Where There’s a Helpful Smile…At My Front Door

Grocery shopping.

Some of us hate it, some of us can take it or leave it, and some of us secretly enjoy it.

I’m one of those that doesn’t really mind the act of grocery shopping. What I dislike the most is preparing to go grocery shopping. There’s meal planning, shopping list making, ad scouring. Not to mention finding the time to actually schlep myself and, in most cases, my daughter, to the store.

Now that I’m 38 weeks pregnant with baby number two, just the thought of walking through the store, pushing a cart full of groceries, and entertaining my three-year-old is enough to make me want to curl up in a ball and hide under the covers until the groceries magically appear in my fridge, cupboards, and pantry.

Since I don’t see that type of magic happening anytime soon, I’m left with having to do it myself.

Luckily I am IN LOVE with my grocery store, which helps make the whole process a little easier and a little more enjoyable. You might think LOVE is a strong word to use regarding something so mundane as a grocery store. But I really, truly LOVE my grocery store, which just happens to be the Lantern Park Hy-Vee in Coralville.

Growing up, Hy-Vee was one of the grocery stores in my hometown that I’d visit with my mom and I remember running up to the bakery counter to get my free cookie every time!

But I didn’t truly appreciate the greatness of the store until I moved here and learned that there really is “a helpful smile in every aisle.” As a work-at-home-mom, it’s not uncommon to go days, or even weeks, with little adult interaction (besides my husband). I would look forward to my weekly shopping trips to Hy-Vee, not only because there would be other adults present, but because every time I walked past an employee, I would be greeted with a smile and a friendly “hello.” Which is a lot more than I get from daughter on some days!

Hy-Vee really does have the nicest, most helpful employees. The gentleman who hangs out in the front of the store by the carts (at least on most weekdays) is probably my favorite. He’s willing to help pull out the car cart that’s all the way in the back because that’s the one my daughter happens to always want! Plus, he always has the nicest things to say that make me smile and brighten my day.

Another reason for my undying love is the ability to ply my daughter with snacks while we are there. I had heard rumors that kids can pick and enjoy a banana while shopping with their parents. I am here to say that yes, it is true! Kids can have a FREE banana while shopping! But that’s not all! They can also nibble on grapes, get a slice of cheese from the deli (my cheese loving daughter almost always picks the biggest slice!), and fill up on as many of the samples at the bakery as mom or dad will allow! What better way to keep kids happy at the store than stuffing their faces with food?!

Friendly, courteous employees – check. Free food for kids – check.

But what really puts my love for this store over the top, is their new online shopping service, Hy-Vee Aisles Online. In my world, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread!

It doesn’t get much better than ordering and paying for your groceries online, from the comfort of your own home (maybe even the comfort of your jammies), then picking them up quick on your way home from work.

Actually, it does get better than that! You can actually have your groceries delivered right to your front door, along with one of those famous helpful smiles! No lines. No crowds of people. No trips out in the rain/snow.

If you haven’t tried it yet, here’s how it works:

1. Create an account at www.hy-vee.com/grocery
2. Select the store location of your choice
3. Start shopping online
4. Select pick-up or delivery
5. Pay
6. Sit back and enjoy the time you saved by not walking through the store collecting all your own groceries!

It’s really that simple!

I’ve now ordered my groceries online several times, and have done both pick-up and delivery. In the process I’ve learned a few things that will hopefully make your first Aisles Online shopping experience easier.

Things to know:

• All ads are available to view and select items from, but the selection can be a bit overwhelming (it’s basically every item in the store), so make use of the keyword search and filters to pinpoint what you’re looking for.

• Take a few extra seconds to add things to your Favorites list. That way, you can find them more easily when they are items you buy often. You can also view your past purchases and re-order any item from those lists.

• If you have a Hy-Vee Fuel Saver account you can link that to your online account and still earn fuel saver credits. You can also use it for digital coupons to get the best deal on your groceries.
• Remember to double and triple check your cart before checking out! Believe me, no one really needs three boxes of Frosted Flakes at one time. Not that I would know…

• After your personal shoppers have gathered your items, scanned them, and processed your payment, you can log into your account to see your Order Confirmation. This is nice to see what your final total is, if there were any substitutions that had to be made, or how much items priced by weight ended up costing.
• Once you’ve received your order, double check that you have everything on the receipt. One time I was missing an item that apparently didn’t make it into the bag after being scanned. I called up the store, told them I was missing an item, and that I was planning on stopping by the store later that day to pick-up an item I forgot to order. All I had to do was stop by customer service and they had my missing item waiting for me! No hassles, no questions!
• If you spend $100 or more on your groceries, both the pick-up and delivery options are FREE! Woot woot! If you don’t spend $100 or more, pick-up is only $3 and delivery is only $5…still well worth it in my book!

• When doing pick-up, park in a designated Aisles Online order pick-up parking spot, call the store to let them know you are there, and someone will bring your groceries right out to your car and load them up for you.
• Groceries are delivered in coolers with ice packs so your cold foods stay cold.

• The Hy-Vee Aisles Online delivery van clearly states that’s what it is, so there’s no question about who has just pulled up outside your house (you know, no white, windowless, mystery vans)!

The only thing that would make this new service even better, is if the delivery person would also put all the groceries away in my fridge, cupboards, and pantry for me too! But that might be going a little far!

If you’ve already tried Hy-Vee’s pick-up or delivery service, what did you think? If you haven’t, what are you waiting for??

**This is not a sponsored post and I have received nothing in return for writing it. All opinions are my own…I just really, truly, LOVE my Hy-Vee store!