Less errands, more quality time
It took maybe three or more people from my inner circle to convince me to try honestbee, an online grocery and food delivery service. There were sparse testimonials here and there from others, but a skeptic like myself, I doubted the efficiency of the app—especially for groceries. And also because I like doing everything myself.
On weekends, I do errands, like groceries, because when else can one do it other than Saturday or Sunday? So, picture this: for those of us without an army of help, you reserve one whole day of the weekend for family time and the other for cleaning, doing groceries, walking the dog for more than 15 minutes, paying the bills, washing the car, etc. and end up feeling so tired Monday morning. #WhatWeekend
So one particular week of countless meetings, decks and stories to write, I decided to sign up for honestbee and do my groceries through it. Besides, if it sucked, I can always give it a low rating and delete my account.
What is it?
Honestbee is actually a Singaporean company that operates an online grocery and food delivery service, as well as a B2B parcel delivery service. You select from their partner establishments, order through the mobile app or website and have everything delivered right at your doorstep.
Here’s what I did
Click on Groceries (or the service you want to try) and choose which establishment you want to shop from; in my case, I chose Robinsons Supermarket because it's free delivery; I only had to pay the concierge fee. Select from the categories or enter the item you want to buy, how many pieces and checkout.
Enter details, choose what time you want your groceries delivered and place order. Do opt for COD, which makes it relatively easier for you to compute the adjusted total (you know, in case you’re the type) when items you want are out of stock. Though if you’re brand-agnostic, the honestbee shopper will offer a list of substitutes to which you have to reply to in five minutes otherwise they will proceed to checkout—without buying the substitutes of course.
The experience
My groceries came just in time, the delivery guy was ready with change and quality was fairly okay—except for the pineapple that seemed overripe. But surely, I wouldn’t have been able to tell myself just by looking at the outside. Sure, there were some items missing but not (and never) more than five.
Meanwhile, as I await the groceries, I was able to either clean around the house or play with my son longer before nap time. So I would say, hell yeah, I’ve a few hours of my weekend back to do more of the things I need or want to do. And now that honestbee has announced its partnership with S&R Membership Shopping—open to non-members and members alike—I’ve more options for fresh produce and international selections. And yes, honestbee delivers S&R’s fam-favorite meals, too: pizza, chicken and gasp! the churros.
Now if only there were more decent cleaning services to choose from…
Download the honestbee app for free on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. First-time users can enjoy P500 off with a minimum purchase of P2500. S&R non-members will be charged a non-member's fee on total bill.
Art Alexandra Lara.
