Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping is a problem for a lot of people, whether they have limited mobility, a visual impairment, or just lack transportation.

If you can get to the grocery store and don't have your own wheels, shop at a grocery store that loans out motorized carts with a seat and large shopping basket. You may also request a store employee to walk around with you to reach items, and persons who are blind or visually impaired may get assistance locating their groceries.

If going grocery shopping for yourself is not an option, check into services at your local grocery store. Some Mom & Pop stores still shop and deliver to folks who are elderly or disabled. Find out what your store offers. Another great option is recruiting someone from your neighborhood. Call a high school or college employment office to place an ad. This is easy money for a responsible kid and the two of you will get better acquainted so he or she will learn your preferences thoroughly. Shopping services in your local phone directory are another option, but professional services can be expensive and groceries are expensive enough.

However, it's nice to have on-line shopping when you need it. Peapod delivers a minimum order of $50. If you own a computer, point your browser to: www. peapod.com and select all your groceries from home. Peapod will deliver them to your door If you live in or around Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco or San Jose. For orders over $100.00 the delivery fee is $4.95; For orders between $75.00 and $100.00 the delivery fee is $7.95, and for orders less than $75.00 the delivery fee is $9.95.

Here's another: www.netgrocer.com. No membership or monthly fees, $2.99 for the first 10 pounds and 99 cents for each additional 10 pounds pays for delivery via Federal Express. Orders of $75 or more are delivered free. You pay only for the groceries—there are no other charges whatsoever but Netgrocer only delivers non-perishables. It's a good service for stocking up on everything from laundry detergent to soda pop and cans, boxes, and bottles. Call them at 888-638-4762.

Resource for Blind or Visually-impaired Shoppers
A UPC label identifier makes shopping easier or even possible for persons with vision loss. Weighing less than 2 pounds, the I.D. Mate II™ by En-Vision America, Inc. uses bar codes to locate and identify products at stores. It scans from any direction as the user rotates the item, and it comes with a very large database that can be expanded to your needs. Use the I.D. Mate II™ to record memos or read labels you create for items at home, work, or in the marketplace. Battery operated, approximately $1560.00. Whoever imagined bar codes would facilitate assistive technology? For complete product information, visit http://www.envisionamerica.com/idmateIILearn.htm

Note Teller by Brytech, Inc. is a small, pocket-sized, talking scanner that announces denominations of paper currency, so you can be sure you're giving and receiving the correct amounts. Older Note Tellers are upgradeable to recognize newer notes. The new, improved Note Teller2 includes a standard headphone jack for privacy. Brytech also offers a Canadian Note Reader and a Universal Bank Note Reader to read foreign currencies. The Universal Bank Note Reader is probably the best choice, as U.S. paper currency is being reissued with color and size variances, to be identifiable by BVI. Go to http://www.brytech.com or call 1(800) 263-4095.