A trip to the grocery store from SF State’s campus can take up valuable time and can end up being costly.

SF State students living on campus may have a disadvantage when it comes to grocery shopping. For those that start to perspire at just the thought of walking, the campus is located in an area that makes taking a trip by foot to a large grocery store out of the question.

Large companies like Safeway and Albertsons are giving their customers a convenient option by delivering groceries and offering online purchases. For SF State students this can mean a little more time for studying and less time traveling to and from the nearest grocery store.

“When I lived on campus I didn’t have a car, so it was very difficult to get groceries,” said former Centennial Village resident and psychology major Tiffany Hill.

She didn’t realize how far Safeway was from SF State’s campus. “I had an idea that Safeway was nearby but that’s when I was riding in a car.”

For a $9.95 fee, Albertsons will deliver groceries to the campus. Just about anything a student needs can be found on the grocery store Web sites. Safeway.com even delivers food from the deli. Frozen items such as pizza or ice cream, paper goods like toilet paper and feminine products are sold on both Web sites.

“I’ve been wanting to try grocery shopping online because me and my roommate literally don’t have time to do anything, even go get food,” said undeclared major Lisa Matthews.

There are limitations when shopping online. Groceries must be purchased using a debit or credit card. Safeway restricts shoppers by enforcing a $50 minimum purchase. Also, if a shopper purchases fruit or vegetables, the total price may differ from the amount reflected at the time of purchase.

Albertson’s requires purchases to be in by midnight for next-day delivery. Safeway gives their customers the benefit of same-day delivery as long as the order is in by 9 a.m.

“I hear a lot of customers talking about our online shopping services,” said Edward Lopez, a cashier at Safeway and a SF State business major. “If I lived on campus I probably would use the service. The only thing is that you get charged for delivery.”

Safeway.com customers can take advantage of free delivery on their first order. However, there is a delivery charge of $9.95 or $7.95 depending on the day of service for additional orders.

Albertson’s.com also deducts $10 off an order when a shopper refers friends or family to the Web site.
Special features are displayed online for grocery shoppers, who can also use coupons with their purchases. Both online stores provide transactions to take place using a designated discount card such as the preferred savings card for Albertsons customers and the club card for Safeway shoppers.

“I get a lot of San Francisco State students riding my bus going to Safeway,” said Muni driver Lynette Ritchie, who drives the 28 line. “Some of them hop right on my bus, pay their $1.25 fare and get dropped off on 19th and Taraval. By the time I make my next trip (back to 19th and Taraval) I see some of them again.”

For more information and to shop go to http://www.safeway.com or http://www.albertsons.com.