Getting to and from the grocery store, navigating the aisles of superstores with dairy products on one end and fresh produce on the other, along with finding and selecting your favorite cereal, salad dressing, or coffee creamer can be overwhelming for sighted people let alone those with vision problems.  Fortunately there are now many options for online shopping with home delivery for your groceries, paper goods, and personal care products. You can enjoy your grocery shopping experience with much more ease, less frustration, more convenience and many times with cost savings by using an online grocery shopping service.

Start by checking what grocery stores deliver in your area using services like InstaCart, Shipt or Amazon Fresh (Whole Foods). Often you can try the service for free and then if you are happy with the service and quality of the food, you pay for a yearly membership.  Grocery store retailers that use InstaCart include Aldi, Costco and Publix.   Shipt delivers for stores like Meijer, Kroger, Target, and Western Market.

How it works: 

1. Find out what stores deliver to your area by going to the Shipt, Amazon Fresh, or InstaCart website and enter your zip code.
2. Sign up for a free trial. Unless you cancel you will automatically be charged the yearly membership fee.
3. Select your preferred grocery store.
4. Order your fresh produce, groceries, meat or dairy online or through their app.  If you want you can sort or limit your selection to your preferences like only organic or gluten free items.
5.  Select an available delivery time.  You can choose same day or your prefered day of the week and time. I’ve placed online orders with InstaCart and have had them delivered within two hours.
6.  A personal shopper will do your grocery shopping for you, giving you updates on your phone if an item you want is out of stock and if you’d like a substitute.

7. You will also get a text when the shopper is on their way to your home.
8. Foods that need refrigeration are handled differently by the different companies. Amazon Fresh

uses frozen water bottles to keep food items cold.

9. The next time you place an order, all the items from your previous order will pop up making

it even more convenient to select products that you consume frequently.

What if your shopper selected produce or a product you’re not happy with?  An expired container of yogurt and a bag of mushy organic cucumbers had me calling customer service at InstaCart.  The phone was answered promptly by a pleasant customer service representative who gave me instant credit to use on my next order.  A simple phone call is certainly more convenient than returning to the store for a credit. Online grocery shopping is becoming very popular and more accessible making it the easiest and most convenient way to get your groceries without having to leave the house.

For more tips on living well with macular degeneration visit:

Living Well With Macular Degeneration

Leslie Degner, RN, BSN