I opened an account at Alice.com just so I could do some comparison shopping of products and was a little disappointed. The idea of Alice.com of ordering online and having products delivered to your door is a great one. For me, there are a couple of problems with Alice.com. 1. I live in an apartment complex and am rarely home when UPS delivers in our area. My box of items would be delivered to our complex office. That is standard procedure when a tenant does not answer the door. So, when I get home I would walk up the steps to my apartment, discover the note from UPS, walk back down the steps and to the office to get my box. Then I would have to walk back and up the steps to my apartment. It ends up being more work for me than pulling into my parking spot, getting my grocery bags out of the car and carrying them up to my apt. For other people this may work out great, but for me it's more work than to just go and buy my groceries locally. 2. I live on Social Security. Every penny must be watched closely. I looked at a number of items that I purchase regularly and know what I pay for those items. A few examples. Dry spaghetti noodles on Alice.com were 1.36 for 16 oz with a coupon. I buy spaghetti in a 3 lb. package for about $2.50 at my local Wal Mart. 2 lbs of the spaghetti offered on Alice is more than the 3 lb. locally. Recently, a local grocery in my area was selling all shapes of pasta 3 1lb boxes for $2.00. Now, there may be something special about the brand sold on Alice that I couldn't discern from the information given. That particular brand is not sold in my part of the country. Charmin toilet paper, I buy the ultra soft in a 12 roll mega size for roughly what the 6 roll of the same item is on Alice. The fabric softener I've started using and like very much, Purex Crystals, is not offered on Alice. Cascade Complete diswasher tablets are about half locally compared to Alice. The same is true of 20 Mule Team Borax. There are many other items that are anywhere from half the price locally to just a dollar or so less locally. Other items that I use and would not change are not even available on Alice.com My grocers and Wal Mart are about a ten minute drive away. I shop with a list and rarely spend more than an hour actually shopping. I can spare an hour and twenty minutes a couple times a month to shop for groceries. As you can see, for me, Alice.com just cannot compete with my local Wal Mart and other grocers I use. I live in the midwest where prices may be somewhat less expensive than other parts of the country. So, for some the prices and convenience offered by Alice.com may be more in line with your local prices and living circumstances. I gave Alice.com three stars only because it just isn't really a viable alternative for me. For other people it may be great.

tweh143585

Cedar Rapids, IA

I first learned about Alice from [Clark Howard's][1] TV show.  According to Clark, Alice was founded to encourage people to buy name brand grocery items.  Evidently, in light of the current economic situation, people are buying more and more store brands to save money.  The founders of Alice aim to change that, and they're doing an excellent job. Okay, so what exactly is Alice?  Alice is a way to buy groceries and household items from the comfort of your home.  The prices are very good, and the **shipping is always free on all orders** (You will get your order in 2-3 business days from the time you place it).  In addition, Alice finds any coupons available for products, shows them to you in the product listings, and automatically applies them when you purchase the product.  Some examples of product categories available on Alice are: toothpaste, deodorant, paper towel, household cleaners, shampoo, breakfast bars, cereal, aspirin, coffee, crackers, laundry detergent, vitamins, and sunscreen. When you sign up for Alice, you tell the site who is in your household (how many adults and children).  You will then have the opportunity to select the product categories that are available on your products page.  Clicking on a product category will lead to listing of all products available in that category.  You can click on any of the products to give you more information about that product, including a larger picture, a product description, coupon information, prices for the same product at other locations, and reviews from site members, if available.  When you add a product to your shopping cart, you are given the option of having the site remind you to reorder the product at whatever interval you choose. Alice is a phenominal web site.  I have done some comparison shopping and have found a number of cases where Alice's price is equal to, or better than, what I can get locally.  The navigation of the site is not the best, but I have always been able to find what I want.  Sometimes, the product selection is a little bit limited, but then again, I have also seen brands that are hard to find locally, such as [Caribou Coffee granola bars][2] .  My only real complaint about the site is that nutritional information is not available for all food products, but from what I have seen, ingredient lists are.  It is important to note that Alice is still in beta, so it's not a finished product, and it's only going to get better from here. I highly recommend that you give Alice a try.  I would also like to request that you please use my referral link when signing up for the site (www.alice.com/referral/792118BA).  If you use that link, you will get a $10 credit to your account once you spend $50 on the site, and I will get 3% of all of your purchases for one year.  It's a win-win proposition. [1]: http://www.viewpoints.com/Clark-Howard-review-ce56 [2]: http://www.viewpoints.com/Caribou-Coffee-Chocolate-Mocha-Granola-Bars-review-b6465

JazzSinger

Lafayette, LA

Alice.com is GREAT! It takes the hassle out of grocery shopping. How many times do you go to the gorcery store, walk from one end to the other, get to the checkout, and realize you forgot something. I can't tell you how many times I go in with a list but get from side A to side B and realize the one thing I'm looking for is back on side A where I came in. Alice.com eliminates that problem! You can see everything with a simple click, you don't have to trek all over for a pack of paper towels, and you don't pay any more than you do when you do your regular shopping. The free shipping is just the icing on the cake! Alice.com also offers some grocery items, like coffee and teas and even dog food. I'm beginning to think I may never have to brave another Wal-Mart again!

meaganwhite

Millsboro, DE

I became a member of Alice.com about a year ago and began ordering immediately. The site was fairly new at the time and I was really excited to find out more about it and use something so convenient. I was so excited that I could order the general household item's that I needed and they would be shipped overnight to my home for free. The site also offer's the use of pre-loaded coupon's so for the most part items were significantly cheaper on this site than they would be in the store and I didn't have to waste time going to the store and end up forgetting something. The prices on this site have risen since I originally became a member. I am not sure of the reason for the price increases, however I have mostly stopped ordering. I think that this site is amazing and offer's a great service, I just can't justify paying more for an item that I can go to the store and get just as easily. The money saving is more important to me at this point than the time saving benefit it provides. 

lisama1979

Covington, IN

Alice.com is becoming more and more popular. Online shoppers love their free shipping (the only condition is you have to have 6 items or more in the cart), coupon deals (go to the other ways to shop column in the right upper corner) and a good selection of organics. I love Alice and have purchased from them several times.  Every once in a while they also offer their gift certificates with a discount. Let's say, you can buy a 100 buck gift card for 85. That's not bad at all. Bottom line: very convenient and easy to shop

TankaWanka

Winthrop, MA

Lots of things on Alice you can find at your local Wal-mart.  The prices usually are pretty close to my local stores prices, so it isn't worth the wait.  Other times, I can find AMAZING deals on products.  I stock up on items like Tide Stain Release because the price is always much cheaper than what I can find in store.  The also carry several green and oragnic products that I can't find anywhere else.

randcbruns

Iliff, CO

Of all the social and technological advances in the past decade, perhaps the most amazing is the ability for online shoppers to order groceries from the safety and convenience of home.  This has made life easier for a lot of people -- in fact, it has been a real lifesaver, literally speaking.  There was a time when a person who couldn't get to the grocery store or have someone else bring back the necessary provisions could literally die of starvation!  That is precisely what happened to some senior citizens or other vulnerable people who lived alone especially in neighborhoods where grocery shopping venues were limited or non-existent. A lot of us already have reveled in the wonders of [Peapod][1] -- or other online grocery order services -- but not everyone is lucky enough to live in an area serviced by them.  The great news is that now almost everyone has ***Alice.com*** to look after them.  **Alice Tries Harder** ***Alice.com*** can only supply grocery items which can be safely mailed through UPS.  If you are hunkering for ribeye steaks, baking potatoes, sour cream, fresh asparagus, salad fixings, fresh strawberries and a pint of ice cream -- well then,** Alice can't help you**.  The guys who run ***Alice.com*** apparently have realized this limitation and compensated for it brilliantly by developing fantastic inventories of the products they **CAN** provide.  You will probably never find a better selection of tea or coffee (or other fine non-perishables) along with the peace and privacy to actually study the products without someone behind you yelling "**BEEP-BEEP!**" and trying to negotiate their cart around yours in a narrow aisle. ***Alice.com*** provides certain items which most of the stores (and even Peapod) have given up on -- i.e., those wonderful Hefty "Baggies", especially the "Jumbo" 2-1/2 gallon bags which hardly anyone carries at all ... but ***Alice.com*** had them and for a competitive price.  ***Alice*** tries harder, concentrating on great bargains, automatic coupons, and always free shipping on orders which arrive in one or two business days.  (There have been times when I stocked up at Dominick's and it took almost one to two business days just to "schlep" the stuff home on foot!) **KNOWLEDGE IS POWER:** One "con" is that all orders seem to be shipped in the same size boxes.  As a new customer, I started off with two small orders.  (The second one was extra stuff I had forgot to include on the first one from the day before.)  I had assumed that small orders would be sent in small boxes but everything appears to be mailed in lovely, sturdy big boxes which in my case were mostly filled with inflatable "fillers" to protect the contents.  This resulted in packaging overkill and a bigger carbon footprint than should have been necessary for what I ordered but from now on I will plan better with bigger orders which result in more efficient use of box space and packing materials. **MY VIEWPOINT:** ***Alice.com*** is relatively new and they are trying harder.  I predict a big future for them.  Factor in the high cost of gas, crowded stores, inflated prices, the parking space crisis, road rage, busy people who don't have much time to shop and that old standby -- people who just think grocery shopping really sucks -- and suddenly online shopping seems like one of those things someone should have thought of a long time ago.  Indeed, ***Alice.com*** and other grocery shopping services may help to constitute a social revolution which makes it easier for older people to remain independent and in their own homes longer.  That would be a plus for all of us.     [1]: http://www.viewpoints.com/Peapod-com-review-a5402

AnnaBanana

Oak Park, IL

Yes, I am in love with this company. Again, I had a money-saving purchase: (Alice vs Drugstore.com & Walgreens) Speed Stick Deodorant $2.89 vs $2.99 - Dr Scholl's Sole Expression Insole 3 pack $10.49 vx $12.49 - Always Ultra Thins Wings $2.75 vs $3.79 - Secret Advanced Solid $2.59 vs $8.99 - Stridex Maximum Pads $3.56 vs $5.99 - **TOTAL with tax $27.40 vs $40.24**!!!! Of course, many of these things aren't available at my local Walgreens, nor if they were, not at these great prices. There are something I won't buy through Alice, like asprins because they're cheaper buying at the store. I did some research on this company. I think I got this right: Instead of buying goods from manufacturers and wholesalers, they are a place for manufacturers to sell their goods. Alice doesn't dictate how to price the products, the manufacturers do. Alice makes money by charging the manufacturers according to product placement on the site. Give the site a look. They'll pony up $10 off $50 for being new. Shipping is always free.

CocoCee

San Francisco, CA

I have used Alice.com several times and am always amazed at the speed of delivery and the order accuracy.  It helps those of us on a budget that the shipping on the site is free.  I save monthly when dealing with Alice.com.

gabby777

Cleveland, OH

Normally I would not think of buying everyday products online. However, one day someone sent me a link to Alice. I checked it out and made an order. I do not live close to a grocery store, and can only buy a few things at a time. Buying big jugs of laundry soap is incovenient as I have to lug them home on the bus. With Alice.com, I can order the products I need and they are delivered to my doorstep! There is no shipping and handling and most items have coupons. The coupons covered the price of the sales tax. Alice is a lifesaver for me! Also, tons of items to pick from.

diane249

Saint Paul, MN