Online Grocery Shopping

[44brambles]

Hi,

I've already posted this in the Poitou Charente Region area section. I wonder if anyone can help out at all?

I have a house (currrently a hoiday home) close to Gemozac and will hopefully be able to extend my summer holiday this year to extend for another 6 weeks. As I don't drive and where I am is very rural I do have a concern about grocery shopping. It appears that Super U offer an online home deilvery service. Could anyone possibly let me know if this is the case and if so is it straightforward to use.

Many thanks,

Gail

[NormanH]

It depends on the local shop. Mine offers only 'drive', where you can order online but have to collect it yourself.

Look at the details of your local one online

https://www.magasins-u.com/superu-gemozac

to see if it offers livraison à domicile

You have to open an online account.

[Loiseau]

Hello Gail, and welcome to the forum.

As Norman says, the "drive" offer means YOU have to do the driving; they prepare your list and have it waiting for you to collect.

I checked out the Gemozac store online, and they only seem to offer this pick-it-up- yourself service.

[Cendrillon]

Sorry, I sent you a pm. with wrong info. I thought they delivered. You could look at Leclerc at Pons, maybe they would deliver. There's an excellent bio shop nr. Super-U next time I go I will look and see what they offer. The lady there is very helpful.

[44brambles]

Many thanks for all your replies.

We are actually closer to Pons but I did look at Intermarche and I think they just do the order online and then collect your stuff at the shop. I wonder if E Leclerc is the same? We only have a bread machine which is a short walk away but no local meat etc vans if you get my gist. One of the times when driving would be so handy. There is a bus service but you have to ring for that to collect you and I haven't managed to tackle that one yet.

Thanks again!

[Hereford]

Hi

Is there no-one near you that you chat to, or some organisation you could join (say walking or sewing...) so that you would meet people who may well be willing to take you shopping when they go. You could contribute to the petrol cost perhaps?

Mrs H.

[idun]

Goodness Hereford,I think that that is a mean, the very idea of getting total strangers, or practically to end up taxiing someone. Always hard for someone who has been put in a spot to say 'non' isn't it. Something I would never encourage anyone anywhere to do, would be like finding someone by chance who spoke some english and expecting them to be a translator, not on and never will be as far as I am concerned.

Sorry OP, I really think you need to call a taxi or that bus, and ignore the very idea of putting on anyone especially when you know you are without transport just seems awful to me.

I have always debrouilled. In fact I am gene when I am back in France now and occasionally,nay rarely need a lift from friends, lovely lovely friends who I have known for years. I always get the bus and sort myself out as much as I can.

[44brambles]

Hi there,

I do have some french friends , one of whom has kindly mentioned about taking me shopping but I was keen to try and look to see if there was an alternative as I'd not like to call on her too often.

Hopefully I've got some time to try and sort something out. It just would have been handy to do an online 'Big Shop. now and again.

Thanks,

[Cendrillon]

As I suggested in my p.m. why not order a big (weekly / fortnightly) shop on-line then call a taxi to take you to collect it.

[Gardengirl]

Cendrillon, that was what we did when we were without a car a few weeks ago, except that we walked to the nearest big supermarket and phoned a taxi to take us and the shopping home. It worked very well.

We have lots of friends and neighbours who would be very pleased to take us shopping, but we like being more self-sufficient when possible.

[Cendrillon]

Some years ago I came over on my own to stay for a week at our holiday home. I flew to France, caught the train and friends kindly met me at the station, took me for a quick supermarket shop and dropped me at the house. I had no car . Occasionally I cycled a few miles to the nearest supermarket. It was an o.k. visit but there was no way of getting to a film, brocante or anything of interest in the area. The next larger village has a bit more commerce . The stay was o.k. for a week but for me , no car would not be ideal for a longer stay. This was before the days of online shopping.

[YCCMB]

Well, according to their website it seems (although I can't follow the link through) that Intermarche in Pons DO offer a home delivery service.

However they also have this:

http://www.solidarite-intermarche.fr/

Which allows you to link up with someone and do a "covoiturage". If the link doesn't work, blame this forum and not me. Simply, you say when you want to go shopping and where you are, and someone near you who is going at the same time can offer you a lift.

[YCCMB]

Sorry, I missed out the link for the home delivery service

https://drive.intermarche.com/Livraison

ETA. .covoiturage for Intermaché, as with the General covoiturage system in France, involves you making a small contribution to the petrol costs of the person taking you.

[Judith]

Idun, I thin k you are making difficulties where they do not exist.  Almost everywhere I have lived in France, and on holiday,once contact is made, people are usually very helpful if they see a need.  And in smaller places even more so. Sounds to me like Gail - hi Gail, welcome indeed - has started off in the right way.  Making contacts, but also trying to be independent if she can be.

There are often local taxis who can help out, but I don't know if cost is a problem f or not ... but I find if you explain your problem as best you can (I start ... sorry I have a little problem, gets them on your side ...) you will find people are as helpful as they wish to be and its a good way to get to know your neighbours better.

 

[NormanH]

Nobody has ever offered to take me to a supermarket, but there are ways round it, by buying on markets.....

[idun]

I don't do this as a general rule, has to be really exceptional circumstances and I would only ask good friends. We have had bad experiences with those that think it is OK, one ends up NOT answering the phone to anyone without checking a few minutes later to see who called.  A really horrible situation to be in.  As I said, hard for people to say no once asked.

[soupagirl]

I reckon 'online shopping' is a concept that is so much taken for granted in the UK but here in France it just doesn't happen. I can't see the point of the 'Drive' at the big supermarkets...I mean if you've got to drive to the supermarket to pick up your shopping you may as well go and push the trolley round yourself too and choose your own stuff. I agree, it would be wonderful if online grocery shopping & home delivery ever took off, especially for people in rural areas with no transport, but I can't see it happening. Not just groceries either. We ordered a new fridge online it took 5 weeks to be delivered to a transport depot in a town 30km away and we were told it would be delivered last Tuesday. Didn't arrive. Rang them up. 'Demain' they said.Same happened next day. Thursday afternoon we rang the depot and told them enough was enough, and we went on Friday morning to pick up the fridge ourselves. In contrast, in England my daughter's washing machine finally gave up on Friday morning. She ordered a new one online which was delivered and fitted next day.

[idun]

But some of the depots one picks the shopping up from have not got a supermarket even near, they are simply a 'Drive' depot. Well that is how it is in parts of the Alpes.

[Cendrillon]

If one has to pay a taxi then ordering online and pick up service would be advantageous.

[Cendrillon]

Here's another idea. Naturalys ZA de Pied sec Nord 17260 Gemozac

www.bionaturalys.fr

You can order on-line before 14,30 and have the order delivered FOC if you spend over 50 euros, delivery from 17.00 by arrangement.

OR order online no matter how small the amount, your order will be prepared for you to collect.

They have a good stock and are very helpful.

[44brambles]

Hi,

Many thanks for all your replies about this.

I'm just home after a really nice week over in France. I had limited internet so picking up replies and PMs was pretty hit and miss. I think Cendrillon has mentioned about a PM that she/he has sent me. I'm not sure if I received it but then again I do seem to recall Jazennes being menitioned so if I've managed to ignore it, sorry.

We're not in Janennes, we're over near Avy. We've driven passed Jazennes countless times but never ventured to it.

Anyway, while I was away i did give my possible extended stay some thought. It is such a tempting thought but grocery shopping aside I'm honestly not sure that it would be a wise move. It's one thing to toddle off with friends once a week to shop, but there are all the other eventualities that might crop up.

Thanks for the link you sent through www.bionaturalys.fr I'll take a look at it.

All this said..haha, who knows if I may throw caution to the wind in the summer and go for my extended stay when the chance is there! Such a tempation not to be restricted to our 3 week summer break.

Thanks again.

[Cendrillon]

Good to hear from you.

Bon courage for any future solo visits.

I noticed another village in the area that has a fresh bread machine. I wonder how often these are used.

[Patf]

The SuperU in our nearest town started home delivery last year, but I don't know anyone who has used it.

The only experience we've had is after ordering some smoked duck breasts (one of my favourite foods) online from somewhere in NE France and they arrived with a huge amount of special packaging. Very good but expensive.

And we were going to buy some live hens online but the delivery charge was about 5 times the price of the hens.  Long story.

[44brambles]

Hi,

Thanks, currently trying to sneak things into our 'French box' for our next visit in 3 months time!! It can't come soon enough.

We have a bread machine in Avy, it seems pretty popular with the locals and I did try to get some late one day and it had run out which is hopefully a good sign that it's popular.

Thanks again for your comments,

[44brambles]

Hope you managed to get your hens sorted. 'Long story'...sounds familair, we've had a few of them over the years...fun though for the most part when you look back on them.