The weekly shop done in 10 minutes (tesco.com)

Member Name: Sandra-M

Product:	tesco.com
Date:	26/07/01 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great time saver

Disadvantages: Costs £5

I have never looked back from the very first time I started doing the supermarket shopping online with Tescos last September.

Tescos are the only supermarket that cover where I live in Kent and so I cannot compare with the others. The service so far has been excellent with only one or two minor glitches.

I am sure you will find the service easy to use. My first online shop took around two hours as you have to search for every single item. To search you just need to type in for example bread and a whole range of choices will appear as a list. You simply click on the "plus" sign to add it to your "basket". The search facility is probably the best way of finding goods rather than searching by departments or using the confusing "Express Shopper" feature.

After your first shop everything you have bought is recorded in the "Favourites" section. So the next time you shop you just need to go into the Favourites section and the same items you bought the week before will be there - you just need to drop them into your basket. If you are like me then you will find that 95% of what you buy each week is the same as last week. I can now do a weekly shop online in around 10 minutes!

My one concern was that I would miss out on special offers but they are well advertised and frequently as you shop banner ads will appear advertising items relevant to the departmetn you are shopping in which is useful.

To review your basket once you have finished shopping click on "View my Basket" and check you have anything. You can easily amend your list by adding more or deleting entries.
I find this way of shopping an excellent way of budgeting. I found that with normal shopping my bill could be anything from £70-100 per week. If you have a limit you need to stick to, you can take out unnecessary items. Also, you can check the kitchen cupboards easily so you are not buying what's a
lready in the cupboards - something I used to do all the time.

Once you are happy, you then proceed to the "Checkout". Here you have a choice of when you would like your goods delivered. In my area I can get away with ordering the night before for first delivery next morning. Tescos deliver in 2 hourly slots from 10-12 am; 11-1pm; 12-2pm;1-3 pm; 5-7 pm; 6-8pm; 7-9 pm; 8-10 pm, except for Sundays when deliveries finish at 3pm. You then need to make a choice of whether you want to accept subsitutes if an item is out of stock. It is worthwhile ticking this otherwise you will be off to the supermarket looking for items missed off your list which defeats the object of online shopping!

After you have picked a slot all that remains is for you to type in your credit card details. Your order number is confirmed and you will receive a confirmation email.

My deliveries have always been on time - once even a little early but never late. The substitutions have generally been good. I find that items are sometimes out of stock especially if there is a Special BOGOF offer on but then that can happen anyway with supermarket shopping. Tescos will replace with a substitute and these are highlighted on the breakdown you receive when goods are delivered. You can choose there and then whether to accept. For example I ordered a frozen leg or lamb and received a frozen shoulder of lamb and returned it back to the driver. My credit card was credited about a week later.

My supermarket shopping used to take me one and half hours once a week which is a chore when you are working full time and your weekends are precious. I can also see this as being a useful service for those who have to shop for elderly or sick relatives. My sister-in-law who has two young children says she does not mind paying the £5 fee as it would cost her that for petrol and sweets and treats, drinks etc for the children when she is out.

The first deliver
y man from Tescos said to me "you will never go back to normal shopping again" and I am pleased to say I haven't!

Summary: