After a busy day of chauffeuring kids to soccer practice, swimming lessons and piano recitals, sometimes that extra stop to pick up groceries is one too many. Which is why Save-On-Foods has brought its successful grocery pickup service to its Saanich Plaza location from the Mainland.
Shoppers preorder online, and, while waiting in a designated pick-up lane at the Saanich Plaza store, staff will bring the food to you.
The Saanich Plaza location is the first on the Island to do so.
“It’s not just what’s in the flyer, it’s everything in our store,” said store manager Lionel Gjerde. “There’s a lookup, so if you’re looking for a specific item, you just go to the lookup, you pick what you want, add it to your shopping cart and away you go.
“Pharmacy, bakery, deli – you name it, it’s all on the screen.”
Save-On-Foods currently offers its pickup service in Abbotsford, North Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, New Westminster, South Surrey and Langley. Gjerde said the Saanich Plaza location’s proximity made it an ideal spot to kickoff pickup service on the Island.
“It’s central, great parking, great access in and out with Vernon Avenue and Blanshard Street,” he said. “It just makes sense to be able to do your order online, drop in, pick it up and carry on.”
The service is free for orders of $40 or more. The store has converted two parking spaces into a pickup lane – shoppers just need to use the intercom when they arrive and staff will bring out their groceries.
Orders placed before noon can be picked up the same day after 4 p.m., with orders placed after noon ready the next day.
But Saanich Plaza won’t be alone for long with the pickup service – Gjerde said the Tillicum Save-On-Foods is about two or three weeks away from launching its own pickup service. He added that during the ordering process, customers can select which location is best for them to pick up their groceries.
“Even if you lived over by Tillicum, if our location is better because that’s where you’re going to be that day and you want to take it home or take it to a barbecue, then you can pick whatever location you want,” he said.
Gjerde said the service is convenient and ideal for anyone on the go, and can be customized to suit a variety of needs. He said orders can be placed for pickup at later dates, making the service handy when returning from a trip or vacation.
“When you come back from a vacation, you go home, what’s the first thing? You open up the fridge and it’s empty,” he said. “You can order in advance and put it on the calendar.
“There are lots of different ways to make it work for you.”
Save-On-Foods is located at 3510 Blanshard St. To use the pickup service or for more information, go to saveonfoods.com/shop/delivery-area-map.