There are a few things that people cannot live without buying regularly, and groceries make the top of that list. Whether you are living alone or in one big family, you need to buy groceries to survive. Buying groceries is a task not everyone loves, and there are many reasons for that. Some people do not like making lists, some people hate that weekend rush in the supermarket, and everyone hates the queues in a supermarket. Online grocery delivery has helped us beat the weekly hassle of buying groceries. There are many benefits to buying them online, but many people still enjoy traditional grocery shopping. Let us talk about how these two are different and what is best for you.
Traditional Grocery Shopping
Traditional grocery shopping or buying groceries from physical stores has now become a little outdated. We know there is something satisfying about going down the aisles of grocery stores and handpicking whatever you need. But, it is so time-consuming, and it gets so crowded in the billing queues. Also, by the time you are done with the billing queue, you realize that you have crossed the weekly budget for groceries because you got carried away by the tempting display of groceries along with the discounts. Let us look at some pros and cons of traditional grocery shopping:
Pros:
Social Interaction:
If you are a social butterfly who likes to interact with people in the neighborhood, traditional grocery shopping will allow you to catch up with the neighbors.
Satisfaction of Handpicking: If you like to shop for groceries in physical stores, you are aware of what we are suggesting. There is a strange satisfaction and trust in buying your groceries by yourself.
Cons:
Time-Consuming:
Going to a physical store to buy groceries can be time-consuming. First of all, one needs to set apart a time slot in their calendar to buy groceries. This time slot is rarely followed because no matter how much scheduling one does, nobody’s on time to buy groceries.
This time also gets extended because nobody considers the time that will be spent on analyzing discounts on the supplies you didn’t even need in the first place. This time gets increased if you go during the peak hours on weekends, and finding time otherwise is extremely hard.
Impulse Buying:
If you see aisles full of discounted products, you end up making impulsive purchases. This can make it difficult for you to stick to a budget and also to buy only what you need. Most people end up overstocking their pantries at the end of their supermarket visits. The temptation to pick up more and more products when you visit the store is hard to resist.
Stock issues on peak days:
If you visit the supermarket on peak days, you might face the problem with high-demand products going out of stock. This happens because a lot of people are buying the same products at the same time, and there is a limited stock they have with them.
Online Grocery Delivery
Buying groceries online is a very convenient alternative to traditional grocery shopping. This is why it has gained so much popularity over the last few years. When the pandemic of Coronavirus struck the world, a lot of things went entirely digital for a long time. Shopping and payments are two major things that never went back the same after the digital revolution. Grocery delivery has become a part of the day-to-day lives of many people and for all the right reasons. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons online grocery shopping has to offer:
Pros:
Saves time:
Online grocery delivery saves a lot of time from being wasted, the time you have to drive, time taken to park the vehicle, and let’s not forget the time it takes to navigate through a supermarket, stand in the billing queue, and get what you want. All of this time is saved when you order your groceries online. You can spend this time doing something more productive, like spending time with your family or spending time on a hobby that you haven’t indulged in for a while.
Convenient:
It is highly convenient to shop online – the way you can simply sit at home, select your groceries, and place an order, and viola – you will receive your order in a matter of minutes. This is so much more convenient than driving to the supermarket, finding the parking slot, finding products you need, standing in long queues, and then coming back home driving all over again.
Wide Variety of Products:
Online stores and delivery platforms have a wider variety of products to offer. There are also lower chances of the products going out of stock and higher chances of a quicker restocking. There are also special products like exotic fruits and international spices available on grocery delivery platforms that are not that easy to find in supermarkets.
Cons
Delivery Fee:
There is a delivery fee charged by online delivery platforms, which is one of the reasons people avoid ordering from these platforms. This delivery fee isn’t much when you compare fuel cost, parking fee, and all the hassle that you have to go through just to buy necessities.
Trust Issues:
Another major issue that is faced by a lot of people when ordering grocery delivery online is trust. They do not trust the quality of the products unless they are hand-picked by them. In the modern age, when everything is labeled with all the ingredients and other necessary manufacturing details, it does not make that much of a difference in terms of who picked the product.
A Final Word
When we look at this comparison between traditional grocery shopping and online grocery delivery, it is easy to get overwhelmed. It looks like a simple topic for discussion but has a lot of nuances that one often overlooks. Buying groceries is something one cannot avoid, and setting apart a specified time slot every week can be a task. Imagine walking into overcrowded markets and long queues after that.!Online shopping of grocery has emerged as a trend that is here to stay. You can easily order your groceries with platforms like Swiggy Instamart and leave your grocery shopping woes to them. They have a seamless delivery system that allows you to order any groceries, no matter where you are, and they are delivered to you in minutes.
