<p> It’s no surprise that online grocery shopping is getting even bigger. AmazonFresh has recently expanded its services to parts of California, while Safeway and Walmart are already testing out grocery delivery services in various cities across the nation. How well do these convenient online services hold up against the tried-and-true method of scouring produce aisles for the best deals? Very well, as a matter of fact.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> According to the Wall Street Journal, online grocery shopping can save consumers money, as well as offer a shopping experience that can actually rival supermarkets. Six teams were recruited to conduct a U.S. supermarket sweep, buying the same 14 basic grocery items in online stores and at mid-priced supermarkets. The experiment showed that in some cities, online groceries were actually cheaper than or roughly equivalent to going to the supermarket, even with their delivery charges. For example, a Walmart online purchase in San Francisco cost about 10% less than at the Safeway supermarket. Not only that, but produce arrived on doorsteps with little delivery damage. If there was damage, these online retailers offer a no-questions-asked refund.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Sound too good to be true? Possibly. Many of these online grocers have minimum-order quotas, membership fees, or delivery charges that can range as high as $14.99 for same-day orders. Consider the consumer as well. Although online retailers offer the ease of price comparison across different stores, some shoppers may simply prefer going through the aisles and browsing, feeling the fresh produce in their hands before purchasing it. And because of the minimum-order quotas online, shoppers may feel pressured to buy more items in bulk rather than simply going into the store and picking out whatever they need.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Regardless, as these grocery delivery services become more popular and the competition gets fiercer, it’s likely that we’ll begin seeing more affordable prices and more availability around the nation. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304617404579304901729135002" target="_new"> Wall Street Journal </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
