# Why can't you order products from a grocery store online and pick them up in store? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 8, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-order-products-from-a-grocery-store-online-and-pick-them-up-in-store/733926 "2015-10-08T14:33:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-order-products-from-a-grocery-store-online-and-pick-them-up-in-store/733926/21 "2015-10-08T23:47:46Z")
The grocer I shop at has this service. The pick up area has both refrigerated and non holding areas. I think there’s a limit on the size of the order. Order access is online, no phone option ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-order-products-from-a-grocery-store-online-and-pick-them-up-in-store/733926/22 "2015-10-09T00:08:04Z")
I had to check the date on this thread, as grocery stores around here have been offering delivery (and pick up service) for years. I can’t walk around the block without seeing at least one Peapod van. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-order-products-from-a-grocery-store-online-and-pick-them-up-in-store/733926/23 "2015-10-09T01:06:35Z")
Wegman’s has been doing this for a while at its flagship store, called [Personal Shopping](https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CampaignLanding?storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&langId=-1&clear=true&partNumber=CAMPAIGN_50035). They’re testing it for a rollout to other stores. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-order-products-from-a-grocery-store-online-and-pick-them-up-in-store/733926/24 "2015-10-09T01:08:12Z")
The Raley’s supermarket chain here in Northern California offers it, but currently at only 29 of their 128 locations. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-order-products-from-a-grocery-store-online-and-pick-them-up-in-store/733926/25 "2015-10-09T03:36:19Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > If people place online orders and pick them up in the front of the store, then impulse purchases decline. Woolies in Australia have online ordering with delivery and “click & collect”, and they’re constantly spamming me to do it rather than go instore. If everyone did it, presumably they could jettison a lot of staff and real estate. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-order-products-from-a-grocery-store-online-and-pick-them-up-in-store/733926/26 "2015-10-09T06:22:22Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Refrigeration. > > Also, it takes a lot more staff time to have someone go round doing someone’s weekly shop that just selecting a TV from the warehouse. > > Some places (here in the UK, at least) offer this service, presumably if they have fridge capacity and staffing for it. Yep - Tesco has home delivery and ‘click and collect’ In either case, your shopping is picked into carrier bags in large rectangular plastic buckets - For home delivery, the buckets are then delivered in a truck that has some frozen, some chilled and some ambient compartments (a mixed shop is therefore retrieved in parts from each section). The driver carries the buckets to your door and you lift the bags out into your house. - For click and collect, the buckets are transferred to a loading depot (also with compartments for frozen/chilled/ambient) and you drive up and collect it - almost like a drivethrough takeaway operation. ---
**Author:** ![SpyOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@SpyOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpyOne)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-order-products-from-a-grocery-store-online-and-pick-them-up-in-store/733926/27 "2015-10-09T07:53:54Z")
Farm Fresh in Hampton Roads has been doing this for about a decade: place order online, pick up at the store, no additional charge. You don’t even have to get out of your car: they’ll bring it out to you. Or for $10 (well, $9.99) they’ll deliver it. It isn’t well advertised, but they do it. I use it all the time. It’s a big part of how I can get by without a car. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-order-products-from-a-grocery-store-online-and-pick-them-up-in-store/733926/28 "2015-10-09T08:20:44Z")
I have been sent 2 coupons this week from a chain called Giant Eagle, offering this service for free (first 3 free) plus $10 off 2 orders. It is generally the most expensive of 5 grocery stores in my town, but I checked out their online ordering deal and it looks pretty useful. It includes all my purchases already, and since I shop from a menu that is usually a pain, this could save me a lot of time. Yeah, I use one of those cards that tracks me, but I think the trade off of 30 “free” gallons of gas several times per year is worth it. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-order-products-from-a-grocery-store-online-and-pick-them-up-in-store/733926/29 "2015-10-09T10:44:39Z")
In the UK, “click & collect” is becoming almost universal, even fashion outlets offer it. My wife browses the website of her favourite shop and orders two or three garments. Then she can call in, try them on and either buy them or not. All our local supermarkets offer it as well as home delivery. In London, some of them now operate it from dedicated warehouses rather than retail stores. Little wonder that all major supermarkets have halted expansion plans and are actually closing stores. The wheel turns… When I was a boy, my mother used to phone the butcher with her order, leave a note for the baker and the milkman (who also delivered eggs) and buy groceries from a van that called once a week. ---
**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-order-products-from-a-grocery-store-online-and-pick-them-up-in-store/733926/30 "2015-10-09T13:05:01Z")
I guess you guys are all too young to remember WebVan. This was back in 2000. Their entire business model was on-line ordering and delivery of groceries. Depending on your definition, WebVan lasted perhaps 18 months. From Wikipedia: “While Webvan was popular, the money spent on infrastructure far exceeded sales growth, and the company eventually ran out of cash.” ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-order-products-from-a-grocery-store-online-and-pick-them-up-in-store/733926/31 "2015-10-09T14:28:20Z")
One of the regional grocery chains here will do it (locally in my large city, at least). You order online – which is helped by the fact that if you use a customer loyalty card, it will show you all the items you generally purchase – and then swing by after a certain amount of time to pick it up. I think you call/text a number when you arrive, and they bring it out to your car. It only costs $4.99 or so for the service, which is really pretty reasonable. I would assume they are not really looking to make money on it as a service, but instead use it as a way to ensure that you shop with them and not their competitors. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-order-products-from-a-grocery-store-online-and-pick-them-up-in-store/733926.md?page=1)