This is a review of my first ever online shopping for groceries experience - with Ocado. I mention that it's my first time so you can appreciate that I don't have any other experience to compare to. Other than elderly and disabled, I used to think people were plain lazy when it came to getting their shopping delivered to their door and to those people I thought that about, I now apologise. It was mid week, we were running out of lots of big bulky things and our 20 month old daughter suddenly has an aversion to sitting nicely in a trolley kids seat. I felt stupid asking for a babysitter so I could go and do something as dull as supermarket shopping so I had a little browse online to see what might be possible.

Recommended
My old boss used to rave about Ocado and she generally only expects the best when shopping. I knew there were some online codes and discounts to be had for the first shop so I found some cash back and discount and began to place my order.

Getting started
Once you have created an account, you set up a user profile to let them know who you are shopping for (kids, pets etc) and the sort of things you usually buy like fizzy drinks, fresh food, fish, meat etc. The first page recommended a number of items that might appeal and it was easy to see what sort of offers were available. Beyond the recommendations you can shop either by department or directly through search terms for the food or brand you are looking for.

Total spend
As you shop, the total spend is displayed in the top right corner so you can keep an eye on things and it is easy to change your mind and remove things from your cart. You are taken to a page on delivery when you check out so you can pick a suitable spot and generally the later and more unsociable the time, the cheaper the delivery was. I paid £1.99 for delivery which I thought was fine. Checking out was easy and the discount codes were visibly activated so you knew exactly what you were spending and buying. Any items you chose that were unavailable were given suggested replacements and you could either select or reject them.

Communication
Upon paying for the goods, I received a confirmation email and the next day a text to remind me that my shopping would be delivered that evening, even naming the driver and the van.

Delivery
On the night, the driver called me to say he was running early and would it be convenient to deliver at 8.05pm (which was an hour earlier than the slot I had paid for). This was suitable for me and he turned up on time. All the shopping was colour coded by bag handle into freezer, fridge, cupboard and non food and was easy to put away. The driver was polite and friendly and pleasant to meet. The delivery was accompanied by a print out of all the food on the order and a shop magazine with articles, recipes and offers inside.

Follow up
A few days later a posh lady called to find out how our experience shopping with Ocado had been. It was on a message so I never actually spoke to her but it was nice to be asked for feedback.

My final thoughts
As Ocado are connected with Waitrose, I thought they might be a bit more expensive than Tesco and Asda but they still had offers and whilst perhaps not so many own brands on offer, the chance to take up offers was easy to navigate through the site. The convenience of having it delivered to the door was great and I would certainly consider using this company again if I am unable to visit a shop in person. I can't fault the service from beginning to end and loved how the website worked. I think repeat purchases are even easier and quicker as you can pick from your previous purchases to speed things up. I have had a few emails with offers from Ocado but I did agree to receive such messages and it is not an intrusive or too frequent communication from them. I will probably try out other online delivery stores to see how they compare some time in the future but for me Ocado were top notch and a pleasure to spend our money with!