It is during chilly times such as these that we are reminded of our deep love for all things convenient and comforting.
The Internet grocer Peapod has been delivering groceries to Chicagoans for several years now, but it's actually pretty amazing how few people seem to know about it or consider using it. You may be thinking, ''Isn't it cheaper to shop for your own groceries?''
To be honest, we haven't done an item-by-item comparison of how Peapod prices compare to those of say, Jewel-Osco or Dominick's. In these days of rising food costs, maybe we should all take a minute and do the math. Regardless, despite a $6.95 delivery fee for Peapod orders that are more than $100 or $9.95 for orders between $50-100, no matter what, we're likely to spend less on groceries the weeks we order Peapod vs. the weeks we schlep into a bricks and mortar store. Plus, you can always find Peapod coupons if you look hard enough, or have them e-mailed to you if you register on their site.
Not to mention the utter convenience of having someone haul heavy milk gallons into the house for you. The real reason we heart Peapod is because it prevents us from the evils of impulse buying. You know – you stroll past an aisle end cap displaying BUY 10 FRIDGEPACKS OF COLA; GET 2 FREE, and suddenly you have 12 X 12-packs (that's 144 cans for those of you playing at home) of soda that you don't *really* need. Or drinking straws. Who seriously uses those at home unless you're one of those obsessive-compulsive types who fear staining their teeth?
Our point is, if you point and click rather than stroll through the aisles, you'll buy the groceries you *really* need, and none of the extras end up in the cart: like the family-size bag of white cheddar Cheetos you clearly do not need. And now you have an extra hour or two in your busy week to do something you really enjoy. That alone is worth the delivery fee times three.
