I do both and I get to enjoy shopping when the grocery stores aren't packed.

I don't order household essentials on line. I shop at Stop and Shop where I get points toward gas. However, Shell is the participating station and their prices are always much higher. So, I only use my points when I have sat least 30 cents off per gallon and it lower than competing stations.

I buy bulk items at Costco. I know that sometimes you can get better values in other places, but we find it is worth it because we do buy big ticket items at least once a year.

I have to admit, I am not the best shopper. If you asked me how much eggs are or even milk, I really couldn't tell you. I budget myself in what I spend for per trip. I'm not going to wait for the sale on grapes if I feel like grapes! So, it is less stressful for me to not keep track of prices.

I do both . I buy all groceries and household items locally usually Kroger for the gas points and discounts for seniors. My neighbor started getting her large bags of dogfood online because it's actually cheaper has free shipping and the delivery guy carries it right to her back gate . She is a small lady so it's a win win for her.

I have been buying a lot of new stuff for the house lately online . It's just so easy and I try to get free shipping as much as possible . Especially for large heavy items so nice not to have to deal with it.

I just decided to price compare the Iams dog food I've been buying at Kroger. Just found it online at Walmart $10.00 cheaper. Ordered 2 bags so I got free shipping.

I'd like info on Iams Paw...is it a high quality food? Tasty? Ect...

It depends upon a lot of factors, including availability, price, familiarity with the product I'm ordering and ease of return. Also, if I need to be concerned with the expiration date, you cannot check that for online orders.

I shop local independent business when available, even if they might cost a little more. If a business has both online and local outlets, some stores will match their lower online prices in the store (Staples); others will not (Barnes & Nobel).

I only shop at brick and mortar stores - I hate on-line shopping. I am also an expiry date checker - have to be where I live in Ontario. I have seen a lot of past expiry dates - at full price - and in stores where you would not expect it.

With just the two of us and the dog we can only go through so much. We do not buy the huge bags of food for our 25 lb. dog due to the length of time it would take him to go through it (as long as we keep it beyond his incredible reach - he can seriously jump). He also gains weight easily and eats a rich food made in the U.S., but which is considerably more expensive in Canada. But it has never been made in China. His treats etc. are holistic - obviously only the best for him.

We live in the land of bagged milk - which I hate with a passion (the bag not the milk) and only buy it when forced to. Nothing like having a bag of milk explode all over you with a white dog at your feet, while wearing a white housecoat and hovering over a white sink. I buy organic milk for me and regular for my husband (I have food issues). But bagged milk is cheaper.

I do try and buy items on sale - but knowing the regular price does help. Unfortunately, it is often hard to find antibiotic free meat on sale.

I do try and limit how frequently we use the car. Gas prices are higher in Toronto plus there are the lunatics on the road to consider. Winter weather will not help.

I have never bought food items online. Only online things I get, I have my daughter order for me, things like a food processor or some toys and such.

Sue

I buy specialty food items online if they're tough to source locally. I shop at a wide variety of places and have been lagging in my gas points at Giant since a Wegmans opened up nearby.

Love that place!

I do a lot of shopping online. Amazon Prime is always good. Walmart has a bigger selection, and better pricing. Still go to the grocery store for other things. Ordered my bird's TOP pellets from Amazon -- can't find them in stores. He seems to like them.

Walmart's prices for bath and laundry are really good. I just hate going there.

Mama, I'm not sure if Iams is considered high quality anymore. It's probably a step above dog chow. There's so many dog foods on the market now, I don't know what's what.

It does taste pretty good. It makes a good meal when served with a side dish of mashed potatoes & gravy & corn.

I shop Costco for gasoline, bathroom tissue, cheese, almond milk and berries, Target for cereal (Wal-mart is cheaper, but often out of stock), Trader Joe's for most groceries and online for almost everything else.

When remodeling a house....I buy ALL the light fixtures, faucets and towel bars online. Home depot maybe has a few things I ship to the store for free. Groceries and pet food are all local. Running shoes...online.

Groceries and Household Supplies: Costco about every six weeks; local grocers in between.

We're old. Other than a few new duds once in a while, we already have what we need.

I've ordered things for the Maui condo online; big ticket items from Lowe's because they'll service them if needed.

I'm in Canada and I rarely buy online. We just don't get the deals like you guys do in the US. Rarely can we get free shipping, it's a pain.

I buy household staples, groceries and jeans and basic tees at regular stores. DH buys his tees and jeans through Duluth online.

I shop Target and Walmart for household essentials and local grocers for fresh food.

Like Nicole most of my remodeling or replacement fixtures are purchased online. A lot of things I purchase online due to California's overly stringent regulations. I recently needed an incandescent ceiling fixture. They are not available here so online it was. Before the trans fat ban went federal I bought my shortening online allowing me to continue making my good tasting, non greasy, heat stable, buttercream for a few years past California's ban. I buy plastic t bags through Amazon to carry my groceries home in. I refuse to pay 25 cents for a plastic bag at the store and I find bring your own cloth bags inconvenient. Plus I reuse the t bags for lining my trash, poop bags, travel and dozens of other uses. Cehapest way to get them is online at about 2 1/2 cents a bag.

I like the ease of researching products online for both quality and price. Returns are always easy through Amazon. I buy things like hearing aid batteries, my shampoo and conditioner and some pet supplies online. I bought my bike online, my equestrian riding helmet and boots online. The first major purchase I ever made online was my gas range. Had it shipped from a warehouse in Pennsylvania.

I don't mind going into appliance stores and big box home improvement stores. I despise mall shopping or shopping for clothes. If Amazon has it I usually get it there.

We're remodeling our kitchen. Everything right down to the last pull and including the sink has been purchased online other than the cabinets. All the cabinet bells and whistles were purchased online. I will shop local appliance stores for Black Friday deals on a new dishwasher, wall oven and fridge. Also using a local guy for counter tops since DH doesn't want to do them. Actually the dishwasher will be paid for with rewards gift cards from buying all the other stuff.

Most of my shopping is for food stuffs. I prefer to see food items that i buy, therefore, its a store building for me. There is a grocery store that's about 3/8 mile from my house. I use that as a reason to walk when I need a few items, and then the load on the way back becomes my walking weights.

mamapinky0, I used to consult with PetSmart and became very familiar with a lot of the pet food brands. I used to think that basically pet food is pet food and they're required to have adequate nutrition but experience with my pets and education taught me otherwise and was quite a surprise and eye-opener. For your question, Iams is WAY above Purina Dog Chow. There's no comparison. Purina's competition for Iams is PurinaONE (and it's FAR superior to Dog Chow), and some others would be Wellness, Dog chow is cheap and it's because of the ingredients. I just took a look to see if there's been a change and there hasn't that I noticed in my cursory look. The #1 ingredient in Dog Chow is still "whole grain corn" while the #1 ingredient in Iams is "chicken". Dogs are carnivores, not vegetarians. They need and want meat and meat proteins. I used to feed my cats Eukanuba which is Iams' sister brand (a competitor for such brands as Science Diet, Royal Canin, etc). Dog Chow is a grocery store line of food, Iams is a "premium" food and Eukanuba is a "super premium" line. You pay more to get better ingredients. I learned a lot there. Especially how certain manufacturers use what's known as "ingredient splitting" in the low-grade foods. Ingredient splitting is when they divide up the ingredients so there isn't as much in the percentages and they can rearrange the ingredient lineup. This is often done on foods containing rice. They'll split it into different rice names. Sneaky.

For the original question, I do both but mostly brick & mortar. When I had pets I thought about having food and cat litter delivered since it got very difficult for me to handle it. Never did on the pet supplies. This time of year though, I'll buy more online to avoid the crowds and nutcases in the stores. Plus sometimes I can get better deals online. How I decide? Mood for one thing. Need is another. If I need it now, I need to get it now. Price is a consideration. Distance to the store/cost of getting it is factored in. Whether I feel like fighting a crowd or not. How I'm feeling. If I'm too stiff or sore to go out, I don't. Availability is another. I get really frustrated when I go to a store and they don't have what I want/need. So there's no simple answer or formula. It varies.

I seldom buy online. Over the course of a few years there has been some online groceries deliver companies but they don't do well at all. People like to see and feel the food before buying it. I know I shop price, and if I'm at the store and see a cheaper brand of canned tomatoes I'll buy that one.

Just recently our LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) has ventured into online shopping. You pick out what you want and Canad Post will deliver it to your home, office, cottage etc for $12, as long as you spend $50. I'll drive to the liquor store and save the $12. Recently our provincial government has allowed some grocery stores to sell wine. Funny, because the one grocery store and the LCBO share the same parking lot, across from one another.