I tried Checkers’ delivery app, Sixty60 -here’s how it went

While I consider myself a relatively digitally savvy person, apart from buying flight tickets (that won’t be happening anytime soon, hi to my new life of being more consistently broke than ever before), the occasional gift and a product that I really, really can’t find locally, I have to say I am more of “go and look and then buy kind of girl” when it comes to shopping.

Fast forward to lockdown regulations and because my paranoia is at an all-time high due to the Covid-19 peak in Gauteng, I opted to get the groceries via Checker’s Sixty60 app.

And, no I did not recently jump onto the bandwagon – I have actually been trying without success to get this right for about two months now.

After downloading the app a while ago, I tried repeatedly to order from the app but it kept kicking me out, asking for a password reset, which wouldn’t come despite having registered with their Xtra Savings Shopping Card.

Last month just when I thought I managed to get it all in order, the delivery schedule was way too far for me to make my purchase, saying the next available delivery in my area was only a week away.

FRUSTRATION.

Eventually, I registered again and made my purchases.

What I noticed is that I spent less money this time around on my groceries precisely because of my “go and look and then buy” mentality, and was able to look through my fridge and grocery cupboards (shame they were so bare) to see what exactly I needed as I was selecting from the grocery list.

The grocery list is also easy to navigate because it’s categorised according to various items such as frozen food, dairy, household, cheeses, bakery, quick meals, fresh produce, milk, butter and eggs, cold meats.

The item limit on the delivery of 30 items, is probably also what helped in sticking to exactly what was needed in my household. Upon making my purchases I was also given the option to either find replacement goods if items were out of stock or to be notified that they were out of stock. This is a big thing for me, after a previous experience when OneCart replaced items with things I could not eat and then I had to give those items away. (What a waste of money! And also, what a way to ruin the experience)

The payment part – which always makes me a little paranoid  – went like this:

The final amount of groceries is tallied up and the delivery fee added. In this case it was R35. (How much is a Covid test again?) Then a reserved amount is placed on your card which can either be a credit card or debit card for about R100 more than the final price. The difference is then reversed back in to your account.

I chose a delivery date for the next day and then received a message through the app notifying me that two items were out of stock – and what I liked is that I had the option to cancel the out of stock items.  The reserve amount was then readjusted.

Through the app you are able to track the entire process, from when your groceries are being selected to the time they arrive at your door.

The groceries arrived well packed and secure, with frozen items together, fresh produce together and dry items together in recyclable bags with all items there. *In Borat voice* GREAT SUCCESS

The items were also delivered during the stipulated times.

All in all, the experience, once I got it right, was seamless and easy, and this “go and look first, then buy girl” just might be changing her ways.

READ NEXT: How to accept deliveries safely as online shopping on all products resumes

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Farrah Saville is the managing editor: lifestyle for The Citizen, Parenty, All4Women and Living and Loving. She is passionate about issues affecting parents and mothers. In her downtime you can find her eating and eating some more while curling up with a good book. She’s focusing on raising a strong, independent child with good values but who’s also a little bit of a rebel.