Thursday, May 19, 2022

May Grocery Shopping Part 2

Yesterday, I put in an order of groceries to be picked up, today.  I usually receive emails that my order has been received and reminders that it is ready for pick up, etc., but, this time, I didn't receive any emails or text notifications.  I was concerned when I didn't hear from them by 10:45 a.m. and checked my order online, just in case I had made a mistake with the date and time of pick up, but, the website stated that my order will be ready for pick up at 11:00 a.m., today.  So, I went ahead and notified them that I was on my way (they ask you to notify them and how long it would take you to arrive there). 

Then, I drove to the store to pick up my grocery order.  I parked in one of the pick up service spots and called the store, as usual.  As usual, the automated check in service said the pick up team will be notified and to call back in someone doesn't bring my groceries out within 10 minutes.  I waited for 20 minutes and two other vehicles pulled up, too.  Still no groceries, so, I called again, and eventually, Tiffany brought over my groceries as well as the groceries for the other two customers.  She verified my name, apologized for the delay saying the store's system was not working properly, put in the bags of groceries in the trunk of my car, told me I was good to go, and went over to load groceries in one of the other vehicles.

I drove home and just as I was turning into my drive way, my cell phone rang.  But, by the time I had stopped the car and looked at who was calling (a number I didn't recognize), it had stopped ringing.  I opened up the garage, drove in, parked the car, closed up the garage, and took in the two bags of groceries into the house - only two bags?  I thought I had ordered more groceries than would fit in two bags.  But, the bags were heavy and I thought maybe they packed everything in.  I got inside the house and started to unpack the bags.  That's when I realized that I had received only some of my groceries!  Where were the strawberries?  And the eggs?  And the lettuce?  And the frozen ravioli?  I checked the website to check my receipt (once again, I didn't receive the email notifying me that my receipt was available), to check if anything was unavailable, but, no, the receipt showed that I had received everything I had ordered.  

That's when I checked the phone call I had received on my cell phone, a few minutes earlier.  Yes, it was the store calling; Tiffany had left a voicemail message apologizing that she had left three of my bags of groceries in the refrigerator.  So, I called the store back and I was put through to Jennifer who apologized again for the forgotten groceries.  Then, I drove back to the store and Jennifer brought the rest of the groceries out to me and apologized, again.  I teased her that surely this would merit me a discount, but, of course, the payment had already been made and she couldn't give me a discount retroactively.  She did thank me for my patience and good humor.  

Then, I finally came home with all my groceries and put them away.  

I bought:

0.92 lbs. bananas (3) @ $.65/lb. = $0.60
1.19 lb. papaya (1 small "Caribbean Red") @ $.99/lb. = $1.18
2 mangoes @$1 = $2.00
1 lb. organic strawberries = $3.99 (I thought I was buying the 2 lb. non-organic strawberries that was on sale for $3.99, but, apparently, I clicked on the wrong strawberries; I was not very happy about that mistake as I wouldn't have bought strawberries at that price)

1 cucumber = $0.99
1 iceberg lettuce = $1.49

1 package (25 oz.) frozen beef ravioli = $4.29
1 doz. eggs (cage free) = $3.49 (reg. price $3.99; eggs have gone up in price)

2 cans (8.1 oz.) baking powder @ $1.99 = $3.98
4 x 1 lb. boxes baking soda @ $1.19@ = $4.76
1 container corn starch (16 oz.) = $1.29

2 boxes yellow cake mix @ $1.27 (with digital coupon; reg price $2.49) = $2.54
1 box pancake/waffle mix (32 oz.) = $2.59 (another item that has gone up in price)

1 bottle vegetable oil (48 oz.) = $3.79

1 loaf sandwich bread = $1.69

Total = $38.67

That was not the best grocery pick up, but, I am grateful that they had the corn starch that was out of stock last time and I received all the items I ordered.  The store website had stated the baking soda was in short supply, but, I still received the four boxes I wanted (I use them for a lot more things besides baking).  The frozen ravioli is something I have not had before; I wanted to try it.  

May grocery budget - $100
Spent to date = $44.01 + $38.67 = $82.68
Balance = $17.32

I ate a banana as soon as I came home, then, had a salad for lunch.  Dinner was leftover soup, followed by some of the expensive strawberries for dessert.  

How is your grocery shopping coming along, this month?  Are you staying on budget?  

16 comments:

  1. All's well that end's well as they say but what a nuisance for you having to return to the store to collect the missing groceries but these things happen. Jennifer sounds like a lovely store assistant and I'm sure she'll remember to give you your discount next time. I must admit I don't buy organic produce as it is so much more expensive. I sometimes click on the wrong product as it's such an easy mistake to make but it makes me more careful when doing the next online order.

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    1. Yes; I was a bit annoyed, but, the store is less than 2 miles from my house and since they had already realized that they had forgotten to give me all of my groceries, I didn't have to try to explain that I received fewer groceries than what I had paid for. I was glad I was able to go and get the rest of the items. In general, I only buy organic items if they are the same price as the inorganic ones (the carrots I bought on my previous shopping trip, for example). I had my daughter look over my order, just to check if there was something I had forgotten, etc., and she didn't catch the organic strawberries, either. Oh, well. As you said, I'll be more careful, next time! :)

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  2. Oh I hate it when I grab the wrong item and miss out on the sale prices. I am not very good at making sure I click through all the digital coupons on my phone app. Even my son thinks there should be a button that lets you clip all the coupons at once. If I had been the clerk, I would have at least brought out a little something for your inconvenience.

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    1. Susanne, I'm sorry for the delay in replying, but, your comment had gone to my spam folder! I used to miss out on the digital coupons for a long time because I didn't have a smart phone! These days, I check and clip the digital coupons, but, only for the items I buy. It would have been nice if they gave me a little something extra for the inconvenience, but, it's OK, at least I received everything I paid for! :D

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  3. That's annoying that you had to go back for the rest of your groceries, but these things happen sometimes. I know the workers were sorry that the system was having problems and they made a mistake. I'm sure they appreciated the fact that you didn't yell at them.

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    1. Yes, I was a bit annoyed, but, it's less than 2 miles to the store and there was no hassle trying to explain that I had not received some of my groceries as they had already realized that. No, I wouldn't yell at them! It was not the store workers' fault that the system was not working properly and they didn't receive their usual notifications that customers were waiting or they had refrigerated items. I'm grateful that they offer this service in the first place! Besides, I've had my share of being ranted at by angry clients when I worked and know how it feels. :)

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  4. Thankfully you were able to get all the groceries you ordered - especially given the rising costs of food. Maybe a note has been put on your file & the next order will have a treat or discount. I think our new food budget will include each of us alternating days we eat. It is ridiculous the cost of food.

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    1. Yes, I was glad to receive everything, eventually. :) I was teasing Jennifer about giving me a discount because in the past, she had been very generous with giving me discounts; I really wasn't expecting any discount this time.
      Oh, I don't think I like your new food budget! Yes, the cost of food is going up, but, at least, we still have food.

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  5. Well that was an exciting little excursion! Glad it got sorted out with minimal fuss. Enjoy your strawberries, safe in the knowledge that they didn't contribute to pollution or soil degradation etc etc.! Your halo will be a little brighter today!
    Ella

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    1. I can do without such excitement, but, it ended well. :) The strawberries are good and I will savor them.

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  6. They must have been really busy in the store. At least it wasn't you that left some groceries behind. It must have been a surprise to find only two bags and items missing.

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    1. Yes, they were probably scrambling to get the orders ready. Ha, I've done that, too - left groceries behind, either at the end of the counter or in the cart in the parking lot! Then, I'd call the store and they'd say, yes, we have your groceries or, someone brought in a cart that had a dozen eggs left in it, etc. I was looking for the strawberries and then I noticed I didn't have the lettuce or the eggs or the frozen ravioli! LOL. But, at least I received everything and next time, I might get down from the car and do a quick check to see if everything is there!

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  7. Oh my - so much drama with our pickups! lol
    I am glad it all got straightened out.
    25 oz of ravioli at that price seems good, right? That's a big package.
    I like to keep fresh pasta in the freezer for a treat when I want to make pasta but want something other than the normal types of dry pasta that we mainly eat.
    I have cheese ravioli and cheese torttelini in the freezer currently that I bought on sale.
    I like to put a handful of the torttelinis in soup.

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    1. Well, I guess I could have simply said, "I had to go twice to pick up my groceries as they forgot some of it the first time", but, that would have been too easy! LOL.
      I used to think I didn't like ravioli, but, I had some that my daughter brought home from a friend's birthday party and I really liked it. It might have been a fancier brand, than the store brand that I bought, but, I thought it would be something nice to have on hand and, at that price, I was willing to give them a try. I ate some, yesterday, with canned pasta sauce and they were good, but, I wasn't too impressed with the filling. I want to try the cheese version, next time, to see if that is better. I don't think I've tried tortellini, but, maybe something else to try, one day. :) I just checked and the store brand is $4.29 for 19 oz. and $5.99 for 36 oz.

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  8. I'm glad you managed to get all of your order even though it took two trips to collect it.

    I'll be doing a big shop this week so am shopping in May but using June's budget because it's everything I need for batch cooking. I'm trying Iceland for some of the frozen stuff this time because they have just announced that over 60s will be entitled to a 10% discount on a discount and any savings help with the way prices are rising.

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    1. Thank you, Eileen. :)
      I think it makes sense to use your June budget for the items you will be buying for batch cooking. I like the sound of that discount! Hope the new store has all the items you want. :)

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