It Takes A Village

Back in the Dark Ages, we had to go to "town" to get things. Of course, nothing was open on Sundays for shopping purposes. Most of the shopping that I was privy to consisted of having a purpose and going to said stores to achieve that purpose. In the town where I grew up, there was no mall. And it was a big day when Wal-Mart opened up in town. My, how times have changed.

Maribeth has currently schooled me in the modern art of shopping. Which means that there is no "going" to get stuff - it can all be delivered to you. As in your front door. Which is fine by me, since I am not a shopper. But in case you are unaware of your shopping opportunities (based on your locale), let me share my knowledge ...

Shipt. This is a service that will go to the local Publix grocery store (at least here in Nashville), select your desired products, bag them up, and bring them to your front door. All you have to do is sign up, order your stuff online (and include a tip), and it is delivered to you. You can order a bag of flour AND fried chicken. You just have to pick a delivery time (which if it's around dinner time, the fried chicken will be quite handy) and create your shopping list. There have been times that Maribeth's shopper has texted with questions or substitutions. And when you have a new baby and a four-year-old and a job and a husband deployed in Cuba, having someone shop and bring in your groceries is quite nice!

Gas. Okay, so I don't exactly know the exact name of this company. Since I drive a Prius roller skate and only drive places in the radius of about five miles, I only have to put gas in my care about once a month. But Maribeth has to drive a ways to work and drives a mini-van, so her fill-ups are more frequent. Again, with her current life, finding time to stop and gas up the car while the kids are content and not having meltdowns is sometimes a bit difficult. So she found a company that will COME TO HER HOUSE AND GAS UP HER CAR. Sure, there's a small fee, but worth it for the time saved. The same company will clean out/wash her car for an additional fee.

Amazon Prime Now. You should be aware of Amazon, the internet super store. If you're an Amazon Prime member, you can get your purchases fast. But now there's a Amazon Prime Now that will get your purchases to you within an hour or so. Sure, the item you want has to be in their inventory, but so far I've had delivered a mini-frig, diapers and pull-ups, and toilet paper, just to mention a few. Sure, I could have gotten out and gone to the store, but at the time, this was a lot easier than packing up the car with whichever child I was entertaining at the moment.

So, what's the final verdict? Lazy or convenient? I guess it all depends on your perspective. And whether or not you've got the time and energy to shop. I personally think of it as time management. And helping the economy by giving people a job to do and money to earn. I still pump my own gas and visit the grocery store and Target/Wal-Mart on a regular basis. But it's certainly nice to know that if I needed it, there would be somebody to help me out by doing it for me!

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Thankful today for: Shipt delivery person bringing dinner and other groceries