It's said that online shopping is set to grow rapidly and that within four or five years most of us will be buying the majority of purchases online. This does seem hard to believe, especially when most of us have never shopped online before. But security is getting better and more people are starting to trust online shopping. But is it any cheaper? With less overheads it should be, but instead of overheads you've got packing and posting to contend with and unlike most instances in a shop, you've got to wait for delivery. Well, I thought I'd weigh up the costs to see if it is worth it.

The specs I was after was two 128mb memory sticks for my pc.

So it would seem that buying computer products online was a cheaper option, up to 47% cheaper, and with next day delivery in the best case the wait isn't bad at all. All sites I visted had security promises and returns policies, so even though with a shop you can take it back there and then, there were procedures set up if the product was faulty.

Next up, the supermarkets. One of the main growth industries for online shopping is forecast to be the weekly shop. But is it worth it?

Tesco

Tesco have a £5 service charge on their delivery and payment must be made in advance by credit or debit card. When an order is placed it is processed with your local participating store and a selection of delivery times are offered for you to choose. During the week this is usually for either that afternoon or for the following morning. Weekends however are their busiest times and it is suggested that if you want a weekend delivery, you order up to a week in advance. Of course, you can use your Clubcard with online ordering, but not the vouchers.

Sainsburys

Sainsburys also have a £5 delivery charge, but they don't cover as great an area. If an item you order is out of stock, they'll replace it with what they feel is a suitable alternative, and keep it separate so that you can decide when it's delivered if you want that as an replacement or not. The same method of booking a delivery slot applies, and orders can be booked up to three weeks in advance. Payment again is by credit/debit card only and charged on the day of delivery. Sainsburys also have a repeat order facility that allows you to merely click a few buttons and have last week's order delivered again, saving entering the same details again and again each week. Once again you can use your Reward card online.

Asda

Asda have a lower delivery charge of £3.50 and if the order is over £99 the delivery is free. They are limited in the area they deliver to at the moment though. The delivery slot system is used here once more, but you are able to choose the slot before you start your online shopping, allowing you to know when you're going to get your purchases before you decide to shop there. A favourites system is in use here as well, with their computers remembering the products you usually buy and having a quick link to them. Asda don't run a reward card scheme, but do promise lower prices. The site also states that someone over the age of 18 must be available to receive delivery.

Iceland

Iceland were the first to offer nationwide home delivery. They don't have the range that the major supermarkets do but are generally cheaper. For internet shopping Iceland have a minimum order value of £40.00, but if you phone the order through this doesn't apply. Another thing that doesn't apply with Iceland is the delivery charge. There isn't one. They also accept vouchers as well as the credit/debit cards. The delivery slot system is also in place here.

It looks like there is a future in doing the weekly shop online with features available to make it easier and easier. Admittedly all the good features aren't all on the same place, but given time no doubt they will be. Internet shopping offers attractive advantages as well, not having to barge your way through crowds of stressed office workers or hassled mothers with children running around as though they were in a playground. But it is always down to personal view. If you want to feel the vegetables to check for ripeness for instance, it's not much help¹. If you need something quickly without having to rely on delivery slots, it's not much help. But could this surge in the popularity of internet shopping mean the resurgence of the corner shop? With more and more people shopping online for their weekly food, then surely we would need less and less gargantuan supermarkets built on the outskirts of our towns and cities. Leaving the corner shops the niche of the 'quickley nip round the corner and pick up...' shop.

Pastey

12.07.01. Front Page

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