Are There Any Food You Wouldn't Buy Online?

Discussion in Food & Drink started by cocolgooh • Jul 15, 2015.

  1. cocolgooh

    cocolgoohActive Member

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    I find it can be difficult to buy online due to substitutions. I have food allergies so I prefer to generally go to the store myself to check the packaging. Anything I know there's a high likelihood it could get substituted to something that contains something I'm allergic to, I generally won't bother buying in an online grocery shop.

    However, there are certain allergy-friendly products In do buy solely online because I know it's one of the only places I can get these certain products.

    I can also be a bit funny about buying loose fruit and veg online as you don't know if it's going to be what you'd pick yourself in the store. I'd rather buy it myself in store so I know I'm getting what I want.

    Are there any foods you wouldn't buy online? What's your reasoning behind it?
     
  2. JessiFox

    JessiFoxActive Member

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    I guess if I had the money and ability there aren't too, too many that I absolutely wouldn't ever consider buying online. But you're definitely paying for convenience, especially in regards to perishable food that needs fast shipping/delivery. And I also just enjoy food- I enjoy the shopping and picking it out aspect, being able to see it and feel it, etc. is part of the overall experience that I enjoy and that online shopping is unfortunately unable to deliver.
     
  3. tangela

    tangelaActive Member

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    I usually don't buy fresh produce online. Things like fruits and veggies I always feel better if I can pick it out myself, but with other things like dried goods or snacks or something like that I'm more okay with buying online. I know Safeway has like a delivery thing and if I ever want them to do that I would only buy everything else BUT meat and fruit and veggies.
     
  4. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    There are some organic delivery companies which claim they can deliver organic groceries to your doorstep and won't charge you a penny for transportation costs but considering how ridiculously priced their organic groceries are, I think the convenience of getting fresh food delivered at your doorstep isn't worth it.

    For me, I wouldn't buy any food online because shipping fees would cancel out any savings I sought.
     
  5. GemmaRowlands

    GemmaRowlandsActive Member

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    I don't like ordering my fresh food online, because they choose the things that they bring for you, and I don't think that they're as good as if you can go in and get them yourself. They will pick up the things that other people didn't want from the store, and I think that's a bit of a shame. I much prefer to go and get my shopping done in store most of the time anyway, to be honest with you, because I don't spend as much because I can see all of the offers that are on, and will then make the most of them.
     
  6. DreekLass

    DreekLassWell-Known Member

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    The only types of foods that I have ever purchased online, have been that of the junk variety. I live in the UK, and other countries have junk foods that are not made or available over here. The only way to get them is to order them online. Other than that, I don't like to order my groceries online, or fresh food.
     
  7. missbishi

    missbishiWell-Known Member

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    I won't buy meat, fruit and vegetables online. I like to be able to inspect these goods before I buy them and I also want to ensure that I'm buying something with the longest shelf life possible. You can't rely on store packers to take this into account.
     
  8. Sue

    SueActive Member

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    I wouldn't buy meat or produce online. Those are items that I prefer to pick out myself. With those products their is usually a preference of what you like. I have never bought any food items online before so I am not sure I would buy any food product off the web but if I did, those products are definitely ones I wouldn't.
     
  9. bonzer

    bonzerActive Member

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    I sometimes buy dried cranberries, blueberries and so on. However, I never buy fresh organic food online. It's very expensive. The handling and shipping charges drain out my pocket. Shopping for fresh fruits, peas and cream is a relaxing experience for me and give me a chance to redeem loyalty points at my local grocery store.
     
  10. MyDigitalpoint

    MyDigitalpointActive Member

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    Same here, I have found a site that sell dried fruits and this okay with me, but fresh produce raw meat, fish or poultry are those foods I wouldn't buy online, unless they come already prepared and canned.

    Fruits in sweet syrup like me and can be ordered online.
     
  11. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    I don't order food items online very often, but when I do it's generally because they aren't available at my local grocery store. For example, none of our local stores carry the right kind of corn flour needed to make Arepa's - if anything, they just have plain masa harina, which is meant for corn tortilla's, and is too gritty to make arepa's with. So I had to look around on Amazon to find another vendor to order it from.

    As far as nutritional info and ingredients goes, Amazon is pretty good about showing all that label information along with the product listing, and/or including it in the product descriptions.

    The big problem with it for me is the higher costs for the items in general, along with the shipping costs, make it too expensive.

    One thing that always baffled me though is there are even people selling stuff like Ramen noodles on Amazon. That's kind of defeating the purpose of buying notoriously cheap food, if you're gonna pay a premium for it *and* shipping costs, lol. In fact, I think the shipping costs were more than the ramen noodles themselves.
     
  12. JosieP

    JosiePWell-Known Member

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    I eat mostly whole foods, so there is no way I'd shop online for my food. Maybe the packaged stuff.. like rice, lentils, flours etc, but not produce. I wouldn't trust someone else's selections for me and the extra travel time on top of the travel time it already took (unless I'm getting it directly from the grower) means a lot less nutrients.
     
  13. JoanMcWench

    JoanMcWenchActive Member

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    I used Peapod once because I ended up getting a pretty dramatic coupon so I though 'why not'. I was happy with everything but the produce choices. Not that it ended up horrifically bad but I felt like if I were the one shopping for them I would have taken more time & really nit picked things I'm sure someone else grabbing the produce for someone who is not themself would likely ignore.
     
  14. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    I only buy food online if I can find it cheaper online than in a store. I don't really have food allergies or dietary restrictions so price is the only thing that would motivate me to buy food online. Amazon sometimes has certain foods as add on items that count towards free shipping, so I've bought things like baking mixes and cup ramen because I got a deal.
     
  15. Theo

    TheoWell-Known Member

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    I would never buy eggs, vegetables or milk online. I have used online before and to be honest these are items you don't really save much money on so it's easy to buy them as and when you need them. They don't travel well either so I would always be concerned about storage too. These are things you can buy in the local convenience store and is worth the extra few pence it costs for freshness.
     
  16. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    I've never tried it but I'm definitely hesitant in ordering fresh food online such as vegetables and fruits and meats. I've heard of some local groceries here offering their delivery services to nearby households and I think even if I did live nearby I'd only ever use it to buy packaged goods like canned foods and frozen products. For everything else I'd much rather be able to pick my own purchases and see it before I buy it so I can personally inspect it and see how it is being handled and transported.
     
  17. explorerx7

    explorerx7Active Member

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    I would never consider buying fresh produce, meats, and vegetables online.When I go into a food store or supermarket I am able to examine the items to satisfy myself on their suitability for consumption.
    If I should buy these online, however, they would be packaged and I would now be allowed the time to adequately examine them for suitability.
    There is also the hassle of repackaging and scheduling the return of items if they are unsuitable, therefore, for me, it's more prudent to go to into the store or supermarket to acquire fresh produce, meats, and vegetables.
     
  18. Lushlala

    LushlalaWell-Known Member

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    I can't think of anything, including food I wouldn't buy online. I used to be precious about buying fruit and veg online, because whichever store I shopped online with, the fruit and veg always arrived all bruised and horrible. But then I gave UK retailer Ocado a try and was very, very pleasantly surprised. They are a bit pricey, but you seriously get your money's worth. So each time I want to buy everything, that's who I go with. Otherwise it's just Sainsbury or Tesco.
     
  19. TheViper

    TheViperActive Member

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    Meat and fresh produce is the only thing I wouldn't buy. Plus, items that are easily opened or tampered with. How do I know if something happened to the meat while in transit? Also, it makes zero sense to spend more money getting meat online when you can go to the store.
     
  20. purplepen88

    purplepen88Active Member

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    I don't think I would buy fresh fruits or vegetables on line. I'm pretty picky when I go to the grocery store and try to find the freshest nicest quality produce I can. I wouldn't trust some else just grabbing a canteloupe for me. I need to see it, squeeze and smell it to know it's ripe and also not rotten or bruised. The other thing I wouldn't trust would be meat. I need to see it as well to know that it is a good cut, not too much fat etc. I think canned goods would be fine to order online.