It's Nice Knowing Groceries are Just a Click Away — But a Bit Pricier
NetGrocer
How crazy is it that I have grocery stores all around me and I ordered groceries on the net? It is crazy in a way but I recently had another family emergency that is taking a lot of my time and I needed some basic stuff and snacks in the house. I have used NetGrocer twice. The last time was when I was in the midst of another time consuming family emergency.
They come in handy when time is tight but I wouldn't shop there all the time. Prices are higher than at stores near me and they only sell non-perishable goods.
Still, I have no major complaints about the service.
What NetGrocer Sells
This site is a Shop Rite grocery store. They sell non-perishable foods, breads and other baked goods, pet food and supplies, snacks, household needs and cleaning goods, personal care goods, and a variety of kosher, diet, and other specialty goods.
They do not sell anything that requires freezing or refrigeration like meats and dairy products (other than those that are canned or boxed and can be shipped and stored on the shelf).
Navigation
The site is a no frills, fairly simple one. You can shop by main category — Grocery, Health & Beauty, General, Natural-Organic, Kosher, Gift Cards, and Specials.
Within those categories are many subcategories to help you hone down what you want. You can sort by price (high to low or low to high) or by brand. You can also choose to see all offerings from just one brand rather than all brands.
You click on an item and there is a photo and a short description. Most edible items have the nutritional information listed but not every single one. To buy, click to put the quantity you want in your cart.
This is a frames website. The listings are inside frames that you can scroll up and down. On the right is your cart/list. You can see when you add items and it keeps a running list and a total at the bottom. You can, at any time, change quantities or delete items from your cart by clicking on your list.
Shopping on the site is simple but can be time consuming as you browse through the subcategories. If you have a list of items you want, you can search for them and shopping will go quicker.
Prices are a bit higher than average for the most part. They are celebrating their third year in business, they say, but I see that there are reviews from as far back as 2000 so I don't know why they are celebrating their third anniversary. They claim to have lowered their prices recently as well. I did note the prices were somewhat lower this last time I shopped with them than the previous time.
Continue shopping until you have everything you need.
At that point, you will begin the checkout process.
You will be prompted to log in. If you don't have a prior log in name and password, you will need to register with the your email address and a password. When you register, NetGrocer will keep your purchases in their memory so you can rebuy quickly the next time.
You will fill out your shipping and billing address(es) and email. Then you can see your shipping costs. I see nowhere at all on the site how they come up with shipping costs and I had no idea either time I shopped how much it would be until I was ready to checkout. I don't like that at all.
In fact, there is very little info about NetGrocer on the site. There is no "About US" page, no "FAQs page", no "Contact Us" page.
I am not sure why I ever shopped there the first time, given the lack of info on the site.
At any rate, you will see your total. I paid $13.99 for FedEx shipping for a $70 order. It was very heavy though with many cans and bottles. I have no idea if shipping is based on weight or location or what!
I received an email right away after completing my order with my MasterCard.
I didn't get a shipping notice for five days. At that point, I got a tracking number.
I received the two huge boxes of groceries two days later.
Be aware that they are not always fully stocked. At times, you will not get certain items you ordered (with no warning until the order comes) and, at times, they will substitute a higher valued item for one that is out of stock. My last order had four out of stock items and one substituted item. That really wasn't too bad for the number of things I bought.
The items come packed in boxes, bubble wrapped, and with lots of other paper packing materials (No "peanuts", thank goodness!). Nothing glass has ever broken and nothing like bread or other squishy things have ever been ruined. Packing is excellent.
You will receive an invoice with your order that outlines everything in the box(es) but not the prices. However, your confirmation email will have all that info so do hold onto it.
You will not have to pay tax on anything, even taxable things. At least, I didn't. That saved me a bit there and helped ease shipping costs.
My Experience
I found NetGrocer when I was searching for a store that delivered. Others, like PeaPod, don't deliver to my area. In fact, NetGrocer was the only store I found that did.
My first order through smoothly except that I only got one box. There were many things missing and no mention of where they were so I called them and was told a second box was on its way. It arrived the next day with everything else in it, packed very well. A couple of things I had ordered were out of stock but, in all, a good experience.
This time was not much different. Because I registered the last time, there were items in my "favorites" list and there was a list of what I purchased the last time.
I didn't use any of that. I just browsed by category and picked and chose the best deals I could find. Prices can be high but some can also be very reasonable. Their own brand, Shop Rite, is decent stuff and generally inexpensive.
I have found certain items are the same price as at my local grocery store while other prices are more like convenience store prices.
Pet food and supplies are definitely not a good buy. Conversely, chips, pretzels, and other snacks are. You just have to choose wisely.
I had no problem finding what I wanted and I did note that their inventory seemed larger this time.
I checked out painlessly and got my confirmation email with a full summary of what I chose and the prices. They were all correct.
It took five days for them to ship my order (and another two for it to get to me). I don't recall it taking that long last time. This time, both large boxes were together. Four of my items were out of stock and not substituted. One item, a canned product, was substituted for a different brand name which was fine with me because I ordered a Shop Rite brand and got Hormel for the same price.
Packing is amazing. I don't know how they manage to get breads and rolls in the same box with glass bottles and metal cans and have everything end up unscathed.
They don't use those awful Styrofoam peanuts. They use bubble wrap (Bonus! We all get to pop it!) and heavy brown paper for packing.
In all, when I am in a pinch and need to get some snacks, drinks, boxed mixes, and other non-perishable items into the house, NetGrocer comes through. I wouldn't use them all the time because they don't have all I need and they are pricier for the most part than local grocery stores.
Still, if you need groceries and can't get out, NetGrocer is a handy site.
Contact Info
This isn't on the site but is on the emails you will receive after ordering:
Phone: 1-888-NetGrocer
Conclusion
NetGrocer is there when you need them. It's easy to navigate the site, checking out is simple, shipping, while not cheap, isn't too exorbitant, and the prices, while a bit higher than your local grocery store, aren't completely off the charts.
You will not be able to buy meats, refrigerated or frozen foods, or fresh fruits and vegetables at NetGrocer so it can't be your one stop shopping site.
Use them in a pinch when you need non-perishables and can't or don't have the time to get to the store. They are a decent alternative to conventional grocery shopping if you are willing to pay slightly higher prices on most things.
The prices aren't great but the service is fine, the shipping and packing is good, the variety is pretty good, and the convenience is second to none.
I would give this site 4 stars but there isn't enough information about them on the site to do that. I would like to see some sort of shipping info, a contact page, and other important information displayed on the site. So, despite the fact that all went well, I give the site and overall 3 star rating.
I will shop there again, however, when I am in a pinch.
Recommended:
Yes
