Thrifty Foods is proud to offer Sendial service in the communities where we do business. The Program started in 1987 and over its many years of operation, has helped thousands of appreciative customers. With many touch points, coupled with the large variety of today’s food offerings, we will do our very best to accurately take and shop your items and preferences. Understanding this information will help ensure the service is successful for everyone.
Accordian Description
Accordion Section
Sendial is a shopping and home delivery service for individuals or couples with a medical condition, an age related frailty, a permanent or temporary disability preventing them from shopping in-store without assistance. Examples include physical mobility issues such as difficulty walking, going up and down steps, or standing; cognitive limitations and vision impairment.
Dedicated volunteers take and shop customer orders in our stores, making it possible for Thrifty Foods to provide this important community service.
Customers are assigned a call and delivery day for service. A volunteer will call you in the morning of your assigned day to take your order. Volunteer order takers make calls to customers from their homes. Your order will be shopped and delivered on your assigned delivery day, usually the day after the order is placed. A $5 delivery fee is charged for the service. Service days vary from location to location.
A minimum grocery order of $50 is required, excluding the delivery fee.
Coupons and bottle returns are not accepted. The following items cannot be purchased for delivery: hot deli items, live seafood, Christmas trees or poinsettias, propane, helium balloons.
Provincial law mandates customers be charged 25 cents/bag used. We will do our best to consolidate your order into as few bags as possible while being mindful of food safety and cross contamination. If you don’t want your order to be delivered in bags, please have reusable bags, paper bags, boxes, etc. at your door for our driver to conveniently place your items in. Advise your order taker to ask the store to pack your order appropriately for bagless delivery.
You are expected to place regular orders and will be scheduled for a weekly or biweekly call. If you have not placed an order after four calls (without advising of a temporary stoppage of service), you will be contacted to discuss the need for service and may be removed from the Program and required to re-register for future service.
Times of calls are generally between 8:30-11:00. Volunteers will do their best to call you around the same time each week. It is your responsibility to be available and ready for your call. We are unable to accept orders by fax or e-mail.
Please have your grocery list prepared and be ready to place your order when the volunteer phones. The more information and detail that you provide about the item you want, the better we will be able to fill your requests. Hint: keep item packaging for reference when ordering. Other ordering tips:
- Prepare your list by Department and order in sequence on the form used by volunteers: Canned/Dry, Misc. (non-food), Bakery, Bulk, Produce, Deli, Meat/Seafood, Dairy, Frozen
- How many? The total number of the item you want
- What size? Litres, dozen, 6-pack, ml’s, grams, lb’s, small, medium, large, etc.
- Packaging: Box, carton, jug, can, bulk, etc.
- Brand: What is your preference? If a specific brand is not important, is Best Buy (cheapest) OK?
- Details: Scent free, specific flavor, low sodium, etc.
- Shoppers Choice: If there are assorted flavours, you can ask to have a variety chosen for you
- Flyer items: Identify the page number and price of any item from the flyer
- Volunteers handle many customer orders and are not expected to remember specific preferences or “the kind you always get”.
Customers (or persons ordering on their behalf) are responsible to know and understand specific items that meet their dietary or health needs. Thrifty Foods is unable to take responsibility of restricting items from being ordered (e.g. Tylenol, low salt) or monitoring budgets on behalf of customers.
Please call Customer Care. If volunteers are still available, you will be called for your order. Otherwise, you will have to wait for your next scheduled call to place your order.
Please advise your order taker of your substitution preference for out-of-stock items:
- Yes – Shopper may substitute at their discussion; they do not need to contact me for approval.
- No – I do not want any substitutions. Do not send a substitute item and do not contact me.
- Phone – Shopper is to try to phone me to approve substitutions.
Please note that if shopping is being completed in the early hours of the morning shopping resources are limited, or you do not answer your phone when called, a substitution will be made at the discretion of the store, based on what is available, unless otherwise indicated on the order form. If the cost of the substituted item is more than the item ordered, the price of the substituted item will be adjusted to match that of the ordered item. Please advise your volunteer order taker if you do not want an item substituted when placing your order. Raincheques are not issued for out of stock items in Sendial orders.
Specific or regular delivery times cannot be guaranteed, so please ensure regular outings and appointments are scheduled outside of your delivery day. Someone must be available to receive your order. If unavoidable circumstances should occur, and you will be unavailable during a specific time on your delivery day, advise your order taker or contact Customer Care as soon as possible. If we are unable to accommodate your absence, your order may be cancelled.
Delivery times are generally between 10:00-6:00 and will likely vary from week to week. You can call Customer Care after 8:00 a.m. on your scheduled delivery day to find out your delivery time within a two-hour window. Note that times are approximate and delivery delays may occur due to unforeseen circumstances.
Pre-payment for your order by registering a credit card on file with Thrifty Foods is required.
When the driver arrives with your order, they will deliver it to your front door or an easily accessible identified location. Customers requiring assistance due to mobility or other impairments may request the driver to place groceries in a specific area such as the kitchen. If there are any concerns with your order, please contact Customer Care.
If an emergency arises and you will be unavailable for your delivery, please contact Customer Care as soon as possible and we will do our best to make alternate arrangements. If no-one is available to receive your order upon delivery, it will be taken back to the store and you will be contacted to review the circumstances. If your order is rescheduled, a second delivery fee may be charged. Customers with repeated undeliverable orders or special delivery requests may be removed from the Program.
Please report any concerns regarding your order to Customer Care. A representative will help determine a solution.
We appreciate your feedback on our service. For commendations or concerns, please contact Customer Care.
If you no longer require, or wish to temporarily suspend the Sendial service, please advise your order taking volunteer or contact Customer Care.
Thrifty Foods reserves the right to discontinue service for any customer who consistently does not meet Sendial guidelines, for inappropriate behaviour or when we are unable to consistently meet expectations.
You may wish to thank our volunteers, staff or drivers for the great service that they provide you; however, tips or gifts are not expected, nor can they be accepted. As an option, you may wish to contribute to your local food bank. If you wish to donate as such, please advise the volunteer when placing your order.
To enroll to become a Scene+ member, please visit www.sceneplus.ca or visit a Thrifty Foods store and pick up an Enrollment Kit with a Scene+ card at the checkout.
Your Scene+ card number can be added to your Sendial profile to accumulate points with your order and to receive Scene+ Member Pricing on featured items. To add your Scene+ card number to your Sendial profile, please contact Thrifty Foods Customer Care at 1-866-948-0196.
To redeem your Scene+ points you must register an account with Scene+ on their website or app.