Are groceries in physical stores the same as in online grocery stores? The simple answer is yes. The primary difference between the physical grocery stores and online grocery stores is just the location, mode of service, and operation. This article summarizes three (3) reasons why you should expect to find that the groceries online are basically the same as in physical stores. The main difference is in the ease and convenience of the online shopping experience.
- Extensive Varieties
Whether you want to buy Skippy’s peanut butter or Jif’s Creamy peanut butter, both physical stores and online stores have them. You might even want to get a different product other than these, both online stores and physical stores are ready to go the extra mile to give you what you want.
The reason is that they both have wide-range access to different products from producers. Whether in-store or online, you can always have access to a delicious range of groceries.
- Similar Quality
There is little or no difference between grocery items bought in a store and online. If you want some spinach, pears, apple, and you drive out to a grocery store to get them, it is still the same thing you would get if you were to place an order for it online. The key difference could be the amount you are willing to pay to get your groceries delivered to you. At the same time, there are competitive online grocery stores that offer free delivery.
In fact, if you search on the Internet to find online grocery stores that offer buyer incentives, you’ll find them. That there is a difference. On the other hand, if you choose to pay less for groceries that are supposed to worth more, you’ll find that the products delivered to you may not be of the quality that you would expect when paying more.
Since you can’t see or physically chose the grocery items you ordered until they arrive at your place, then you need to do your research well before placing an order online. For instance, you should only patronize a trustworthy and reliable online grocery store to ensure that only groceries of absolutely high quality are delivered to you. In terms of quality, except when you buy fake or expired groceries, there are not that many differences between groceries purchased online and groceries from the stores in your area.
- Same or Similar Producers
It is not as if the producers for physical store groceries are different from those that provide online stores their grocery products. It’s the same industry that produces products for both online grocery stores and physical grocery stores.
Different brands might produce grocery items, but it is still basically the same product. As mentioned earlier, you can even get the same brand in both online and physical stores. For instance, Walmart may be buying apples from ‘Wilbert E. Farm,’ while Annie’s online grocery store buys apples from ‘Get Fruity Farm,’ but the end product is still the same thing. Both grocery stores are buying the same fruit called ‘apple.’
The difference is that they are buying it from different farmers. In some cases, the online stores and physical stores might even be buying their products from the same producer, which means that whether you are buying your groceries online or at a physical store, you are still buying the same thing(s).
Online VS In-Store Grocery Shopping
The reasons for wanting to buy items online or in-store are similar as well as dissimilar—most times, people choose to order their items online because it is convenient.
Online shopping takes out the stress of having to drive to a physical store to purchase various items. Aside from that, shopping online takes away the stress associated with moving carts about, waiting in line to pay for the items, then lugging the groceries to your place.
More so, online shopping saves costs on two counts. First, your orders are tracked and calculated as you add items to your online cart, which means that you would be aware of the moment your cart items cost more than you budgeted.
Second, online shopping reduces the risk of impulse buying. This is because the absence of physical shelves stacked with items means you would be able to pick only items you had in mind to buy.
In-store shopping is favored by all age groups as well. Some find it a fun activity, while some view it as a must-do task. When shopping for groceries, most people prefer to buy in physical grocery stores because they want to be sure of the quality and freshness of the groceries, particularly perishable items.
In the past, lots of people had the perception that groceries bought online would have lesser quality than those bought in an actual store. Slowly but surely, this notion is changing. And with the recent coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown orders, online shopping has become a necessity rather than a choice.
Takeaways
Whether grocery shopping is a hobby or chore for you, you have the option of online or in-store shopping. Go for the best option that suits your preference but, remember that you can also get the same groceries in a store online, and to sweeten the deal, you won’t have to exert as much effort to get your groceries.
