Garden Grocer vs. Walmart via taxi?

[JenniK1135]

We're stayingonsite and will not have a car in late October. I've read good things about GardenGrocer's delivery but in looking at their website, wow are they expensive. We have free dining but I would still like to have breakfast things, snacks, etc. and definitely milk for my almost 3 year olds and 19 month old. Would it make more sense to put DH in a taxi to Walmart with a list?

 

[mtquinn]

Just my 2c, but I the last thing I would want to do during my vacation is to hop in a taxi and travel to and fro for groceries. Yes, Walmart is definitely cheaper, but how much is a cab? Can't be cheap. Factor that into the prices and you are probably close to even comparing both places. I used GG and it was terrific. No worries. Food was there when I arrived. Easy breazy and, to me, not terribly expensive at all. Maybe I pay more for groceries outside of Philly, but it seemed ok to me.

Plus, we didn't want to take time out of the vacation to food shop, considering how much we paid to go to Disney. That matters.
Hope that helps!

 

[Mary2e]

Instead of Garden Grocer, try www.wegoshop.com. It's an outstanding service. They will shop at the store you select and present you with the receipt. There is a delivery fee added of about $15-$20. They will also shop at multiple stores for an additional fee. An upside is you can shop from the online sale circular and save some $$$ that way.

A trick I used was to use Garden Grocers site to generate a list (using the favorites feature) and then tweak that list to send to wegoshop.

I have used both services and was disappointed with GG and thrilled with wegoshop.

FWIW - not wasting time in an unfamiliar supermarket and possibly spending more due to impulse purchased is well worth the delivery fee.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

We're stayingonsite and will not have a car in late October. I've read good things about GardenGrocer's delivery but in looking at their website, wow are they expensive. We have free dining but I would still like to have breakfast things, snacks, etc. and definitely milk for my almost 3 year olds and 19 month old. Would it make more sense to put DH in a taxi to Walmart with a list?

Not if your DH shops like my DH!!!

Seriously though, it really is a matter of preference. Some people are willing to pay for the convenience of having someone else doing the shopping for them. In a place like Disney where the phrase "time is money" especially applies, you might find that it's more cost efficient to do this.

Another possibility would be to pack non-perishables in your checked luggage (use the extra space on your return trip for souvenirs). You can pick up milk and juice in the gift shop or convenience store in your resort.

 

[scard192]

Instead of Garden Grocer, try www.wegoshop.com. It's an outstanding service. They will shop at the store you select and present you with the receipt.

Do you have to be at the resort when your order is delivered or will Bell Services store it for you like they do with Garden Grocer?

TIA

 

[2binak]

Wegoshop.com will leave orders at Bell Services. They add an automatic 10% gratuity for any orders left at BS, but we gave that amount in gratuity to Marge when she delivered to our room anyway, so it really wouldn't bother us to have her add it automatically for a BS delivery. You then should tip BS a couple of $$ when you pick the order up.

 

[mskayjay]

I have no desire to shop on vacation. DH and I used Marge and wegoshop.com and it was the best *extra* I could have given us! She will even use coupons if you send them to her, prices were great, quality of items she picked was great, stuff arrived right before us so we had it from moment of arrival, did an extra run to a liquor store for minimal upcharge, no time wasted/hassles for us. Cab fare alone will make up for the $17 charge and the gratuity. And honestly, if you do a search I think you would be hard pressed to find a negative comment about this lovely lady and her service.

 

[beccasmom]

It is tough to beat Wal-Mart's prices. But cabs in the Orlando area are expensive. Plus, it is hard to shop when "under the gun (or meter)" in an unfamiliar store. To say nothing of possible crowds and waiting in line. Just too stressful, IMHO.

I am okay with Garden Grocer because their prices are still better than those at Disney. If we had a car, we'd definitely head to Wal-Mart, but we don't, so I am glad there are other options.

I can't comment on WeGoShop because we haven't used them. But the shopping services provide a nice convenience even if it isn't the least expensive way to go.

 

[Piecey]

Thanks for posting this OP, I've been unable to justify GardenGrocers prices (that and I don't need $40 worth of groceries, either!) so I'm taking everyones advice and checking out WeGoShop... thanks!

 

[Mary2e]

Do you have to be at the resort when your order is delivered or will Bell Services store it for you like they do with Garden Grocer?

TIA

Actually, one of the reasons I am so displeased with GG is because they delivered my order several hours before I requested and I had fresh meat in that order. I didn't have a clue how it got into my fridge nor how long it may have been out. They also made mistakes, and well, their prices are outrageous for such poor service.

wegoshop delivered at the exact time I requested.

 

[Justsyd2]

If you're looking for other options, and you just need a few items, the resorts have many breakfast items for around $2-3.00 each. Milk is very inexpensive there, and it will save you the $17.00 delivery charge from Wegoshop. Just another option. We had considered ordering groceries for our stay in June but instead we just purchased breakfast items from the resort. Didn't cost very much at all!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Actually, one of the reasons I am so displeased with GG is because they delivered my order several hours before I requested and I had fresh meat in that order. I didn't have a clue how it got into my fridge nor how long it may have been out. They also made mistakes, and well, their prices are outrageous for such poor service.

wegoshop delivered at the exact time I requested.

Most likely what happened is, when they left your order with Bell Services, that department stored any perishable items in the appropriate cooling device in their storage area. Meats would have gone into the refrigerator and any frozen items in the freezer. This would have occurred within a safe time span from when the same items were removed from the delivery vehicle's cooler.

Then, when your room was ready Bell Services transferred your Garden Grocer purchases to your unit and again stored all perishable items safely.

 

[PebblesMK]

Though this may not answer your question, the post office has flat rate boxes and you can fit things like cereal, pop tarts, bagels, granola bars or whatever else you may want into them. If you ship it down a few days ahead of time, they will hold it for you. There are different size boxes but the one I am using is pretty decent size and is 7 dollars. If you can shop at home and send non-perishable items that way, it could very well make up for the cost of a grocery delivery service or a cab. You can always buy your milk and fruits when you get to the resort.

 

[CLR4321]

Use Wegoshop.com! They will shop at Walmart for you. So you pay your normal Walmart prices plus a delivery fee ($17 for up to $100 of groceries or $22 for $100-200). It will be cheaper than Garden Grocer or using a taxi (taxi will be about $30 round trip). Here is a link: http://www.wegoshop.com/location/wgs-location15.htm The lady Marge is really nice too, she keeps the magical atmosphere going.

 

[justwinnie]

I'm definitely in the minority, but I did not like my experience with WeGoShop. I prefer Garden Grocer.

I used GG last October and things were just fine. I didn't feel like I paid too much for delivery/tip (delivery is free over $200 or $12 for orders under $200). Everything I requested was delivered and I received a message on my cell phone the groceries were delivered.

With WGS, I was in contact with Marge the day before the delivery and was instructed to call when I was at the hotel. I called from the Magical Express bus when we were pulling AWAY from Yacht Club and going through the adjoining parking lot to Beach Club, where we were staying-- I was calling to confirm that I would be at the hotel before my delivery time. Marge said to call back when I was checked in-- I told her I likely would not have a room b/c it was a bit early for a DVC check-in and the stuff would just be left with Bell Services. I didn't want to waste my time waiting around, which is why I scheduled my delivery for a certain time. I called back after check-in, as advised. Her assistant was already on her way to ANOTHER delivery b/c she did not get the message that I had called. She apparently doesn't like mistakes, so she made it a point to tell me what I did wrong (I should have called when I was checked-in). I wrote a check for the delivery and her assistant stood there, making a point to tell me that people usually tip 15%. I did not like that at all-- especially after seeing that their webpage notes a 10% tip for groceries left at the desk. I was aggravated that I had to wait 30 minutes after my delivery time for the groceries. Plus, neither Marge nor her assistant answered their phones! I had to leave a message each time and wait for their return call. Although the calls were usually returned within 5 minutes, it was just annoying.

I ended up paying more for the shopping/delivery fee + tip with WGS over GG.

Another reason why I like GG is that I know what my total is ahead of time and I won't be charged EXTRA to use a credit card. Though WGS does not say it's a credit card surchage, rather, it's a cash discount. Baloney!

GG is a bit pricey, but not outrageous-- just like shopping w/out coupons. They have weekly specials and I tried to order things from that list.

But to each their own.

 

[LynnTH]

We used Garden Grocer this past trip. (Stayed at AKV). We also had the dining plan. I don't think I would use it again with having the dining plan. We did not eat 1/4 of what we got from Garden Grocer (and we just ordered enough to meet the minimum - breakfast foods, fruit, pop, water and beer). We split many meals and are not huge breakfast eaters - so, my DD and I would split a big muffin using one of the snack credits and DS would just eat a poptart.

If I were you I would just get a few things from the Resort Store (like Milk) and maybe pack a few breakfast items. We wasted a ton of food and would have been cheaper just to get what we needed there.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I wrote a check for the delivery and her assistant stood there, making a point to tell me that people usually tip 15%.

Did you call or write the owner about this? I bet she didn't know her assistant is attempting to 'intimidate' clients into specific tip percentages.

Plus, neither Marge nor her assistant answered their phones! I had to leave a message each time and wait for their return call. Although the calls were usually returned within 5 minutes, it was just annoying.

Most likely (but, I'm aware, not proven) this would be attributed to things like refusing to answer the phone while driving; or being on the phone with another customer; or actually being with a customer...

Another reason why I like GG is that I know what my total is ahead of time and I won't be charged EXTRA to use a credit card. Though WGS does not say it's a credit card surchage, rather, it's a cash discount. Baloney!

Interesting. You can call it what you like, but the credit card companies prohibit vendors from surcharging, i.e. passing on the 3% or so that the credit card companies charge them, on to the consumer.

 

[Mary2e]

Most likely what happened is, when they left your order with Bell Services, that department stored any perishable items in the appropriate cooling device in their storage area. Meats would have gone into the refrigerator and any frozen items in the freezer. This would have occurred within a safe time span from when the same items were removed from the delivery vehicle's cooler.

Then, when your room was ready Bell Services transferred your Garden Grocer purchases to your unit and again stored all perishable items safely.

I agree that's probably what did happen. However, I requested the delivery between 4 & 6, arrived at my room at 3pm and the stuff was already there.

I consider that extremely poor service. Some of you may disagree and want your order delivered before you arrive - but I didn't

 

[Mary2e]

Another reason why I like GG is that I know what my total is ahead of time and I won't be charged EXTRA to use a credit card. Though WGS does not say it's a credit card surchage, rather, it's a cash discount. Baloney!

The downside to this is that they want you to place an order early. Mine was well over $200 and they had our money over 2 months in advance.

I also wanted to update the order and it can't be done online - you have to do it via email and they don't give you a new total.

So, if you place a small order to hold your spot, you can't update the order online and get a new total.

It's a great idea that's needs some tweaking before it becomes a great service.

 

[mtquinn]

I used GG and loved it. Ordered snacks for the kids in and out of the room, juice boxes, yogurt for me, plus some dry breakfast items. Prices were just fine, and they bought a six pack of beer for my husband on request!

I think I remember on their site that they run weekly specials. When I checked and found some items on sale I simply emailed with my order change and they replied with no problems. Easy.