There is now a new, and some would say more convenient way for Calgarians to get their groceries.
The Real Canadian Superstore is rolling out an initiative that allows Calgarians to order their groceries online and pick them up at a Superstore location at a pre-determined time.
“It’s not just a Canadian trend, it’s a global trend,” said Jeremy Pee, the vice- president of commerce for Loblaw. “Everyone is time starved. We all live busy lives and everyone is looking to save time.”
As a mother, Delaine Bennett is excited.
“I have two kids under the age of two, and not having to take them out of my car to pick up groceries is pretty amazing,” she said.
As many mothers know, grocery shopping with kids can be a daunting task.
Loblaws, which owns Superstore, hired personal shoppers to shop for and pack online purchases. The company has already rolled out the service in northern Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario.
The grocery order is made online and at the appointment time that the shopper chooses, the purchase is rolled out to a designated spot in the parking lot for pickup.
Like anything that is convenient, shopping online and picking up your groceries will cost you extra. The store charges a service fee of up to $5.
Not everyone is on board with this new way of getting groceries.
Even though it might cost a little extra, picking up your groceries is still cheaper than having them delivered and millennials like the convenience of being able to shop online.
Calgary is not the first or only city to offer online grocery orders and pick-up. In the United Kingdom, it’s a common practice.
Personal shoppers use route-finding scanners that direct them on the shortest path to fill up to eight orders at once, thanks to marker bar codes in all the aisles.
If the customer is not satisfied with something in their order, they have the right to reject that item.
There are already a few markets in Calgary that offer online ordering, but they are mostly focused on organic food. Officials with one such service, SPUD, said they are not worried about Superstore’s entry into the market, because they have different offerings.
Superstore has plans to add the service to its stores in Airdrie, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat.