With snow in the forecast for the Cincinnati area, you know what thousands of Tri-Staters will be doing Thursday night and Friday: heading out to to grab milk, bread, scrapers and ice melters.
Don't forget about that 6-pack of beer, one of the biggest sellers before any storm.
For generations, we ran out to hardware and grocery stores for our pre-storm necessities, but that's so 2017. In 2018, there's an app for that.
No need to leave your couch
That's right, thanks toAmazon Prime,you can now order everything you need from your laptop or phone in the comfort of your kitchen.
You can also order delivery fromMeijer, through its Shipt program or request store pickup from Kroger or Walmart, so you don't have to stand in line.
But one caution: You will pay for the privilege of "free" delivery.
Some examples we found on Amazon Prime:
- Shovel: You can purchase snow shovels as low as $23 on Amazon. But Prime members can have one delivered to your door in 24 hours, for $31.
- Ice melt: 10 bucks gets you a bag at the store, but for $21 you can have a jug of "Pet Paws" safe melter delivered to your door Friday.
- Scraper: A "Snow Moover" ice scraper is $21 at Amazon, but $23 if you want it tomorrow. Again, wanting it before the storm is going to cost you more.
So it's $75 for the essentials, through Amazon Prime.
If you have the Amazon Prime Now app you can order milk for $4.59 (hey this isn't Kroger, where it's $1.99), a loaf of Wonder Bread for $2.79 and a 12-pack of Corona beer for $15.
Add $5 for Amazon Now's shipping fee, and your food total is $22.
Don't expect a bargain
The grand total: Almost $100 for scraper, ice melt, shovel, and just a few basics. It's all about convenience, and convenience is not free.
But if you don't mind paying double what Kroger charges for milk, bread and ice melter, you don't have to go out and fight the crowds.
A more affordable alternate is to use Kroger's Click List, where you should find in-store prices lower (such as $1.99 for a gallon of milk). Though with Kroger you will have to get up off the couch and drive to the store, and Click List pickup times are likely to fill fast as the storm approaches.
As always, don't waste your money.
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