Last night I picked up groceries at Aldi via Instacart.  The total was $38, and variables are now at 74%.

I will do this again, but this experience was a bit rocky.  The communication was not good.  When I was notified that my order was ready, I notified the shopper via the app that I was on the way.  Aldi is 15-20 minutes away.  The shopper seemed to think I was telling her I was already there and I got a notification that she was looking for me.  Then she called me, and told her I would be there in two minutes.  When I got there ... crickets.   Nobody around but regular shoppers.  Now, I parked in the wrong place, because it was dark and couldn't see the signs, and that was my fault, but I was watching the door, and no one was coming out with a big load of groceries.

I tried calling the shopper, but for some weird reason the call went to MY OWN PHONE, which was not helpful.  It wasn't a fluke, I tried this numerous times and even left voice mail on my own phone.  Finally she came out, when I was starting to believe that I must have accidentally placed the order at the wrong Aldi.

The other thing that was a bit awkward was that the groceries were packed in rather short paper bags without handles.  I had to transfer them to my own totes so that I could carry them upstairs.

Next time I will park in the right place and I will not notify the shopper until I am there.  The "on the way" button doesn't seem to work right, and the "call the associate" button DEFINATELY does not work right.

I was lucky when I got home that there was a parking place not too far away from my door.  I was also lucky I could park on the right side of the street, so I won't get a ticket from the street sweepers.  Later today I will have to move my car to the other side.  I will take the opportunity to drive to the library and return some books, and get some new ones.  I should be able to do this with no contact.

We are forging ahead with our pared-down Thanksgiving plans.  I will bring some deviled eggs.  But we are taking health guidelines seriously.  Most of the meal will be prepared food from a restaurant.   We will eat separately, by household, and wear masks at all other times.  We will socially distance, and I know I will wash my hands constantly.  I am hoping hard that we will not add to the problems the country is currently experiencing.