Household Shopping get an Online Makeover

It's pretty crazy what you can do on the internet. You can track down everyone you've ever met on Facebook, order shoes/plane tickets/pizza, learn about news updated faster than any other media, watch movies, balance a checkbook, research anything...

Well, this week, I learned how easy shopping for supplies can be on the internet.

I'm all about online shopping - eBay, Craig's List, Amazon, Etsy, Zappos, Ticketmaster, whatever. But I never had explored buying household goods.

I'd heard of buying bulk dry goods and whatnot through Amazon, but it all seemed a little odd to me. I don't buy a lot of food in bulk (single gal, single gal sized apartment), plus I'd still need to go to the grocery store for perishable items.

Recently though, I started hearing a lot of good things about Alice.com, an online household good retailer, which bills itself like so:

"Tired of carrying that load of household goods out to the car? Alice helps eliminate the chore and avoid impulse store purchases to boot. Set up Alice and we deliver just what you need, when you need it. It’s time to take household shopping off your to-do list."

Basically, you sign up for a free acount and make a list of things you normally buy (Johnson & Johnson dental floss, Puff tissues, Pledge cleaning wipes, etc). Items are comparably price to the drugstores or grocery stores (at least compared to mine), and there are also various online coupons available that are automatically applied.

As you select items, Alice asks how often you go through an item in order to remind you to order more at a later date (I'll be reminded to order more Aquafresh in 6 weeks). Package up your order and it ships to you within 2-3 days (free shipping).



The idea is that by planning ahead and not being tempted by impulse buys, you can save both time and money. And if you're really into saving money, your free acount includes all sort of charts and graphs that break down your spending history. As far as time goes, I'll still be making trips to the grocery store, but I won't be loaded down with as many items (that single gal apartment's a walk-up with street parking).

Plus, as a bonus, the design and interface is amazing! The drag-and-drop products to shopping cart is just cool, but all the tabs and windows of info are useful, not busy.

I received my first shipment today and already even used my new dental floss. So far, so good.