How to shop Priceline

By Times Staff Writer

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 3, 2000

Clicking for dollars With Priceline.com's online grocery pricing program, you'll save money, but you have to work at it.

Here is a step-by-step guide to buying groceries online through Priceline.com's WebHouse Club:

• Go to http://www.priceline.com and click on "Groceries."
• Click on "Need a Card." When you fill out the form, you must provide a credit card or debit card number. All transactions are charged to that card number.
• Once you have registered, you have the option to wait for a free, encoded card to be sent in the mail, or you can pick a blank one up at a Winn-Dixie, the participating store in Florida.
• Return to the grocery site and click on "Back to Activate a Card?" where you will register the card by typing in the 12-digit identification number on the back. At this point, you can start shopping.
• At the grocery site, browse categories such as Bread; Coffee, Tea and Cocoa; Paper Products and Trash & Sandwich Bags.
• Click on an item, and a pop-up menu offers three brands of the product, asking you to select two brands that are acceptable. You can also check a box letting Priceline know you would consider all three.
• You will be offered four prices. Select one and add them to the "shopping cart." Repeat process on each item you are interested in.
• When finished, go to "checkout." It will take about a minute for the service to let you know if your prices have been accepted.
• Accepted prices are immediately charged to your credit card or taken from your bank account account via debit card. You can now print your shopping list.
• Take the list to a Winn-Dixie store, collect your items and proceed to the check out counter. Use your Priceline card the same as you would a debit/ATM card, punching in the 4-digit pin number Priceline provides.
• Items not purchased through Priceline need to be rung up separately.

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