Avoiding The Grocery Store During Covid- 19

These are crazy un-charted times. If someone had told me that I wouldn’t be stepping foot in a grocery store a month ago, I wouldn’t have believed it! Somehow here we are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic avoiding grocery shopping to stay well. 

The CDC’s guidelines have been changing rapidly, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the recommendation to limit your exposure. Limiting your exposure means staying home to avoid contracting the virus and flatten the curve. For me, that means staying OUT of the grocery store (or any store for that matter) I avoid public places altogether. The one time I did go to a store, the other customers just weren’t abiding by the safe distance and got too close for my liking, so I had to find a better solution.

I have two young children with developing immune systems, and I just can’t take the risk. I know I am the safest inside of my home, but we obviously need to eat. I have successfully avoided going into the grocery store for weeks but have still been able to get all of the essentials required for healthy meals and yummy snacks. Here are the best solutions I’ve found.

1) Walmart Grocery Pickup – This has been my saving grace during this time. If it wasn’t for Walmart Pickup, The Robinson’s would not have groceries. While I don’t usually shop at Walmart for groceries, I have been pleased with their service and selection. What I love is their money-back guarantee. If the shopper picks an item that isn’t up to standard, you simply call, and they will refund that item. I always add the items to my cart the day before and wait until the next morning to select my pick up time and checkout.I’ve noticed that right now, it’s hard to get a pick-up time, but doing that I haven’t had ANY trouble.  I do have a referral code for Walmart Grocery that gets you and me $10.00 off any order. At your appointed time. Wait for the confirmation that your order is ready. Use the app to check-in when you’re on your way so that the order will be prepared when you arrive.

Click Here for a Walmart Pickup Referral Code. You get $10.00 off your 1st order!

Designated Grocery Pick Up Area

Waiting on Walmart to load the groceries into my trunk

2) Target Drive Up – If you miss Target as much as I do, then this service is for you! I’ve been using Drive-Up a lot to get last-minute craft items, kitchen appliances, hair products, and even an Elsa dress! I love it because it’s FREE, all you pay for is your items. You checkout like you normally would using the Target App and just click drive-up as your delivery option. They also have an in-store pick up option but I am choosing to not use that option at the moment. Once your order is ready for pick up Target will email you. The drive-up portion is effortless, you simply follow the prompts in your app, click a button to let them know you’re on the way and another button when you arrive. If you’re a Target Red Card member, you even save 5% on drive-up purchases. 

Drive- Up Area Right in Front of Target

3) Local Farms/CSA’s – Support your local farmers and your own health! Even local farmers have pivoted their business models during these trying times. In my town, a drive-up market has been implemented. You pre-order online through the individual farms then drive up and collect your produce. We even had success contacting a local strawberry farm for berry pick-up. We have been able to enjoy lots of farm-fresh fruits and veggies during this time because of this. 

Local Strawberrys from Roger’s Farm in Gainesville, FL

4) Online Meal Delivery Services Lots of meal kit delivery services have seen a significant spike in sales since all of this started and rightfully so! It’s a great alternative. While this might be a more expensive option depending on the service you use, it’s a great option, especially for those who like their meals planned out. My favorites are HungryRoot and Everyplate. Hungryroot is great for my son, who has lots of food allergies and for me because I prefer prepped portions rather than a full meal. However, Everyplate is a spectacular option based on how much food they send, how quick the meals are, and the price of 4.99 per serving. Be prepared for alternate or delayed shipping times as they all navigate the influx of customers. I also found that it was nearly impossible to find coupons for these services, which are usually available when trying out the service. Online meal delivery services are still a fantastic option during this time.

HungryRoot

Everyplate 

5) Shipt/Instacart – This is mostly repetitive because these options were awesome before the pandemic but are essential during this time. I had a pretty bad experience with Instacart Delivery but I absolutely recommend them for pickup. For grocery delivery I highly recommend Shipt. Their shoppers are super great! They text me throughout the whole shopping trip and I can even add things on the fly just by texting them. Shipt memberships are on sale at the moment so I would run and snag one! Groceries from these stores cost a bit more than they would in store but for me the small price increase is worth it to be able to stay home. If you do utilize services like this ( AmazonFresh & Peapod in other parts of the U.S.) I recommend tipping the shopper for their services.

Anything brought into my house is immediately sanitized and I throw away all plastic bags/containers. We soak our produce in a vinegar solution and wipe down all cans with a disinfectant wipe. Even before this I always took things out of their boxes to keep my pantry organized and save space so I don’t bother wiping down boxes. Everything else is repacked using plastic or glass containers and then I re-wipe all the counters to keep my surfaces virus free.