I don't think you need to worry about sell by dates. Turnaround of stock in a despatch depo of a major supermarket must be colossal! I wouldn't be surprised if you got much fresher products across the board when buying online.

That's not the case - it's not like you're getting stuff from the warehouse, the products sent out for home delivery are taken from in-store shelves, so you get the same as if you'd gone in yourself.

Ok, I didn't know that. But I don't think it is just any random store. I find it hard to believe they would be able to offer such a wide and deep selection of goods. Anyway, never had a problem with sell by dates.

Only certain stores offer a home delivery service - typically the larger stores (for groceries). Non-grocery items are typically dispatched by a different subsidiary centrally - such as Tesco Direct or Sainsbury's Home.

I use it all the time. But I do try and do big shops so that the cost of delivery is minimised. Last time I ernie posted details of mysupermarket.com. I signed up and then spent an hour so trying to organise a big shop. I split it between Asda, (4 miles away) and Tesco (9 miles away) so even £3 a time for delivery works. Some items were cheaper with Asda so I bought them from Asda. The other items were either cheaper, same price or lots of bonus club card points. So on Monday I have one delivery and the second on Tuesday. I have also done well in saving more than £20 in the process. More than enough to cover the extra delivery. They should last me more than a month. For me it makes a lot of sense. The substitutes are bizarre, though I do not mind so much especially as I order value brands and get upgraded for the same price so cannot complain. For me it is very cost effective.

Slightly off topic but I used to use Iceland's home delivery service a lot when I lived down south, as I didn't have a car and picking your groceries and getting them to deliver to my house meant I could stop off at the pub on the way home for a swift pint or six.

Also, does anyone else kinda wish that pg2114 was still around? I can't help but think that he'd not only have done lots of online shopping, he'd also have very strong opinions about it!

I remember username and vaguely the avatar but what happened to him? Was he lost in the great mass migration?

Was he the fellow with the little penguin avatar?

EDIT: Seems he did make it over here, but he's been MIA since April 2011. His last post was 22nd October 2009, but it seems he's been lurking in the background since then - his last recorded visit was 1st April 2011.

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=197

The missing items drive me mad. The last few times I've used it I've had to complain. Worse though is the poor quality of some of the items sent. I ordered 4 carrots for example and they sent the smallest inedible carrots they could find I swear. I'd only use online shopping if I absolutely had to.

If my wife was a picker at one of these supermarkets, she would be the one screwing up your order Her ability to look at an item on the list, see it on the shelf and then pick up an entirely different item is legendary. We both shop together so I can correct her mistakes..........

I've never been in favour of this form of shopping. My sister uses it frequently because she has little time to do a regular shop these days. Must be hard with both her kids at boarding school and husband overseas defending Americas oil policy but all in all it's a service available if you choose to use it. It's nowhere near perfect though....

Al

We get groceries delivered, but you can't really buy them online.

We have Eismann, Bofrost and a couple of others that travel round and deliver frozen foods, but generally they come and you order and they bring it in, or they order it for the next time they come around your area.

Although it looks like Edeka has now started a service. They've just never advertised that it exists. And the prices look like they are trying to compete with the petrol stations - about 2.5 times what you pay in-store!

I think it partly has to do with culture. Buying over the net still isn't something most people would consider, let alone food.

I think you mentioned before the Germans still don't really use plastic to buy things, so that would have a bearing on it as well.

Yes, although many online retailers here use either cash on delivery (debit card accepted by the postman) or on invoice, which is very nice, but less common.

I use Thalia for books sometimes and they send an invoice with the book, so I have 2 weeks after delivery to either transfer the money or return the book.

Largely, I don't mind the online shopping experience. You can spot the bogofs and special offers easier - often saving the cost of delivery.

The main reason I don't do it much anymore is that they frequently stitch you up with Best Before dates. You spend £150 and buy in bulk, and then find that the 16 Actimel drinks have a BBE date less than a week away.

The trick is not to buy stuff which has short shelf lives. I still buy my vegetables locally from the greengrocer or milkman. Milk is delivered by the milkman and I get my bread when I need it from the local shops. I try and buy items with long shelf lives online so no matter what they pick you come out okay.