How to find cheap groceries online

If you want to start buying groceries online, we have five sites for you to try out. Few of them are designed well and a couple require up to five days to actually get your groceries. When it comes to buying groceries online, the experience is far from perfect. But I think you might find value in some of these options.

The wide world of groceries

Amazon

Amazon provides the best grocery experience, flat out. It's the service I use. And it's the only service I can fully recommend.

Amazon's grocery store, while still in beta, is designed well. Finding groceries takes just a few seconds. Adding goods to your shopping cart mimics the familiar Amazon experience. And prices are usually better than at my local supermarket. That said, I did find some better deals at wholesale brick-and-mortar stores, like BJ's and Costco.

Delivery is a major concern for most online grocery shoppers. That's where Amazon really shines. Amazon offers its "Free Super Saver" shipping on most products. You'll get your delivery in five to seven days. You can also get bulk items like paper towels in three to five business days with free shipping. If you want your groceries sooner, you'll be forced to pay for it, but Amazon can accommodate just about any time frame you require.

The Amazon grocery shopping experience is convenient, simple, and affordable. I highly recommend it.

AulSuperStore

The first thing you'll notice when you get to AulSuperStore is how ugly the site is. There's a very basic navigation bar in the left sidebar listing all the different grocery pages, but little else. It reminds me of a late Web 1.0 site.

I was generally impressed with AulSuperStore's inventory of groceries. Almost anything you search for will be on the site. But beware that some products I came across were sold out--something I never saw on Amazon. Prices were competitive, but they didn't quite match Amazon's pricing.

Delivery is the biggest issue facing AulSuperStore. You can't expedite shipping. If you're in Upstate New York, New York City, or New Jersey, you'll get your groceries in one day. But if you're in California, don't expect them for at least four days. Such a rigid delivery system will probably turn some people off.

AulSuperStore, while competitive on prices, isn't competitive on anything else. I don't recommend it if you live outside of New York or New Jersey.

Groceries Express

Groceries Express provides delivery to any of the 48 contiguous U.S. states. But if you live in Detroit, you can have frozen foods delivered to your door.

Unfortunately, that's the only real benefit Groceries Express provides. Like AulSuperStore, it's poorly designed. Finding individual groceries is too difficult. And its search field doesn't make finding products any easier.

When it comes to pricing, Groceries Express is on par with the other grocery services in this roundup, though it won't match Amazon on many products. I was also displeased with the lack of options. For example, Amazon offers a slew of different dog food brands. Groceries Express offers just a handful.

Groceries Express guarantees delivery via FedEx in three days, which isn't so bad. But its less-than-ideal selection turned me off to the service.

MyBrands

MyBrands' vision is to provide you with all the groceries you look for on a daily basis, as well as those that are hard to find. So, if that brand of cereal you enjoyed in Florida isn't available in your area, check out MyBrands to see if it stocks it. Chances are, it will. I was quite pleased with the company's selection of the basics, like ketchup, bread, and household goods. But I was blown away by its selection of hard-to-find products.

MyBrands is designed well. Finding products was made simple with the navigation pane in the left sidebar. And its "Quick Finder" tool helps you find a particular item in seconds.

Generally, prices on MyBrands were in line with Amazon's, but some of the harder-to-find products will run you a bit more. If you want your groceries the next day, MyBrands can accommodate that, which makes it even more valuable to the online shopper looking for some deals and convenience.

I was impressed by MyBrands. It's not as nice as Amazon, but it's close. Consider it a fine alternative to Amazon's grocery store.

ShopFoodEx

Once you get to ShopFoodEx, you'll probably be a little overwhelmed by its homepage. It's cluttered with "aisles," which are an artist's representation of a particular grocery type. They're flanked by real images of product specials. It's just ugly.

You'll find a nice selection of products on ShopFoodEx. From paper towels to condiments and baby products, the site has it all. Browsing through those products is practically impossible though, because the site uses a column view to display items instead of listing them across the page. Once again, its awful design takes away from the experience.

ShopFoodEx offers a price-matching service, which will refund you for the entire cost of buying a cheaper item online from another grocer. So if you find that Amazon's ketchup is cheaper than ShopFoodEx's, you can inform the site's customer service representatives, and they will refund you the total cost of your Amazon order. It's a nice touch that adds some value to the site. But I didn't try it out, so I'm not sure how lenient it is with that offer.

I should note that ShopFoodEx's shipping costs are expensive. You'll be forced to pay $8.95 or $12.95, depending on where you live, for delivery within three to six business days.

ShopFoodEx fails to provide a viable grocery experience. While I like that it matches pricing, its bad design will immediately turn people away.

[professionaladventurer]

Why is going to the grocery store so hard? I get it for disabled people, but most of us? Customer reviews for the best noodles? All the reasons I shop for most everything online do not apply for food and grocery. When I shop online I generally know what I am looking for. Grocery's I only know a few of the things I need when I head out. The rest I am looking for new foods to try, I don't know how to replicate that online. At the store I can fly down the isles grabbing stuff in dept's I didn't even mean to be in. I guess there are a lot of people that eat the same core things their whole life and I should not use myself as an example to judge a online business model.

[ChukchansiDan]

One thing that should have been mentioned in the article is that these foods are sold in BULK, like at costco... you can't just your regular weekly shopping like at vons.com, who will delivery free in town if your order is $50.00 or more (Sometimes same day delivery).

[netgroupie]

Seems an odd choice of sites to select for online grocery shopping. Where is netgrocer? Amazon not want you to include them in your article? Pick on the little guys right? Easier that way ...

[usesmx06]

How to find cheap groceriers online? Unless you can out compete the brick and mortar stores, there's no reason for me and I'm sure MOST people to buy there groceries online. Im sure there a few out there that can benefit from it, but not MOST of us I would say. You really want to save money on groceries, forget going to Albertsons, Whole foods, Pavilions, Ralphs. Try your local hispanic supermarkets. You'll find some of the best prices avaiable. Give Vallarta, La Super, Tresieras, Jons a try. Thats what we got here in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles.

[netgroupie]

Amazon knows as much about groceries as it does about shoes. When I buy something I want to know that I am buying from someone who actually knows what they are selling and just isn't it to to make a buck. Amazon is the "****" of online business.

My Brand, I tried that site and I could not even create an Account all I got was an error had occured: Please contact Customer Service at 1-888-281-6400 or 1-585-273-8480 to report the problem

Aul and Shopfoodex - you complain about their shipping. They ship nationally and you complain about delivery times? You think Amazon can ship any faster? And the shipping prices. From what I saw, they compare to what the others charge so how do you conclude that?

Then you attack both Aul and ShopFoodex on their design. You say the sites are "ugly' . Is that a technical term? Cause last I heard it was an emotive personal one. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And so you baciscaly tell people not to shop at these storees.

If anything is ugly it's this piece of writing. CNET should pull this page before it gets even uglier.

[Windsor1035]

Shopfoodex has been around longer than any of these others with regards to groceries so I would leave it to their judgement as to what works. First, you are not even close to what shopfoodex promises with regards to their price match....you must have read something entirely different there. Granted, your mistake in this instance makes them look better....but the facts are very wrong in your piece.

Shipping prices at shopfoodex are well in line with others and much cheaper than netgrocer; who is not even mentioned in this article by the way. They happen to be the leader in this segment.....another glaring oversight. I have used both netgrocer and shopfoodex and both are suitable for my needs with shopfoodex getting the nod on prices, shipping and selection....but each has things the other does not have so I use 'em both.

Site design is a totally abject area. Columns are a major issue with you but virtually every shopping website employs them from shopfoodex to walgreens to cvs to albertsons....everyone except amazon and mybrands. So again, I think you are off-base here as well.

I agree with the other poster regarding your fixation on "ugly" to describe a few of the sites. Your opinion....your blog....so there you have it....say what you feel.....but at least do it credibly.

Shopfoodex, while a worthy stalwart, also does not as you say "have it all". They only ship non-perishable foods and a few non-food items. Again how well did you peruse that site.

Mybrands is a nice site but they only have 500 or so items....and all of them are primarily hard to find items that must be purchased with a minium of 3,4,6, or other such lots. Prices are very fair...but they are in no way a run of the mill online grocer.

Aul is a bit amateurish in design....I will give you that....but it is still more than adequate for a grocery shopper. Out of stocks are an issue with you too....please. Do brick and mortar grocery stores always have the shelfs full without fail....no!

Groceries express....I could not stay on that site....it just did not work for me....too frustrating.

[TruthWatcher]

Beware of this post - it is by the shopfoodex staff. They are trying to pass it off as a third party review, when in fact it is their own commentary on their own site. Perhaps they need to be unbiased as well, and not self promote shamelessly in this column.

[Windsor1035]

My Brands sells bread? Hmmmm.....can you find it for me. You said they have it but I can't find it. You said quote "I was quite pleased with the company's selection of the basics, like ketchup, bread, and household goods."

What a crock....you have been uncovered. Do your homework next time.....and stick with the HDTV reviews. Unbiased....yep....right.

[Alexander_Ainslie]

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@AAinslie

[angrykeyboarder]

You failed to mention other options out there that deliver perishables. Two that come to mind are NetGrocer and Safeway. I buy from Safeway.com all the time. It's somewhat more expensive than shopping locally (you pay the same prices as at the store + the delivery charge of $0-12.95 depending on delivery time and your order total). The only catch is that Safeway prices are often somewhat higher than competing stores. Nevertheless, the delivery makes it worth it. I HATE going grocery shopping. :)

[JonPape]

You should try http://grocery.Meijer.com. Free shipping on orders over $150.

[sevatt]

I agree with the author, Amazon provides an excellent shopping experience. They even offer an additional savings of 10 to 15% if you set up a "subscription" to automatically reorder products at a regular interval. I have found this to be excellent for staples like paper towels, toilet paper, or baby supplies. However, Amazon updates their prices all the time! If you want a good deal and you don't have an immediately need, you can save real money by using one of the free services out there, like PriceChirp.com, to alert you when Amazon updates their prices for items in your wishlist.

[daworley]

I use a site called Bulk Home. It's a cleaner interface to Amazon's bulk grocery store: http://www.bulkhome.com

I've had great experience with them so far.

[Danny-UK]

Amazon have just announced that they are going to launch their grocery beta in the UK - it will shake up the old world supermarkets who have taken the online space as their own. we have seen the first reaction to their announcement already. Waitrose - the oldest of the old school grocers - has abandoned delivery charges. You can see how contentious they are here - http://www.onlinegrocerystore.co.uk/online-supermarket-deliveries.htm - and that clearly not all the UK grocers are ready to let go of this easy revenue just yet.

[idfubar]

Organic grocery delivery (e.g. Planet Organics) is also something to consider if available in one's area...

[tophotdeals]

going to a shopping mall is really waste of my time i prefer online shopping because you get your product with cheap rate and it reaches to your home, there is lots of site who are best in their field but i like http://www.dealshunt.com/index.html where i search daily to all my product deals they gives coupons + discount upto 25 to 45 % + free shipping, it really save my money and time.

[OnlineGroceryShopping]

I shop with http://www.homelanddelivery.com

The prices are a little high but I love the service.