Friday March 29th, 2024
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Beqala.com - Shop Don't Drop

A brilliant and easy to use online service makes grocery shopping a breeze, saving time and tempers in a country that doesn't know how to queue.

Staff Writer

Beqala.com - Shop Don't Drop

Egypt just got a little lazier (or more convenient, if you’re glass-half-full type of person!). Beqala.com is the newest website service offering you the opportunity to buy all your groceries and specialty items in one place without ever having to leave home.

It only took two years for the founders of the company, Dr. Alaa El Gamal, Engineer Mostafa Mehriz and Engineer Karim El-Tawil, to come up with the idea and launch the easy-to-use website. Essentially, Beqala gets back all that time that’s usually wasted trying to get from place to place and dealing with check outs in a country that doesn’t know how to queue. Working professionals themselves, the talented trio found the time spent on an average grocery shopping trip to be far too much and is what “inspired us to bring this internationally popular idea to a market that desperately needs more convenience,” as Mehriz puts it. This necessary weekly task has only recently been made worse with the curfew in place in Egypt’s big cities.

The first thing that caught our eyes when logging on top Beqala.com was just how many items they stocked and the fact that the vegetables they offer are organic, coming from Janna, a high quality local supplier. Quality is one of the key measurements for Beqala, which prides itself on good food and an even better delivery system.  

Beqala offers three different delivery options. For those who can't wait, food ordered can be express delivered within two hours. If you choose the cheaper regular option, then Beqala guarantees that the groceries will arrive the same day they are ordered. If you end up loving the service then maybe the flexible delivery is the best option for you, letting you choose a specific day and time during the week for your goodies to be delivered; perfect for those with busy schedules.Exclusively for Maadi residents, there is the Click & Pick option which allows customers to pick up their order from Beqala’s warehouse whenever they would like. That means that Beqala actually carries all the product on offer on the site and do not act as middlemen, ensuring full control of the quality of products and accurate availability. They also encourage customers to make requests for items that they may be missing, meaning that Beqala is serious about caring for their customers, and will adapt to the market’s cravings. “This service enhances the lifestyle of productive families, and makes room for you to spend time on what really matters,” explains El-Tawil.

As it stands, Beqala delivers to the Greater Cairo residents, including satellite cities (such as Rehab, Shorook and Sheikh Zayed) with plans to expand to other governorates in the near future. Finally, no more broken Arabic mix-ups on the phone resulting in zeytouns when you really wanted leymouns! For those who are still afraid of the internet, however, Beqala has set up a call centre(16237) that is ready to accept your orders by phone. With the escalating traffic problems Egypt faces, Beqala may just be what is needed to reduce traffic, keep us healthy, and save our increasingly valuable time. Win, win, win.