should your Mouse do the Shopping?

About the only thing better than a personal chef would be a personal grocery shopper. Just think: no late-night trips for milk, no nagging kids in the cereal aisle, no schlepping bags from the trunk.

If you’re wired to the Internet, you can grocery shop without leaving home. Online grocery companies serving the Southland range from those that stock inventories similar to supermarkets’ to convenience store-like delivery services that drop off diapers, cold beer and hot pasta.

More choices may soon be on the way. Albertsons is exploring online delivery, and Safeway Inc., which owns Vons, has formed a partnership with a small online grocery company, Groceryworks.com.

The main reason to swap a cart for a modem is convenience. The Internet’s no bargain. Though you may not spend much more than you would at your local store, you won’t get the double coupons or club card savings you may be used to. You’ll also shell out for tips or shipping charges. And when a computer crashes or a Web site is agonizingly slow, it’s every bit as frustrating as a long checkout line.

Of the companies available to computer users here, HomeGrocer.com is the only one so far to distribute a full range of groceries including produce from its own warehouses. A smaller operation, Whyrunout.com, also delivers a variety of goods to south Orange County residents from existing local grocery stores and has just teamed with Stater Bros.

Some online grocers, such as Pinkdot.com, function as convenience markets. Drivers zip to select areas bearing prepared food, wine, beer and basic items such as milk and shaving cream within minutes of an order’s being placed. L.A. newcomer Kozmo.com also delivers videos, and Whyrunout.com will handle the dry cleaning too.

Still other Internet sources of groceries include online versions of stores you may already patronize, such as Whole Foods, which calls its Web site WholePeople.com. And online companies such as Netgrocer.com sell a large variety of staple items, like toilet paper and cereal, but nothing perishable. For companies with a national reach, orders are conveyed by mail or package carrier.

But will consumers accept food from a source that can’t offer the scent of a fresh peach or a chance to squeeze the bread?

During the last few months I’ve ordered from four online sites that serve Southern California--HomeGrocer.com, Pinkdot.com, WholePeople.com and Netgrocer.com.

Once I learned the ropes and overcame glitches, I learned to like shopping from home. When that package landed on the front step or the delivery truck arrived, it was as if Publishers Clearinghouse had paid a visit.

But as with any catalog or Internet shopping I’ve done, there were trade-offs in the form of plenty of problems along the way.

In my trial run on HomeGrocer.com, my screen froze when I tried to buy my first item. Even after rebooting my computer and a 45-minute call with a HomeGrocer technician, I couldn’t resolve the problem. Ultimately I had to switch Web browsers to order successfully.

Another site, Netgrocer, rejected my credit card for no apparent reason, but I didn’t learn about it until the next day in an e-mail. I had assumed my order was on its way.

And in another shopping adventure, what must have been a slight slip of the mouse brought me five large cans of tomatoes instead of the one I thought I’d ordered.

Prices weren’t exorbitant, but there were few real deals. For a full order of groceries from HomeGrocer, I paid close to what I would have on a trip to the market (for orders more than $75, delivery is free)--but I didn’t get everything I wanted. At the time I ordered, HomeGrocer did not sell beer; just this month the company has begun selling liquor. It also didn’t have the favorite brand of margarine in my home, and my must-have cereal has only recently been added to its assortment.

I also didn’t stock up on sale items--which normally drives up my grocery store bill--because there were few. Some staples, such as cereal, seemed 5 to 10 cents cheaper from Netgrocer, but even after using that site, I still needed to make a store trip for produce and other perishables.

What can cost you--and dramatically, in some cases--are shipping charges. Check them before you buy. For my $32 order, WholePeople.com tacked on a whopping $14 in delivery charges.

You also have to think differently using the computer. Though I can navigate my supermarket aisles somewhat mindlessly, I had to pay close attention in the virtual aisles. Rather than assuming rice is near pasta, as it is in so many markets, I had to track rice into a separate category on HomeGrocer’s site. It seems the cross-marketing so rampant at supermarkets has yet to fully catch on for the Internet.

Furthermore, finding products requires plenty of clicking through screens--sometimes five or more--to reach what you want. And waiting for each screen takes time. You can use a site’s search function for faster hunting, but even then things aren’t smooth; HomeGrocer never could find “rubber gloves” (they were listed under the brand name, Playtex).

Having pictures proved good and bad. A few times I couldn’t decide if what I saw on the screen was what I normally bought. I know the size of the instant pudding and pie filling box when I grab it from the shelf, but not when I’m looking at a postage stamp image. Product description didn’t help either (not all sites and products have pictures); I know the color of the soy milk box I usually purchase, but the brand? Hmmm.

On the other hand, the photos of single fruits and vegetables on HomeGrocer looked so perfect that I happily clicked away, buying a lot more than I needed. Don’t think you can’t impulse-shop on the computer.

For the most part, quality was not an issue, even with fresh fruits and vegetables. I was pleasantly surprised by the produce from Pink Dot and HomeGrocer. What needed to be cold and crisp was, though an avocado on one order from HomeGrocer was hard, rather than the “ripe” I specified. And a package of muffins from Netgrocer was just a day shy of its “sell by” date.

If quality is a sticking point with you, order name brands, though that can be tough on sites such as WholePeople.com, which sells many private-label products. Presumably, those are purchased by customers who prefer them.

Is online grocery shopping for you? Despite the obstacles, I’m ready to order again. It’s a new frontier and, as a consumer, I like options. But I don’t plan to skip my local stores.

Rather, I’ll supplement my regular shopping or turn to the Internet when time is tight. Several times after sending off what I thought was a full order on the Internet, I’d realized I’d forgotten something and had to run out to the grocery store anyway.

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HomeGrocer.com

https://www.homegrocer.com

Customer service: (800) 688-0201

Delivery areas: All of Orange County and most of Los Angeles County except Malibu and parts of the San Fernando Valley; also parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Details: Delivers a full line of groceries and household products carried in a typical supermarket, including some regional items. Saves your list from last time to speed up your ordering. No delivery fee for orders of more than $75; otherwise delivery is $9.95. Drivers do not accept tips. Accepts debit and credit cards only.

Rating: The best of the four.

Once past the first failed connection attempts, I enjoyed clicking through departments, though I still don’t care for the many screens it can take to reach what I’m looking for. The site has recently reorganized, making searching a little easier and adding categories such as “peak of season” produce.

The old site listed all produce, including what was out of season. But if I tried to order cranberries in October, a pop-up window said they were unavailable.

The on-screen type is small, though, and one slip of the finger will get the wrong screen or wrong item. This can easily be undone if you notice it, but in one case, not until I scanned the receipt brought with my order did I see that I somehow bought five large cans of tomatoes instead of one.

The quality of the produce was great; by the second order, I realized I liked having someone else bag my lettuce and apples. Let them make the decisions.

For me, the site’s only trouble continues to be its somewhat confusing display of meat, chicken and seafood. Size and price are listed, but small type (which has been added in recent months) explains that because of the nature of the product, the size may not exactly match what it advertises. What you actually receive will be within a range instead.

I ordered 9 ounces of halibut filet to feed three light eaters on my first order; I received about 6 ounces, barely enough for two. A concerned customer service representative dispatched two more filets at no charge within 45 minutes of my initial delivery, and a HomeGrocer spokeswoman says my small filet was probably a mistake. A second screen does specify a weight range for each item, such as 1 to 1.65 pounds of chicken breasts. But the problem still remains: how do I know how much to order?

Pinkdot.com

https://www.pinkdot.com

Customer service or to order by phone: (800) 746-5368

Delivery areas: Parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties; planning to add new delivery areas this summer. Delivery hours 6 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Details: Delivers prepared food plus a limited supply of grocery and personal care items from 12 stores within about 30 minutes of the order’s being placed. Began as a store and telephone delivery service. Charges a $2.99 processing fee; drivers expect tips. Accepts credit cards, cash and personal checks.

Rating: Quick and fairly easy. Best used in a pinch.

Pink Dot has also recently redesigned its site, adding color pictures and putting its products into more user-friendly categories, rather than just listing everything alphabetically.

For an evening with friends, I ordered cold beer, some prepared desserts such as lemon bars, cookies and carrot cake and a few prepared items: pasta with marinara sauce, a fruit salad and vegetarian sandwich.

Because I couldn’t see pictures of the desserts, I over-ordered; the portions were sizable, and the quality was good. The pasta and sandwich were plain but fine, though it might take less time to boil water and open a jar of sauce. Still, if you’ve forgotten something while entertaining, Pink Dot could solve the problem.

Delivery was impressive: The driver pulled up in his small pink-and-white company car just as I arrived at my friends’. But somehow I didn’t understand that I had to enter a code from my $5 coupon on the computer rather than just give it to the driver, though my credit card went through his portable machine just fine. And I almost forgot to tip him.

WholePeople.com (formerly WholeFoods.com)

https://www.wholepeople.com

Customer service or to order by phone: (888) 945-3637

Delivery areas: Nationwide.

Details: The site recently changed its name to WholePeople, reflecting its switch from an online food source to a “destination” for the lifestyle it promotes, said John Fischer, the company’s Internet marketing manager.

Food is now just a small offering of the site, which sells health products, natural products for the home and tour packages, as well as offering a daily meditative quote. Delivery is by UPS or postal service; charges are based on the weight of the order.

Rating: Product quality is good, but selection is limited compared to stores and shipping costs make this worthwhile only for those without a Whole Foods market nearby.

I like Whole Foods’ in-store produce department and deli counter, but neither is available online. I shopped for what I usually buy at the store and found some things but not others. Soy milk was listed under beverages, but it didn’t seem there were as many brands as at the store, until I realized small type at the bottom of the page led me to more choices. But when I typed “soy milk” in the search window, I was presented with more than 100 items, including Paul Newman’s organic chocolate bar. It could be a search engine problem; another time I was told there were “no products on this shelf” when asking for soy milk.

Product pictures and print are almost inscrutable, but another click brings a larger image and nutritional information and a listing of ingredients--just as if you were reading the label in the store.

Once the packages arrived, I was satisfied--even though I gambled on unfamiliar house brands. The black bean salsa was outstanding, and the raspberry fruit spread pretty good. I’m not sure why the tomato and basil angel hair was sold only in bulk, 10 pounds at a time.

Furthermore, my $38 order of 10 items came in two boxes that cost $14.08 to ship and took eight days to arrive. The company has since switched its shipping site and is considering other shipping options, Fischer said. For my second order, shipping was $16, but it arrived in three days.

Netgrocer.com

https://www.netgrocer.com

Customer service: (888) 638-4762

Delivery areas: Nationwide

Details: Familiar name-brand groceries at prices competitive with grocery stores. Can set up recurring orders to arrive at your house regularly. Delivery by package carrier; charges based on total cost of order.

Rating: Use this site for staples if you want to stock up. But since it doesn’t fully replace the grocery store--it sells no perishables--you’ll also have to shop elsewhere.

I’m “progressive and enlightened” for shopping online, according to an e-mail I received from the company after placing my order. But that e-mail came before the one telling me my credit card was not accepted--which I learned of a day after I placed my order. I’d assumed the order was being packed.

When I called customer service, I got a recording giving the hours of the “customer experience” center in New Brunswick, N.J.; though online ordering goes on around the clock, real people go home. I had to call the next day.

I encountered a few more glitches getting around online; clicking on a product didn’t always take me to the product but sometimes to another screen. Once or twice I got lost and couldn’t get back to the oatmeal.

The prices can be good; a box of Cheerios was 20 cents cheaper than at my local market, and the bag of Starbucks coffee beans was 50 cents cheaper. The salsa choices are too limited, though, and as with other sites, I don’t know if the Palmolive dish soap is a deal because I can’t judge its size, despite a listing of the ounces. (Quick, what’s the standard size container of the dish soap you buy?) Were I facing it on a shelf, I could tell.

Trying to find toilet paper using the search function was futile; I should have asked for “bath tissue.” And I didn’t find out that the package of bath tissue I ordered was out of stock until I was presented with my final tally, when it was listed in red and had a “0” next to it.

Netgrocer did deliver right on time--it took four days--and things were well packed, with my taco shells and Oreos surviving as well as they would coming home in my car. Still, the English muffins were right up against their “sell-by” date, something I would have scrutinized closely in the store.