Shopping for Groceries
Doing your own grocery shopping can increase your confidence and independence. Knowing that you can provide for yourself and your family builds self-esteem, and it’s also a good way to live economically. Eating out can be expensive, so shopping for groceries in person, by phone, or online helps to reduce costs. It also expands your food choices and lets you prepare the kind of meals you want. The following techniques can help you get started.
Shopping in Person
General tips
Interacting with customer service staff when you’re shopping in person is a good way to expand social confidence. Asking for staff assistance can also help you get accustomed to:
- the products in the store and what you’d like to try
- asking for the products you want
- ensuring that what you ask for is what you get
If you are learning about food preparation, doing your own shopping is an excellent way to develop food and cooking concepts. For example:
- What do various fruits and vegetables actually look and feel like?
- How do you determine the quality of the produce you want to buy?
- What products and packaging options are available?
- Which foods and products are best for your diet, but also easy to prepare?
Access and Navigation
- Shopping in smaller stores makes it easier to get a sense of the store layout and where things are. The staff will also get to know you more quickly.
- Some shopping assistants are more experienced and knowledgeable than others. The more you know about what you want and where it is, the more successful your shopping experience will be.
- If you’re exploring a store for the first time, ask a sighted assistant to accompany you. If you have an Orientation and Mobility instructor, you can ask for a lesson on navigating your local grocery. The instructor can record the layout to give you a sense of the products in different aisles and departments. If someone else is assisting you, take your own recorder or note-taker. The recording can also serve as a "product catalogue" of what’s available in the store.
- Start by going around the perimeter of the store.
- Once you’ve explored the perimeter, explore the rest of the store using a grid pattern to navigate back and forth along the aisles.
- Design your shopping list according to the geography of the store. This makes it easier for your assistant to locate what you need.
- As you’re navigating the store, develop your sense of touch, smell and hearing. Notice the different smells. Notice the sounds of freezers, refrigerators and other machines. Can you hear where the cash registers are? In larger supermarkets, you can sometimes test your taste through free product samples.
- If you use portable vision aids, bring them with you to help read store signs and packaging labels.
Budget Considerations
- Most stores put out weekly fliers. If you can access the Internet, you’ll find many of these fliers online. Use them to find sale items as well as information on good seasonal buys.
- Although shopping in smaller stores is easier, the prices are often higher. Supermarkets purchase their products in large quantities and can therefore offer lower prices. However, not all supermarkets are the same in terms of pricing. Ask around to find out which ones are cheaper.
- Consider shopping for certain items at your local store and making larger purchases at a supermarket. Ask someone with a car to go with you to the supermarket or share a cab with a friend.
- Buying items in bulk is usually more economical than buying smaller packages.
Spend some time talking about ideas for nutrition and meal planning with others. Ask your Daily Living Skills instructor for advice on food categories, prepackaged foods, and fat-free low carbohydrate options. For more information, visit the pages Meal Preparation, Nutritious Recipes and Accessing Recipes on our site.
Shopping Online or by Phone
Here are a few services in the Toronto area that offer online grocery shopping. You can also buy cleaning supplies and other household products through these sites. Expect to pay a fee for delivery. The product prices may also be higher than in your local store. However, home delivery is a good option in winter when it’s more difficult to shop in person.
- For quality food products from the Longo’s grocery store chain, check out the Grocery Gateway website. Orders can be placed online or by phone, and groceries are delivered to your home. The minimum order is $45 (excluding taxes) and the delivery charge is $9.95. This website also has a section on ideas for eating well.
- If you’re on a low carbohydrate diet, check out the website of the Toronto store The Low Carb Grocery. The delivery charge is $7.99 for orders up to $100. Delivery is free for orders over $100 and up to 10 kg. There is an additional charge of $.75 for each additional kilogram. Deliveries are made through Canada Post’s parcel delivery service.