You can buy food from various locations - grocery stores, convenience stores, discount stores, and restaurants. A quickly growing option for food shopping is the online marketplace. Although online grocery shopping has existed since the early 2000s, it is gaining momentum with more online options and technology in our everyday lives. Consumers are interested in or choosing online grocery shopping, but may not understand the benefits, drawbacks, or important considerations of buying food this way.

In response to this need, the Boyd County Extension Office hosted the workshop Be a Savvy Online Grocery Shopper for community members during the April Lunch and Learn. Emphasis was placed on understanding the benefits and drawbacks of online grocery shopping and how it can meet the personal and dietary needs of participants. 10 participated in the workshop. Participants were mostly part of the senior citizen demographic and unfamiliar with online grocery shopping.

Of those surveyed, 90 percent indicated they better understood the benefits of online grocery shopping and 100 percent indicated they understood the drawbacks of using online grocery shopping. Further, 90 percent expressed an increased understanding of how online grocery shopping fits into their lifestyle and meets their personal needs. 55 percent plan to compare online grocery retailers, while 75 percent plan to determine if online grocery shopping benefits them.

Comments from the participants were the following “Very Informative”, I better understand the benefits of online grocery shopping!”, “I have better understood the convenience of online grocery shopping.” And “After this program, I might try online grocery shopping!”.