Delivery!

In the spirit of trying new things before I go, today I crossed another new thing off the list.  All year long I'd been hearing Andrea speak of how the grocery store delivers.  You go and shop and then they bring it to your apartment.  For me, since I don't have a car, bringing groceries home is the hardest part.

I'd tried several different approaches.  Early on I would walk to the grocery store with a backpack and several bags, load up and then walk home.  Between the heat and the weight it was torture.

Then I tried the walk to the store and taxi home approach.  This one still isn't too bad.  The grocery store is only a R$5 (USD$2.50) ride from my apartment but you still have to get the cart downstairs, fill it up, bring it up the elevator and then bring it back down.

My grocery delivery intimidation was tied directly to my spoken Portuguese.  Today I as filled my cart and realized that the taxi ride would be cheap but getting everything into my apartment would be a pain, I decided to take the leap.  My purchases included laundry detergent, 2 bottles of milk, DC and the other usual items.  The weight was a big factor in my decision. 

Oh my goodness.  Delivery.  It's heaven. 

I was a little nervous getting up to the counter.  I knew the correct words but would they understand?  I asked, "Do you deliver?"  The cashier said yes, shouted over to a bagger who came to my check-out lane.  The two started joking a little bit and at first I thought it was related to my Portuguese.  Another sentence into their conversation and I realized the bagger was teasing the cashier's pronounciation of the word delivery.  Apparently since the cashier lived in Rio, his pronouncation is different.  Yep readers, I understood all of that in Portuguese.  Yay me!

As I stood in line and the cashier rang up my items, the bagger (which is not the norm) put my items into two large plastic crates (think milk crates on steriods).  After I checked out, I went over to a nearby counter, filled out my name, apartment number and telephone.  The bagger completed a few more steps and then I was off.  I walked home having faith that this would all work out but also guessing, there could be some gringa adventure involved.

I was home for about 20 minutes later, my apartment phone (think intercom) rang.  My portero said, "Delivery?"  I replied, "Sim."  And a few minutes later, two men appeared at my kitchen door.  They unloaded the two crates onto my counter and left.  No tipping needed as that's not a part of the culture in Brasil.

No problems.  All of my groceries arrived.  Putting things away has never been easier and it was just perfect.   So glad I tried it, cuz once you go delivery, you never go back!  I heart delivery.