Launched in 2012, LocalBanya.com is making waves among professionals who love their weekends and hate to give them up to shop for groceries. The website is user friendly and has a range of products for your everyday needs. LocalBanya.com has health-related products from personal care to healthy options for your kitchen. The website claims that it is the best choice for grocery shopping if you hate Mumbai’s traffic, can’t find parking even for your Nano, or hate ‘carrying bulky grocery bags.’ Check out the site for reasonably fair discounts but hold on, we dig out the dope on the what, why and how of LocalBanya.com.

So what does LocalBanya.com have that your neighbourhood baniya doesn't? LocalBanya.com has over 3000 plus high quality products divided into several sections or ‘aisles’ for you to surf through: Breakfast & Healthy Food, Beverages and Syrups, Grocery & Staples, Fruits & Vegetables, Dairy Products, Bottles, Cans & Packets, Condiments & Sauces, Desserts & Confectionaries, Personal Care, Baby Care, Household Supplies, Banyas Bundles and lastly, Shor Sharaba.

Peek through the Banya Bundles and you will find economical packages. Take for instance the football package; it offers products like chips, soft drinks, juices, maggi and other nibbles to keep you full during the match. Banyas Bundles also include packages for Backpacker’s Kit, Hangover kit and Girl on the Go. Most of these are so intuitive that you will find yourself slapping the mouse thinking "I hadn't thought of that!"

LocalBanya.com tells us that they are able to offer discounts since they don't rent out a mall or parking space. However, we aren't entirely convinced about this argument as they would still need warehouse space, delivery vehicles, fuel costs, etc; all of which will add up to cost overheads in the long run. But we're lapping up the discounts for now.

What you have to do is sign in, select the items you want and the time and date you want your goody bag to be delivered. For free home delivery, the minimum order is Rs. 500 and they delivery within Mumbai, Thane, Vashi and will soon start delivery in Navi Mumbai as well.

Your account also saves the previous shopping list in case you want to get the same items as part of a timely routine; they offer refunds only on certain terms like damaged or/and expired products and faulty packaging. When it comes to cancellations, you cannot cancel an order but you can reschedule it. Also, there is a certain limit to how much you can order at one time.

They deliver from Monday to Sunday, from 9.00 am to 9.00 pm and they make it a point to call before dispatch. But if you are not at home, they will charge Rs. 50 for re-delivery.  

Important announcement for non-vegetarians: If you are accustomed to buying non-vegetarian foods with your weekly grocery and home/toiletries shopping, then don't dump your offline weekly rounds just yet. LocalBanya.com does not, as yet, offer any chicken, meat or fish products. 

As with a grocery store you have the good and bad options; you will find items for a healthy breakfast as well as a ‘fun’ (read: Unhealthy) breakfast. 

In all, LocalBanya.com is a convenient site for routine shopping. So far we have shopped for clothes, shoes and accessories online, but this is an interesting result of the ecommerce boom. We hope their service can stand the test of time.