Ordering groceries online

[NoMansLand2020 298]

Because of the quarantine restrictions in the Philippines, my fiancée has not been able to get to the grocery store since last March because she has two young children who are not able to accompany her to the stores and unfortunately there is not anyone who can watch them. 

 

Since that time, we have been using Streetby app and purchasing groceries from either Gaisano or Ororama. But we are growing more and more frustrated with each time we have to use this app. 

 

It's extremely out of date. The items you are purchasing have no photos and only a few words description. Many, many items are misspelled or abbreviated so searching for what you want is nearly impossible. Furthermore, many items are only able to be purchased by the kg. If you want small items like onions or bell peppers... Who wants a kg?? 

 

Even worse is that maybe only 50% of what you need is not on the app. We are talking things like eggs, or ground pork, ground beef, rice and many many other items. So you have to call the store after your initial order to add additional items. Even then, the store will tell you that many of the items you ordered are not available. 

 

You think there would be a better system. These apps seem like they were developed by elementary aged student and then never maintained. 

[RO_AH 1,659]

You have to remember that this is the Philippines not America. Looking at the Philippines through an American lens will lead you to false expectations. I have a wife and 2 children currently living in the Philippines. She has no problem going shopping because she has family that will watch our boys. Families are generally much larger and always willing to help each over there. Even friends and neighbors. I don't know your fiance or her situations but I do not understand how she has no one who will shop for her or watch her children for her while she shops.

[NoMansLand2020 298]

2 hours ago, RO_AH said:

You have to remember that this is the Philippines not America. Looking at the Philippines through an American lens will lead you to false expectations. I have a wife and 2 children currently living in the Philippines. She has no problem going shopping because she has family that will watch our boys. Families are generally much larger and always willing to help each over there. Even friends and neighbors. I don't know your fiance or her situations but I do not understand how she has no one who will shop for her or watch her children for her while she shops.

Like you said you don't know the situation. Families are not always willing to help out. A lot of times they cause nothing but problems. My fiancée ended up moving last year several hours away from her family because she was tired of the negativity and constant drama that she and her kids were subjected to on a daily basis. They are doing much better now. 

 

She's in an apartment and from what I know it's mostly vacant. Most of the people living there are the construction workers. Because of the pandemic, it's been hard to get out and socialize and meet people. It's the same situation all over the world. 

 

The Philippines has created a problem by not allowing people of certain ages to go places. They aren't solving anything by keeping people indoors. It's only adding to the problem. 

Edited January 31, 2021 by NoMansLand2020

[jskibo 588]

Maybe she could throw some coin at the construction workers and have them go to the wet / dry market for her?

[RO_AH 1,659]

13 minutes ago, NoMansLand2020 said:

Like you said you don't know the situation. Families are not always willing to help out. A lot of times they cause nothing but problems. My fiancée ended up moving last year several hours away from her family because she was tired of the negativity and constant drama that she and her kids were subjected to on a daily basis. They are doing much better now. 

 

She's in an apartment and from what I know it's mostly vacant. Most of the people living there are the construction workers. Because of the pandemic, it's been hard to get out and socialize and meet people. It's the same situation all over the world. 

 

The Philippines has created a problem by not allowing people of certain ages to go places. They aren't solving anything by keeping people indoors. It's only adding to the problem. 

You can't just blame the Philippines. My wife is also there and the markets are open as well as the malls. Some places she is able to bring the kids and others (like SM) she is not. It seems your fiance's local government is pretty restrictive. I think overall the entire globe has over reacted to this so called pandemic.  Here is a pic from last week with my 2 boys in a store without a mask making friends with a worker there.

[Lyn84 9]

18 hours ago, NoMansLand2020 said:

Because of the quarantine restrictions in the Philippines, my fiancée has not been able to get to the grocery store since last March because she has two young children who are not able to accompany her to the stores and unfortunately there is not anyone who can watch them. 

 

Since that time, we have been using Streetby app and purchasing groceries from either Gaisano or Ororama. But we are growing more and more frustrated with each time we have to use this app. 

 

It's extremely out of date. The items you are purchasing have no photos and only a few words description. Many, many items are misspelled or abbreviated so searching for what you want is nearly impossible. Furthermore, many items are only able to be purchased by the kg. If you want small items like onions or bell peppers... Who wants a kg?? 

 

Even worse is that maybe only 50% of what you need is not on the app. We are talking things like eggs, or ground pork, ground beef, rice and many many other items. So you have to call the store after your initial order to add additional items. Even then, the store will tell you that many of the items you ordered are not available. 

 

You think there would be a better system. These apps seem like they were developed by elementary aged student and then never maintained. 

I have similar situation with your fiancee, it is me and my daughter alone, we do everything together since I got pregnant.  Except when her daddy came to visit us here in the Phils.  I have family issues and conflict with my parents, I asked something to help me with that I know they can but they just ignored me, they did not take me seriously, lied to me, thrown bad comments to me.  I was basically disappointed because I thought they would be there always for me to help me with whatever. It's about money issue. I have worked for 12 years but got nothing left in the end including the maternity assistance that I got from SSS. I gave everything to them as a family and when I got pregnant, my priorities have changed, was thinking of saving whatever I earned at work as a supervisor during my pregnancy but instead of helping me, they became the person who were just hiding from inside maybe bec I am with a foreigner. They asked for money from me which they never did, they only waited for me to send money to them, I always had a project for them every year and the last project was a car payable for 5 years which I had been paying for 4 years before I got pregnant. I am disappointed, I always thought they are different from the parents' of others.  They never visited me on my pregnancy, I can go on and on but in the end I chose to stay away and focus on my baby.  I am not with a foreigner bec I want to keep sending money to them.  With this experience, I realized that my parents don't know me. 

Since my bf went back to US, I use grab app to buy groceries online and order food when I like to like jollibee or mcdo etc for 3 months now, I use shoppe or lazada to buy her toys, new clothes and shoes.

You are right there are disadvantages when buying groceries online but I am like be okay with it because overall my experience is good, very convenient to me.  Everything now is online for me, I don't have money on hand, I use Gcash app to pay in 7-eleven.  They let children in but have to wear a mask.  My only worries is when I get my requirements for visa like police clearance and in doing medical exam, I have to bring my 2 year old daughter with me, been thinking of a good excuse when the time will come.

[flicks1998 1,044]

3 hours ago, Lyn84 said:

I have similar situation with your fiancee, it is me and my daughter alone, we do everything together since I got pregnant.  Except when her daddy came to visit us here in the Phils.  I have family issues and conflict with my parents, I asked something to help me with that I know they can but they just ignored me, they did not take me seriously, lied to me, thrown bad comments to me. 

This is another thing that drove me out of the Philippines after more than a decade.  This type of attitude is all too prevalent across families in the Philippines.  Not just families, but within friends, the workplace and on and on.  Crab mentality at its finest and I could write a book on that.  In alot of ways, Filipinos love to see their friends, acquaintances, and to some extend their family members fail. 

 

Did anything replace Honestbee when they stopped in the Philippines?  They use to work closely with Rustans in that 2015-2019 range.