Just Click It

A couple months ago I tested the Click List feature for Fred Meyer (Kroger), the online grocery shopping app.  I have to say: big fan.

Going to the grocery store is one of my least favorite chores. It just feels like it takes so long. *stomping of feet and flailing of head*  And as people's general courtesy plummets, it gets challenging to not carry a spray bottle to encourage people to behave better.

Off on a rant, sorry.

I've had the app on my phone for a while and that's fun to use.  I like the not having paper coupons and making a list features.  But I hadn't tried the pick up option.  I don't remember what finally made it happen.  I think it was someone in the hospital that one time.

I do love it.  I have found that I tend to NOT forget things, even though I have a list app on my phone when I shop in person.  HOWEVER, I do have the habit of over-ordering and that can be just as frustrating.  For instance, anyone need tartar sauce? because I have A LOT.

The feature is free for the first few times and then there is a fee. But it's nominal when you are doing a larger shopping order.  Kevin just says he would gladly pay more than that to never have to enter a store ever again.  I'm not quite to that level of avoidance.

There is one downfall: they use about a metric ton of plastic bags for your order.  OMG, so many bags.  Washington State is on the way to a plastic bag ban (hooray!!!) and this is the prime example WHY. They say you can request paper bags but you have to enter it per grocery section. (freezer, produce, dry good, etc) so that's something.

A childhood friend collects plastic bags for the Food Bank and there are recycling bins at the store so this is a solvable, yet annoying, problem.

For anyone who has control issues (Oh, hi) then it will trigger you a little bit that even though they shop by sections: your produce will be with your paper goods, your dry goods with your butcher goods, etc. This will be a test, one that I haven't completed mastered yet.

But it is a little fun, in a really lame grown-up way, to discover what you've ordered as you unpack all the eleventy bags. If you have a short attention span like myself, maybe throw something fun in the order for you to discover as you unpack.

Also, for anyone who counts steps on the daily, this isn't going to work for you.  I used grocery shopping as physical therapy when I was injured because it was so easy.  So, that's a downfall if you count shopping was your exercise for the day.

And you have to think ordering through a little.  Take bananas...please, because I hate them (groan)...you have to remember how MANY bananas.  The first time I literally got One Banana. It's okay, it made me laugh. Ordering produce is usually okay but I prefer to do that myself.  And they tend toward MORE rather than less, which can be challenging when there are just two of you.

Even though it sounds like this clicklist thing not a good thing, it really is.  It's nice to just take ten minutes to pick stuff up then happily drive home.  

Because an arrest for hucking a loud talkers cell phone across the store is probably best avoided.