As we age, doing our own grocery shopping and carrying heavy groceries from our car into our home can be overwhelming for many senior citizens, especially if they live in an apartment or have to carry their groceries from a parking lot. During stressful situations, such as when you are trying to stay safe during a pandemic, or after you have had surgery, a simple trip to the grocery store can be overwhelming. Sometimes adult children want to help an elderly relative with their shopping, but it is hard for them to find the time to do it on a regular basis. What is a good solution to address these problems?
Most Americans have ordered a book, a gift or other products from Amazon over the years. Many people are members of Amazon Prime and use its streaming service to enjoy their favorite television shows. For any senior who has used Amazon in these ways, they will be pleased to know they can now order their groceries on Amazon and, in most places, have their order delivered within a few hours or, at worst, by the next day.
My Experience With Ordering Groceries Online
During the Covid-19 pandemic, I tried a variety of food delivery services, with varying degrees of success. For a while, I ordered fully cooked chef prepared meals delivered to my home from a local food service. However, the service I used closed down, and even when we were using it, we still needed to buy additional groceries, paper products, cleaning supplies and other items which were not available from a restaurant delivery service.
We tried a variety of grocery store delivery services, with mixed results, before we realized that Amazon Fresh (Ad) was the ideal solution for us. Since then, my grocery shopping has been so much easier! My husband also loves it, because he often sits with me while I place our order, and requests a few items he specifically wants added to the list.
How to Order Groceries from Amazon Fresh
Log into your Amazon Account
Underneath the word Amazon in the upper left, click on the Groceries tab
In our area, we have three choices which pop up .... Amazon Fresh (Ad), Whole Foods, and Bristol Farms. The options may be different in your area, but Amazon Fresh should be available in most parts of the country, especially near Amazon distribution centers. If not, one of the other available grocery services may be available.
Click on the grocery store you prefer, and begin shopping.
How to Find What You Need
When you click on Amazon Fresh, (Ad) which is the service I prefer, pictures of various grocery items will pop up. Across the top of the page you will see a series of tabs for different departments in your virtual grocery store: Fresh Produce, Meat & Seafood, Dairy & Eggs, Frozen Foods, Beer Wine & Spirits, and Household Supplies. (Beer, Wine & Spirits may not be available for delivery in some parts of the country.)
Click on each tab, browse through the choices, and click on "Add to Cart" for any items which you wish to purchase. It will tell you if that item is out of stock.
If you do not see a particular item you want, type the name of it into the search bar at the top of the Amazon page, just as you would if you were searching for a book or other item. It is a quick way to search for items you do not see immediately on your Amazon Fresh page.
Occasionally, an item will not be available through Amazon Fresh, (Ad) but can be ordered from the regular Amazon site and will arrive within a few days. It is perfectly fine to use that option for some of your items, especially if you are a member of Amazon Prime and entitled to free two-day delivery.
Once you have your full order on Amazon Fresh, it is very similar to ordering anything else you have ever ordered from Amazon.
Go to your Amazon cart and double-check your order to make sure it is exactly what you want. This is the time to make changes. It is almost impossible to remove an item, once you have placed your order. However, sometimes you can add something to your original order, if the person filling your order has not started, yet.
Next, make sure they have the right delivery address for you. Add special delivery instructions if your home is hard to find, or there is other information you want the driver to know.
The primary difference between an Amazon grocery order and a normal Amazon delivery is that when you place an Amazon grocery order you are able to select a specific delivery day and the time which is most convenient for you. They will deliver your groceries within the two-hour window you choose ... for example, "tomorrow between 3:00 and 5:00."
If you order at least $35 worth of food, there is no delivery charge. However, they will add a tip to your order, which for me has always been either $5, or $7 for my larger orders. This is offset by the fact that I use my Amazon Prime credit card to pay for my groceries, so I get 5% of my purchase price returned to me as a credit which I can use for future purchases. The 5% credit usually covers most of the cost of my tip.
If you also needed to put a few items into your regular Amazon shopping cart, because they were not available through Amazon Fresh, you will have to individually check out both your Amazon Fresh order and your regular Amazon shopping cart. The orders will be delivered separately.
Go ahead and practice. Try out Amazon Fresh (Ad), look at what they have to offer, and just browse. If you don't like it, simply empty your grocery cart and log off. There is no harm in trying!
Delivery is Hands Free
During the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been nice that most of my groceries have been delivered right to my door, and I never have to see the delivery person. The groceries have already been paid for and the delivery person has been tipped. They send me a text message to let me know that the food has been delivered and is sitting outside my door. They even remind me to put away the frozen foods quickly.
I simply open the front door, bring the food inside, and put everything away.
Future Orders are Even Easier
After you have shopped for groceries through Amazon once, things are even easier the next time. In the future when you log into Amazon Fresh, you will see a row of photos near the top of your page under the heading "Buy it Again." You can scroll through these items to see everything you have purchased in the past, and quickly click on the things you wish to purchase again. Then, simply add any new items to your shopping cart. Once you have shopped several times, and added a few new items each time, you will quickly have a fairly complete list of all your favorites. Doing your weekly grocery shopping becomes easier and easier.
In-Person Grocery Shopping Also Becomes Quick and Easy
Of course, I still make a quick trip into a real grocery store, occasionally, usually for something I could not find on the Amazon Fresh site, or because I forgot something when I placed my last order. However, because I need very little when I go to a grocery store, I can run in, pick up what I need, and leave quickly. I rarely have anything heavy to carry home, because I make a point to order heavier items such as soda, bottled water, juice, milk and similar beverages from Amazon Fresh. As a result, it is much less stressful to pop into the store to just pick up a few items I need from my neighborhood store.
Easy Way to Help Elderly or Sick Family Members
Perhaps you do not need a grocery delivery service yourself, but you have an elderly relative who lives alone, and needs help with grocery shopping. You can also use Amazon Fresh (Ad) to order groceries, paper products and cleaning supplies, and have these items delivered to them, as long as they live in an Amazon Fresh delivery area.
Ask your relative for a list of their favorite foods and other products, and order the groceries for them. This could be especially helpful if they do not have a computer or they are uncomfortable ordering things online. You can be reassured that the groceries will be delivered right to their door. For seniors on a tight budget, shopping for them occasionally can also be a thoughtful gift.
Of course, this is also an easy way to help out a new mother in your family, or a sick friend or relative. You can use the service to have Amazon deliver them a few groceries, until they are able to get out of the house, again. Just make sure you discuss it with them first, so you can set up a delivery time that would be convenient for them!
Relax, sit back in your favorite arm chair, and do your grocery shopping this evening. It will make life so much easier.
Enjoy your morning coffee or tea in this cheerful coffee mug which I designed and had professionally manufactured.
You can find it and more gifts for retirees and others at my Etsy Store, DeborahDianGifts. Check it out here and see what else you might discover: http://www.etsy.com/shop/DeborahDianGifts
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