
13:19:59 on Fri, 13 Aug 2004, Lance Lamboy
remarked:
Most grocery stores do deliveries so why would a huge family have a
problem.

There are several practical problems.

You never get to see what's on special offer at the store that day, so
always buy at "list price".

You don't get a very good impression of what new products are coming on
the market, so you get stuck in a rut buying the things you are familiar
with.

Substitutions can be a big problem, with many stores taking a
sub-optimal approach to this. It means you can end up missing the one
vital ingredient for a recipe.

Occasionally you get things like "10kg of apples" instead of "10
apples". I can be sorted out, but is a pain.

And, obviously, you have to book a slot for the delivery and make sure
you are at home. If you are housebound, that's not an issue; but if you
are travelling elsewhere that day (especially by bus) the times you can
guarantee to be at home can be unpredictable.

A friend of mine in New York City has great things to say about the Web
Grocer service. I asked about delivery times. He said that he has to give
a two hour window for delivery. He has delivery between 8:00 pm and 10:00
pm on a week night. He and his wife don't find it hard to be home at that
time.

John Mara