Delivery Service

One of the great luxuries of living in Shanghai is that many things can be delivered to your home.
As we don't have a driver, this kind of door-to-door delivery service, which is relatively affordable or even is free, become very helpful.

The kind of delivery service we use the most on a daily basis is the "grocery delivery". Luckily we are in Shanghai now that buying foreign ingredients is no longer a pain. I heard that it was very different only five years ago. City Shop and Marché are the two grocery stores I like shopping at the most simply because they offer good selection of imported/foreign ingredients and good service.

City Shop is the major western food chain grocery store in Shanghai who's target customers are expats. The store offers free delivery for purchase over RMB 100 (about US$15). We can order by phone, email or fax, or drop by the store. Although our apartment is within walking distance to a City Shop, the delivery service comes in handy when I have to shop a lot or when it is bad weather or when I am just not in a mood to go out.
City Shop Website

I didn't know about Marché until I talked to my Japanese neighbor friend. Marché is a Japanese chain grocery in Shanghai who's target customer group is Japanese community. The store offers free delivery for purchase over RMB 100 to the area we live, for purchase over RMB 50 if you live closer to their Pu Dong store in Xianmei Garden. I like Marché for its clear ordering cut-off time and punctual delivery schedule.

(grocey I ordered by phone delivered from Marché)

Marché Pu Dong store: 1F No.4, Mei-Hua road, Xianmei Garden
021-50595316 (Mandarin speaking)
13918761347 (Japanese speaking)

SHERPA is a food deliver service that we like to use when needed. It delivers food for you from 172 restaurants throughout Shanghai. The service charge is based on where you live and where the restaurant is which is relatively affordable. You can order your meal by phone or online.
They try to put out the most updated menus of each restaurants online for you to browse which is very convenient
Sherpa website

Recently, I bought a few big pots of plants from a street vendor. The vendor who appeared to be 50-something rode his rickshaw for a good distance to deliver those pots to our apartment without any additional charge. I felt humble and a bit uneasey when I was standing aside to have this idle luxury watching this guy help to put all the pots in position around the apartment with dripping sweat wet him all over from the laboring. This experience reminded me of the living in the US. As paying labor cost in the US is sort like paying for an luxury item. I have been trained and became a Do-it-Yourself super woman during these years I lived there. With a car, a spacious living environment, and my hands, I seem to be able to bring even an elephant home by myself. In Shanghai, the rules of game are different.

Although, I often miss the "luxury" I had back in the US - driving my own car to take care of things by myself - the luxury of freedom on a personal level in every tiny bit of daily life activity. And I know we are and will still be a do-it-yourself kind of people. For now, the menu is different and we are offered with all kinds of "only-in-Shanghai luxury" on the plate. So why not trying to have a good appetitie to chow down every piece!

(27th April 2009 - I recently found out another useful delivery service to me. Chun Store 佳思多, a Taiwanese owned store, has opened a new outlet close to Lujiazui area and they deliver too. Their phone number 54867843 or 51387072