By Señior Tech on the May 2020 Edition
Day 41 of living in the condo
Over the past month, I have only gone out a few times. When the beaches were still open, we would walk to get exercise. And I made a few scary trips to Sam’s and La Comer. But then I thought, hey! We have the internet. Yeah, I have been very comfortable doing my banking online, but I am still a luddite when it comes to buying things online. Imagine my surprise when I had to go to the bank to pay our yearly IMSS fees. IMSS does not have a way to pay online, at least not one that I was able to find. There I was, wearing a mask, going into a bank. Can you think of any possible weird consequences?
Back on topic, I discovered La Comer offers online ordering of groceries, including delivery. So, I tried https://www.lacomer.com.mx/. My browser automatically converts Spanish to English. I set-up a new account, the only snag I found was that you need your correct CP (postal code) in order to ensure the correct neighborhood for the delivery ad-dress populates in their system.
Once the account is complete, log in and start shopping. 99% of La Comer’s floor items seem to be available to order. Pharmacy, fruits, vegetables, meats, liquor and wine, frozen items as well as bread are all listed. To place an order, log in to your newly formed account and add items to your shopping cart. A running total is kept. When purchasing vegetables or fruit, either select how many items you want or the weight in kilo-grams. This is the same with meats.
Fortunately, most of the items have photos to help ensure that the item you select is what you want. Once your order is complete, you will pay and select a delivery time. Payment options include cash-on-delivery, debit card, credit card or PayPal. We have used the service three times and the experience has been excellent. If items were unavailable, I received a call from customer service.
My Spanish is not what I would call conversational, but they have associates that speak English well, so all issues were re-solved. The first delivery was free. Delivery charges for our other orders for our location was $36 pesos each (this charge may vary depending on where you live). The total time from completion of the order to the delivery to our door was 3-5 hours.
We are attempting to stay sheltered in place. This service allows us to get all our groceries without having to leave the safety of our condo. The fact that someone picks my grocery order and then delivers it is a big bonus. On my first order, I used the cash on delivery method. Since then, I have elected PayPal as it is totally safe.
The final bill is not generated until the order is processed. Then, all I have to worry about is the gratuity for the driver. Be sure to tip generously. Just think how much time and effort you have saved and these people are working hard in dangerous times.
Since we are watching more television, I started a one-month trial of Amazon Prime. The intent was to get Prime Video but then I realized that the Prime membership also offered free delivery of most items Amazon sells. With my birthday just passed, I needed to buy myself a new tech toy and so I ordered a new Sonos “Move” speaker. The delivery date was to be between three and six days. It was delivered early on the third day.
As most Amazon customers already know, this is the way most shopping will occur in the future. Companies like Sears have found this out the hard way.
I also have been in need of contact lenses. I only have one set of one month wearables left. I was reluctant to go to any of the optical shops in the malls. As I have said earlier, we are sheltered in place. I do not feel this is the time to be mingling with others until we know that the virus is contained, and a vaccine has been developed.
I went to https://www.costco.com.mx/ and, in their optical department, I found my lenses. I entered the pertinent information from the packages of my current lenses. I completed the order by paying using my PayPal account. They will be delivered tomorrow, two days after ordering. Costco offers only non-perishable food items at this time. Delivery is free.
I created an account at https://www.soriana.com/. Although clothing, jewellery and household items are available for order and delivery, food items are not an option at this time at Soriana.
https://www.walmart.com.mx/ does offer both pickup and delivery. As with La Comer, you will have to create an account. I found their site a bit confusing, but upon clicking the menu icon next to the Walmart logo, a drop-down menu of the different departments was displayed.
I have not tried their store for online shopping, so I offer it as an alternative. If you prefer Walmart to La Comer, then try them out. If you do, please send me an email (to the address at bottom of this article) about your experience, good or bad.
https://www.sams.com.mx/ Sam’s Club, a Walmart company, requires a membership, like Costco does, in order to shop. They do, however, offer food items for sale, but delivery is not an option. Sam’s app (iOS and Android) also allows the user to order items on their phones to be picked up. Like La Com-er, their online store seems to have 99% of all items in-store available to purchase for pickup.
While pickup is safer than in-store shopping, I would recommend either La Comer or Walmart because they offer the safest food shopping option, if you are trying to stay in your home and avoid contact with other people.
I did attempt to try Bodega Aurrera, but their website, https://bodegaaurrera.net/, is not ready for prime-time shopping. The items offered are minimal and there is no easy way to see the complete offering.
If you shop at either La Comer or Soriana, be sure to include your loyalty card number so all promotional pricing is automatically added to your order.
Now, if you will excuse me, it is time to place another food order with La Comer.
Stay at home and be safe!
If you have questions or suggestions about technology topics or issues, email me at senortech@manzanillosun.com
…Living in the times of COVID-19 and how to cope with supplying your pantry
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Señior Tech is a technology addict that loves to share tips. He lives in Manzanillo full time and helps keep the community up on the latest tech tricks and toys.
