Online Grocery Shopping 101 in Portugal
How to order groceries online in Portugal for home delivery
When we initially contemplated a move to Portugal, Paul and I decided that we didn’t want to own a car (this has now changed) and hoped to live within walking distance (or a short train/bus ride) to restaurants, services, and shopping. We thought the exercise we got by walking would do us good and keep us healthy, and for the most part, that’s true – we walk much more in Portugal than we ever have, and we feel better for it. So, when we first moved to Portugal, we decided to walk to the local grocery store to do our shopping. The walk to the store was fine – about a 15-minute walk. BUT…the walk back was tough – we had purchased much more than we anticipated and of course, we had to haul the bags of groceries (and bottles of wine) back to our condo. I wasn’t happy and my arms hurt.
Some people are good at walking to and from the grocery store. Many of them use what is sometimes called a ‘granny cart’ which is useful for hauling small amounts of grocery items conveniently. But I guess I’m still in U.S. shopping mode because I can’t get into the habit of walking to the store every day or every other day to get what I need. I’m fortunate to have a full-sized (although European-sized, so a little smaller) refrigerator in our apartment, so I can refrigerate and freeze quite a bit of stuff. I also have plenty of storage in our apartment for extra bottles of wine (which we consider a necessity), and goods like paper towel and toilet paper. I’ve never been a big fan of grocery shopping, so I just want to get what I need once a week and then go to the Mercado (farmer’s market) for fresh items like bread, vegetables, seafood, and meats.
I’m a seasoned online shopper, so I figured I would easily be able to find grocery stores in Portugal that I could order from online and then have home delivery, so I set out to find the best online shopping sites for groceries in Portugal.
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There are several stores to choose from.
There are several stores that offer online shopping and home delivery. For this article, I’ve chosen Continente because it’s a large, well-known grocery store chain in Portugal and they have one of the best online ordering experiences I’ve found so far.
If you’re curious about how to order groceries and other items online in Portugal, this little tutorial on online grocery shopping 101 may help.
First, log onto the Continente website at: https://continente.pt
The home page is in Portuguese. You can use Google Translate to translate to English or your native language.
To find out if there is home delivery in your area, enter your Portuguese zip code by tapping the delivery area icon in the upper right corner of the home screen.
Once you enter your zip code, the system will tell you if delivery is available in your area.
You can go back to the home screen and click the Login/Registration icon to register for an account.
Fill out your email address and create a password. Enter your full name, a Portuguese telephone number, your zip code, the street name, the street number (in my case 66), “To walk” means floor (in my case 5), Side your door is on (left or right), Location is the town/village you live in.
If you have a Continente rewards card (you can get this by visiting a store and filling out a form) add the card number.
If you want to receive information from Continente such as what’s on sale for the week, select SMS if you prefer to receive a text or Email if you prefer to receive by email.
Check the box that indicates you accept the terms of use and then click the red Complete Registration button.
Once you have filled out the form, you’ll receive a confirmation email at the email address you provided. Check your Spam folder if you don’t see it in your inbox.
Click on the email link that you receive. Click Ativar Conta to activate the account.
Start shopping!
The product categories are on the left-hand side of the home screen. Scroll down to see the entire list. The arrows next to a category expand the list. You can also use the Search Bar to find items (you’ll probably have to use Google Translate or Deepl to get close to the Portuguese name for the item). Be aware that the search system is not as intuitive as what you may be accustomed to in the U.S. or Canada. The categories take some time to get used to as well as how some of the names of items are translated into English. For example, Minced Beef is Ground Beef, and it’s under the Fish and Butcher category marked Veal, Veal and Veal.
In the following example, I have selected to order Bananas. You can order by the pound or by the unit. Since we don’t eat a lot of bananas, I selected the minimum amount I can order (4 units).
Once you make your selection, you add it to your cart.
When you have finished shopping, your shopping cart will show at the top right-hand part of the screen.
Click on the Shopping Cart icon to review your order. Click on the cart to see a summary of your order.
Next, click on the Purchase icon to see the order summary.
What’s nice about Continente is that you can select to get a substitution of an item if the one you chose isn’t available. Simply check the box marked accept replacement if you want a substitution. If you don’t want a substitution, leave the box unchecked.
When you are satisfied with your order summary, click the red Purchase button. Note that you’re charged for the estimated number of bags it will take to fulfill your order. In Portugal, it is the law to charge for bags (unless you bring your own when shopping in a physical store). The fee for each bag is around 10 cents.
Next, you’ll be asked to select a delivery day and time. You are charged a delivery fee unless you enroll in their Entrega Zero program. In this example, I chose Friday June 17th between the hours of 10:00 am and 2:30 pm. The delivery fee is 4.99.
Once you have selected a day and time for your delivery, you will be taken to the confirmation and payment screen.
Be sure your delivery address is correct. Then select a payment method. You can pay by a debit or credit card, by using MBWay, by PayPal, or by paying with a bank card on delivery. I personally use MBWay for payment. I enter my Portuguese mobile number and use the MBWay app on my phone to confirm payment.
MBWay is a mobile payment service provided by most banks in Portugal. It allows you to make instant money transfers and make purchases with many merchants in Portugal including most grocery stores. You must enroll in online banking or at an ATM before using MBWay.
Note that the store will hold an amount a few dollars higher than the amount at checkout. This is because some prices may vary if you accept an item substitution or if you’re purchasing something by the pound.
Once your payment is processed, you will be taken to a confirmation page. You will also receive a confirmation email.
Tips for a successful shopping experience.
Plan to be at home on the date and the timeframe you chose to accept your delivery. In our case, we live on the top floor of the building. The delivery person presses our buzzer and states that they are from Continente. The delivery person loads the items onto the elevator and delivers the order to our door.
It’s helpful to familiarize yourself with the categories and how the items are identified and labeled. Otherwise, you will get frustrated.
You can save items you want to remember in your favorites. You can also view your previous orders and reorder items from that list.
The Continente online shopping website also has health and beauty items, beverages, wine and beer, items for home and garden, toys and games, books, makeup and over-the-counter health items, pet supplies, and clothing and footwear. Some items in these categories may be delivered separately with a separate delivery fee. Your order summary will detail this.
Bags – you can give the delivery driver your recycled Continente bags to receive credit for returning them. You’ll receive an email after your order has been delivered, asking if you participated in their shopping bag recycle program. If you did return, click yes (sim). If you didn’t, click no (nao).
Customer service and FAQs – Click this link for customer service information and frequently asked questions.
Continente delivers throughout Mainland Portugal as well as Madeira. By adding your zip code and address, you can see what’s available in your area. In addition to home delivery, you can also order online and then pick up your order at the store.
NIF - You have the option to include your NIF (Portuguese Fiscal Number) in your profile if you have one. A NIF is not required to use Continente’s online ordering system.
I hope this helps to make things easier when ordering groceries online in Portugal!
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Until next time…
Obrigada!
Carol.
great information. Thanks
Interesting read. Perhaps change your “dollars” to euros and “pounds” to kilograms as those are the measures you live by now.