Because of our age and physical difficulties our doctors have warned us not to be around other people for any activity. That has hit us very hard in our relationships with our family, our friends and our church family. We miss being with them and doing things with them. For us this isolation has been the hardest part of the Covid threat.
But a necessary activity has been shopping. Obviously this is something that must still be done. One shopping challenge we haven't solved has been getting our medicine. And since our pharmacy does not have a drive up window we have been forced to go in to pick them up.
However we have been using both CVS.com and Walgreens.com for items that don't require scripts. At first these services were both slow and several times items were not available online. That meant looking for another similar product or buying a different quantity. And there are still some things not available at either site, such as thermometers.
Amazon has been one of the best sources for various supplies over these months. You can buy almost anything that you need online at their site. Delivery is usually fast. If needed, returns are very easy. We have used this quite often, even for some medical needs, and we have been very satisfied.
Now we have been rather dissatisfied with both Lowes and Home Depot. We did have a few garden items sent to us from Lowes, but there are several other items that were out of stock or not available for curbside pickup.
The same was true with Home Depot. However we did order a metal trash can from them for curbside pickup only to wait for almost a day to get a confirmation that we could pick it up. And their website claimed to have five in stock. So why did it take hours to get one ready for us? When dealing with them I called to see if we could get a can of spray paint with out trash can order. I know paint is generally not available online. The clerk said "yes, no problem". But when I tried to complete the order online it wouldn't allow me to do it. So, no paint.
I also tried to place a simple order for curbside pickup on Stauffer's Home and Garden Center but found the first pickup date wasn't for two more days. I decided I didn't want to wait that long for this item so I canceled it.
During the pandemic we had to make two major purchases online. Our washer broke down and no appliance stores were open for customers. However we did find one online that a dealer was able to deliver and set up for us. It is working but we might not have bought it if we could have really shopped and physically compared models. I also bought a new computer online but I had also done that years ago and I knew what I needed and wanted.
Ordering meals to take out has generally gone well, especially at Country Table and Isaac's. However when I tried at Centerville Diner I had trouble processing the order online since I didn't have a google mail account. I could have called my order in, but sometimes I am a little stubborn. But even if I did call they don't offer curbside service and I would need to go in their restaurant to get my order and that would defeat my purpose for ordering. It does appear that some restaurants still have a few things to learn about online ordering and curbside service. I think they may have to learn if they want to stay in business.
But our biggest experience in online buying has been with groceries. We have not stepped into a grocery store in months. Most of our business had been with two Giant grocery stores and with Stauffer's of Kissel Hill. Originally it was very hard to get convenient pickup times with any of them. But either they have added more times or they've lost customers. Now this process is much better.
We stopped dealing with Giant because you never know in advance which of the up to 20% of the items ordered would not be available. You wouldn't know until you arrived for pickup. But they did pack your order in nice paper bags with handles and that is nice.
Most of our grocery shopping is now done with Stauffer's. We don't care for all the plastic bags they use. But they do let you know in advance which of your items are not available and that is nice. I just wish they would adjust their website to show which items are not available before you order. That would allow time to choose a substitute. However, we are adjusting and we order from them at least once a week.
I wonder if this online ordering will continue after the pandemic - if there is ever an end to the pandemic. It is hard on older folks who don't have computers or computer skills. But I think it is probably here to stay and will improve s time goes on.
I haven't mentioned recent medical changes since I haven't yet had to use phone or video visits which will probably expand in the future. However, I appreciate the medical portals and the personal information available on them. And I have used these quite often to communicate with our doctors and this has been convenient.
So we continue to adjust our routines as the pandemic continues. And much of this has been good and improving. I wonder what additional changes we will see in the future. Unfortunately, one change I may face is the need to purchase a smart phone. My budget has prevented me from doing that so but all of these changes may soon force me to "bite the bullet" and eliminate something from my budget so that I can get one. What will that be? Time will tell. Change, change, change!
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