There are all sorts of reasons for doing your grocery shop online however if you’re really busy and have your hands full with work or children then it really has its advantages.

As a working mother myself I like being able to order all the bulky items (washing detergent, loo paper, nappies, bottles of wine etc) and having them delivered to my home at a time that suits me.  Sometimes I order fruit and vegetables and other times I go down to my local supermarket, or market, to pick these up directly.

So how does grocery shopping online work?  First you need to visit a grocery retailer’s website like Tesco.com, ASDA.com or Sainsbury’s.com.  Waitrose also offer home delivered groceries under their brand Waitrose Direct and also Ocado.

You’ll then need to sign-up and register your details so they have your address etc for delivery.  Once you’ve signed up you can then start adding your items.  I find it’s good to write a list first to make sure you don’t miss anything.  I then start shopping by section, just like I’d walk down a specific aisle in the supermarket.

At Tesco they have various sections (or online aisles) like Food and Drink, Health and Beauty, Baby and Toddler, House and Pet.  So under Food and Drink you’ll find food like fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy, eggs etc along with items from your kitchen cupboard like breakfast cereal, coffee etc.  Health and Beauty section is where you’ll find all your shampoo, soap, toothpaste etc.  Baby and Toddler, nappies, formula etc and House and Pet you’ll find your pet food, household cleaning products.  If you start with one aisle and then move on to the next you should be able to find all the items you need.

Once you’ve completed your shopping, it’s time to book a delivery slot for when you want your groceries delivered.  Tesco, ASDA and Ocado all offer 2 hour delivery slots so you can plan around this and know exactly when your shopping will be delivered.

Your grocery items are all hand picked and packed by people in your nearest supermarket (how else do you think they make it into your van!), so before you provide all your payment details there’s one last thing to consider.  If your item is not in stock would you like your product substituted for something similar or do you not want a substitution at all (ie your favourite brand is not available so would you like another)?   It’s certainly something to think about.

Talking of favourite brands and products, once you’ve completed your first shop you can add certain items to your favourites so your next order is much quicker and only a few clicks away.

As an incentive to start shopping the supermarkets have a number of offers like Tesco offering £5 off your first online grocery shop or free delivery.  Just visit www.tesco.com for details.  For a list of all current offers listed on shoppingdelivered.co.uk click here.

Happy grocery shopping!