After a grueling day of reporting breaking news, the last thing I want to do is drive down to the grocery store to shop. So instead I fire up Netscape, jump to Shoppers Express (www.shopx.com), and order in.
Shoppers Express is an electronic shopping service that, in partnership with local stores, delivers groceries to your doorstep. So far it covers only Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Dallas, but more cities are expected to come online soon. The company claims to offer anything available in participating stores, and after perusing its list, I don't doubt it. Who knew there were so many brands of toilet paper? Or adult diapers?
The service promises the same national brands, the same in-store prices, and the same weekly specials as big grocery store chains like Pavilions. Now, I can look for items by name or by category. Typing in "apple" brings up a choice of three dozen varieties, from Braeburn to York. I order a couple of pounds of Granny Smiths, extra large. I continue browsing, clicking on items and adding them to my list - Ajax, brown eggs, mineral water, toilet paper, and Häagen-Dazs fat-free chocolate sorbet bars. I'm creating a master list - things I'll need to reorder each time I log on. I can choose to let Shoppers Express substitute a like item if the store is out of stock.
Not everything works just yet. But if you have Netscape 3.0, you can click on some items and see a picture and nutritional information. When you check out, there's space for special instructions - how thinly sliced you want your cold cuts, how ripe you like your fruit.
You can pay by credit card or check; I opt for check and enter my driver's license number. I receive an immediate email confirmation and wait 48 hours for my order. Good thing I'm not relying on this service for anything too important.
Two days later, after work, I pull into my driveway 15 minutes early for my grocery appointment, and the Shoppers Express guy is waiting for me. I tip him US$3 on top of the $9.95 delivery fee, making this a very expensive way to shop - at least for small orders. As I unload the bags, I see - or rather, feel - that the sorbet bars have melted. But the eggs are unbroken, the apples just right.
I call an 800 number about the Häagen-Dazs liquefaction and am promised a refund check by mail. That will be nice, I think, as I slurp down my melted fat-free - and now cost-free - chocolate bars.
##### Shoppers Express: US$9.95 for grocery delivery. (800) 524 8264, on the Web at www.shopx.com.
STREET CRED
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In the Bag
