When it became possible to fire off a grocery list online to your favorite store and tick either “deliver” or “pick up,” I immediately saw roses, butterflies, angels and boxes of Godiva chocolates floating in front of my eyes.

Could it be that what I needed to stock the shelves in my pantry could appear by magic without me having to put on boots, a heavy coat with gloves that weigh 13 pounds and shuffle through 9 feet of snow to try to find my car? Then have to wait two hours for the windows to de-ice? This was surely some magnificent gift.

Buying online made sense for someone like me who, if turned loose in a store, is apt to think to her nonsensical self: “Aha! We’ve not had catfish with spinach quiche and chocolate mousse some time…” Or decide to stock up on screwdrivers if they are on sale.

Yes, online shopping was designed for me.

I could choose a department then decide how many kumquats I wanted or crates of pomegranates. What a boon this was! I was efficient and very quickly ordered what I wanted.

This order came to $513.22. Something was wrong with