The concept of grocery shopping online was foreign to me. Finding myself stranded without a car I had no choice other than to give it a go and I'm glad I did.
Coles Online delivers groceries to numerous home and business locations throughout Australia (
click here to check if they deliver in your area). Service
delivery times are Monday to Saturday, 6am to late.
A small
delivery fee is payable which varies depending on the timeslot you choose. To get the cheapest delivery fee it's best to order a couple of days beforehand. Priority delivery is available though costs slightly more than the standard delivery fee.
My delivery timeslot was 4.30pm to 7.30pm and my order
arrived at 7pm. The groceries were all intact and the fresh fruit and deli food hand-picked for me was something I'd choose myself. (Admittedly this was my main concern as I thought I'd end up with the dregs of the leftover fruit and meat.) If the product you ordered is out of stock or temporarily unavailable, Coles offer a substitution choice. Basically they'll pick the next closest item to your original order. I declined on this one because I'm pretty particular when it comes to my favourite food brands.
Almost all the items you find on a Coles Supermarket shelf are available to buy online including alcohol and tobacco products. I was pleasantly surprised by the massive range of products available and the website navigation, which was straight-forward and thorough. There are loads of categories to choose from and if I couldn't find something specific I just typed it in their search function. Voila – I was presented with a list of options relating to my product.
If you don't fancy the idea of getting your groceries delivered, Coles Online also offer a service to
click and collect. This means you can order your groceries online and have their personal shopping team members shop for you. Talk about hassle-free shopping. All you have to do is collect your order (in your chosen timeslot) at a
click and collect Coles store near you.
There are plenty of benefits to grocery shopping online. For those of you with no car, spare time or nearby shops (remote living) it's an ideal solution. Furthermore, because your grocery tally is added up as you shop you won't overspend. An item can be easily removed from your shopping list. Great news for those with a budget. Plus there's no more tempting displays of food, etcetera, so you won't end up buying unnecessary items that sit on your pantry shelves for months.
The only drawback I found was the minimum order of $50 so for those of you who just want milk and bread you'll have to stick with your local convenience store. After my positive experience I recommend buying your groceries through
Coles Online. If you're somewhat skeptical or would like to know more you can visit the
Coles Online FAQ page.
