Guide to supermarket shopping online in Israel
Going to the supermarket in Israel is a bit like Supermarket Sweep – only without the fun trivia and prizes. You have to be in top shape to fend off the line cutters at the poultry section and then the line holders (“I’ll be right back, just save my spot”) at the checkout. You also have to endure waiting on line for at least 20 minutes at the checkout– and that’s only if the person in front of you opts out of buying cigarettes at the last minute. And, if you forgot an item at the last minute, you have to run, literally sprint, to get it so that the person behind you in line doesn’t explode in anger.
Last time I was in the US, I was amazed that a trip to the supermarket could be a quick in and out experience. In Israel, there’s never even a quick “in” – what with the bag checks, rummaging for the 5 shekel coin to unlock the mystery that awaits within your cart, and finally making your way in through all the outside “deals” that try to distract you from sticking to your shopping list. And, there’s certainly no quick “out” with maybe one express lane, if you’re lucky, and my experience has shown that no matter which line I pick, there is always some sort of hold up – a coupon that’s not valid, a price check on an item, a last-minute delivery decision, etc.
Let’s just say that the Israeli supermarket shopping experience is not exactly a calming experience.
The best part of going to the supermarket is the hope that there will be free samples and good deals (since there is no circular to let you know of deals ahead of time). Depending on which supermarket you go to, you may see people sampling the olives, pickles, raisins, walnuts, and anything else that is not safely guarded behind plastic. In this hilarious episode from the Israeli TV show, Ramzor, Eyal tries to eat as many free samples as he can in the supermarket… and gets caught! See what lengths he’ll go to continue enjoying free samples. Also in this episode, Hefer tries to cancel his TV subscription but gets unbelievable offers, anything to keep him from cancelling.
After having a baby in October, I realized that if I ever want something from the supermarket, the only way I’ll be able to get it is if I order online, even if it means foregoing free samples. At first, I was really intimidated by having to shop online in Hebrew, but after a little while, I started to get the hang of it. Most of these sites let you keep previous orders so you can just re-order many of the same things, which saves a lot of time.
Here are all the online supermarket sites in Israel, although the only one I’ve tried so far is Shufersal Yashir.
Shortly after writing this, an article came out in Yediot Achronot comparing the different online supermarkets: Shufersal, Mega, Rami Levi and MisterZol. The winner for every grouping of assorted items was Rami Levi.
I saw that Shufersal Yashir (I always thought it was SuperSol until I saw their website) was giving 200 shekels (25 shekels for each purchase x 8 purchases) to new online shoppers, so I decided to give it a try. And I was hooked. I ordered in the morning, and could decide when I wanted to receive the delivery – the same day or the next day. Click click click and a few hours later all the heavy stuff I ordered was magically at my doorstep.
The prices are definitely a bit higher, but if you spend over 750 shekels, delivery is free. There are deals online as well so if you shop the deals first, you may only pay a bit more than you would at the store.
The other fun thing about Shufersal Yashir is that they give you 2 random items from the store for free. Sometimes we got really great stuff like a loaf of bread or frozen peas, but sometimes they were really crappy – like grape mix for juice and pizza flavored pretzels. I guess this somewhat compensates for giving up free samples at the supermarket.
The only major drawback of shopping online is not being able to choose my own produce, but you can leave notes on the site like “un-ripe only” and they do a pretty good job of bringing you what you request. I found the user interface on the website easy to use and the search functionality really helpful.
Delivery price: 28 NIS. Free for orders over 750 NIS 29 NIS. 10 NIS for orders over 750 NIS.
Delivery area: Most cities in Israel. Enter your zip code to find out if they deliver to your area.
Payment options: local Israeli and international credit cards
Rami Levy recently rolled out a new website for ordering your groceries online but with one major problem – they’re rolling out their new service painfully slowly, starting with trial runs in the Tel Aviv area only. Who knows when they’ll get to Jerusalem 
. Rami Levy has the reputation of having the cheapest prices so I am definitely waiting til they come to my area.
Delivery price: 24.95 NIS
Delivery area: Tel Aviv area
Mega has a very photo-rich site, but is usually more expensive than the other supermarkets. I would be interested in hearing feedback from people who have used Mega online.
Delivery price: 28 NIS.
Delivery area: Most cities in Israel. Enter your zip code to find out if they deliver to your area.
Payment Options: Israeli credit cards and PayPal!
Currently the Homepage isn’t showing deals, although there is a link to get to them, but already that gives me a bad feeling about the usability of the site. It looks like this is a relatively new site as the FAQ section still has “Question 1 and Answer 1”. According to an article recently in Yediot Achronot, Mister Zol didn’t have very good customer service – the writer of the article said he had to call 3 times before he got through to someone, and even then the customer service wasn’t very helpful.
Delivery price: 26 NIS for orders up to 250 NIS. 20 NIS for orders over 250 NIS
Delivery area: Probably most cities in Israel, but I can’t click on the link to check delivery areas.
I like looking around at the site because it makes me nostalgic for the US…they even have Shoprite brand cereals! Too funny.
What makes this site unique is that everything is in English.
The website says they will call for your credit card number and don’t process the credit card through the internet. I thought the whole point of eCommerce was to put your credit card online but maybe this is comforting to some people (not so comforting to me… where are they storing this sensitive info?).
So what happens with the second purchase? Do you have to call each time? Do they call you?
I also found the user interface on the site not very intuitive.
Delivery price: 20 NIS
Delivery area: Only Jerusalem
Located in Bnei Brak, Yashir4u doesn’t seem to have lots of brands I’m using to seeing at the local supermarket. Maybe it’s because they only sell Mehadrin products. The prices seem to be much cheaper than Shufersal Yashir.
Delivery price: Free for orders over 500 NIS
Delivery area: Most cities in Israel. Enter your zip code to find out if they deliver to your area.
SuperBaba – for the Tel Aviv area only. Looks like a brand new site. I clicked on “Deliveries” and the text says “text related to deliveries” Ha!
The only question remaining is – will the Shuk Mahane Yehuda follow the trend and go online?! Will the website include screaming vendors and flies buzzing to replicate the true experience of the shuk?
Where do you like to go shopping? Where do you find the best deals?
14 Unbelievably Cheap Outlet Stores in Jerusalem – Insider’s Guide
Everyone is now painfully aware of the world’s economic woes. Does that mean we should stop shopping altogether? I think not! I think it just calls for smarter shopping and discovering Jerusalem’s hidden outlet stores. And when I say hidden, some of these places are really hidden, so it’s probably a good idea to call the store first. If I missed any, or the information has changed, please leave a comment.
Aldo – Am V’olamo 3, 02-6537212
- Men & Women’s shoes
Castro, Lev Talpiot Mall, Haoman 17, Talpiot
- Women’s clothing
Crazy Line, Lev Talpiot Mall, Haoman 17, 02-6797683 [Thanks to commenters for pointing out that this has closed. ]
- Women’s clothing
FOX, Lev Talpiot Mall, Haom an 17, Talpiot, 02-6245116 [Thanks to commenters for pointing out that this has closed. ]
Also on Dorot Rishonim, 4, 02-6245116
- Teenage-ish clothing for boys & girls
Gali Shoes – across from Ahim Yisrael mall on Hatnufa St. in Talpiot
- Shoes for men, women, and children. Go with a friend because the deals are usually 2 for 150 shekels.
Honigman, Lev Talpiot Mall, Haoman 17, Talpiot [Thanks to commenters for pointing out that this has closed.]
- Women’s clothing
- H&O Lev Talpiot Mall, Haoman 17, Talpiot
- Men and Women’s clothing
Lord Kitsch, Merkaz Sapir, Am V’olamo 3, Tel: 02-6512905
- Women’s clothes, lots of skirtsMerkaz Sapir is in Givat Shaul, pretty close to the Tax Authority building. I think the busses 11 & 15 go there. I recommend calling and asking people as you go along.
L’metayel Camping Store, Yoel Solomon 5, City Center, 02-6233338
- camping supplies. They call themselves an outlet store, but it still looks pricey to me 😦
Matim Li – Lev Talpiot Mall, Haoman 17, Talpiot, 02-6725566 [Thanks to commenters for pointing out that this has closed. ]
- Women’s clothing
Nimrod Shoes, Hadar Mall on Pierre Koening 31, Talpiot, 02-6721630
Also in Lev Talpiot Mall, Haoman 17, Talpiot 02-6718161- Shoes for men, women, and children
Old Navy & Gap, on 87 Agrippas St. across from the Mahane Yehuda market/shuk.
- Men & Women’s clothing
Polgat/Golf outlet in Ahim Yisrael mall, Hatnufa St. Talpiot 3rd floor.
- Men & Women’s clothes
Tamnun – Merkaz Sapir, Am V’olamo 3, Tel: 02-6527459
- Men & Women’s clothes
Victoria’s Secret & Gap, Rehov Strauss, City Center/Mea Shearim. Up the hill toward Mea Shearim on your left hand side from the Yaffo and King George intersection.
- women’s apparel
- Designer Outlet, Ahim Yisrael mall, Hatnufa St. Talpiot 3rd floor. [Thanks, Leah for reminding me about this one]
- women’s clothing
If you still want more outlet goodness, check out the Israel Outlets Master List.
Also, here’s a blog dedicated entirely to outlet stores in Israel
If you find any other outlets that I left out, please leave a comment with the info. Thanks!
Dealbox – Keeping up with all the deals and sales in Israel
It’s not exactly mysupermarket, but Dealbox is trying to keep Israeli consumers updated with deals at hundreds of stores. You can configure ‘deal’ emails by selecting the categories you’re interested in hearing about such as fashion, computers, electronics, food, etc. You can further customize your settings by checking the boxes next to stores you where you like to shop, most of which are big name chains like Mega Supermarket, Castro, Golf, B.U.G but there are also a bunch I’ve never heard of.
Or, if you’re sick of getting newsletters, you can just look at the homepage which features current deals and sales. Amazing how every store just happens to be having a 50% off sale or the 1+1 sale that they’re a big fan of around here. Could it be a ploy to get you to come into the store?! No, never…
Here’s the latest Zara sale and I have to admit that it is tempting…
The Big Felafel 