Is It Too Much to Call Grocery Pickup Life Changing?
This isn’t a sponsored post, but if you use my affiliate link for Walmart Grocery Pickup, you’ll get $10 off your first order and I’ll get a $10 credit too. Happy disclosed Monday.
Grocery shopping is not one of my strengths.
I don’t particularly love going and my inclination since we got married is to stretch out trips as far as possible until the fridge and pantry situation is getting quite desperate.
After Ella was born, and I was staying home with a very small child, I enjoyed grocery shopping more than I ever had because it was a way to get out of the house and productively use up an hour or two.
Even when Ani came along, I still was pretty consistent about going every week and I was really in a good groove.
But since we’ve moved to Arizona, my grocery shopping has just gone completely downhill.
Three children, apparently, was the straw that broke my grocery shopping camel’s back. I could never do it in less than two hours from the time I made the list, to loading everyone up, driving to and from the store, and actually doing the shopping and then unloading it at home, and by the time I got home from the grocery store, I was never interested in actually doing any cooking.
Also, my mom off-handedly mentioned to me how inefficient grocery shopping is, since you go around the store taking all the items off the shelf, then you put the items on the conveyer belt, then you bag them all (at least at Winco, where you bag your own groceries – I appreciate the savings, but holy hannah do I hate bagging all my own groceries), then you put them back in the cart, then you load them into your car, then you UNLOAD them from your car, and then you finally put them all away in your fridge and pantry.
That’s a lot of handling of your groceries to get them from the store to your home.
After reading a few sponsored posts about Shipt, which delivers groceries straight to your door, I looked into it, but not only was there a membership fee ($99 a year or $14 per month), but when I started making a grocery order with my free $15 of credit for signing up, the prices were through the roof.
I know almost to the penny how much every item I generally buy is, so even with the $15 off, there was no way I could justify an order of groceries that was 2-3 times what I would normally spend.
Plus, it was really difficult for me to find items in their system.
Then, someone mentioned to me Walmart’s Grocery Pickup.
Walmart Grocery Pickup
Walmart grocery pickup has no membership fee, the pickup cost is $0, the food is the same price as in the store, and I could just pick it up while I was already out but not have to load or unload my children.
Having looked at Shipt, I was a little dubious, but I figured with a $10 off coupon, I’d at least give it a spin.
You guys, Walmart grocery pickup is now basically my favorite thing ever.
It’s incredibly easy to use their website, the prices are excellent, and after my first order, they show me my frequently bought items so I can just go through and pick out the things I always buy like milk, eggs, yogurt, mini bagels, and apples.
And after I’ve placed my order, there are several hours to go back and add things you’ve forgotten (which I always have).
I schedule a time to pick it up (I usually try to time it when I’ll already be out and about, say coming home from the library or after a doctor’s appointment), check-in on the app so they know I’m coming (and what car I drive), and then when I pull in, someone comes out, loads my order into the car, and I’m on my way home with my groceries in five minutes.
I also love that if what you ordered is out, they’ll sub a bigger version at the same cost (recently I ordered two small jars of salsa and got two enormous ones at the small-jar price instead, although you can also mark what items you won’t accept a substitute for, if there is a certain brand you’re committed to).
Because it’s Walmart, you can grab tons of non-grocery items too. Last week, I added a makeup bulb brush to my order, and the weekend that we painted our door back in November, my Walmart grocery pickup order included a mini paint roller.
And so far, after several months of using it, I’ve been completely satisfied with the quality of my food, especially my produce.
All of this is not to say it’s a 100% perfect system.
Often there isn’t same day pickup, since there aren’t available pick-up windows until the next day, so you have to plan a little ahead – I frequently place an order Friday night and then pick up early on Saturday morning.
And the minimum order is $35, so it doesn’t work if you just need a gallon of milk and some dish soap.
Plus there is a learning curve for figuring out how something is per pound. For instance, I never weigh my bananas – I just grab an appropriate-looking amount and go. The first time I ordered bananas from Walmart grocery pickup, I ordered a pound and. . . that was two bananas.
And I’m a pretty religious reusable bag user, so it bothers me to have so many plastic bags (and to have to remember to return them to a recycling station).
I don’t exclusively use it, since sometimes I really need groceries NOW or sometimes I want to go to Winco and stock up on the plain yogurt they sell, which I prefer to any of the brands Walmart carries, or get a bunch of oats or chocolate chips or nuts from the bulk section or the insanely good sourdough bread that Winco sells.
But at least 50% of my grocery trips now are through Walmart Grocery Pickup now and it has seriously reduced my grocery shopping stress level. To be able to fill up our fridge without a two hour excursion accompanied by an almost-two-year-old who doesn’t want to stay in the cart is like magic to me.
The first time I used it, I came home with my groceries, put them away, and I still had the energy to actually make a meal afterward, instead of feeling like I’d completely exhausted all my willpower just procuring the food.
(And then I texted my mom and sisters approximately 40 messages about how insanely awesome Walmart grocery pickup was).
On our way home from Las Vegas after Christmas, I knew we were coming home to a very bare fridge and pantry, so I made an order for Walmart grocery pickup through the app as we drove, and the next morning, I went and picked it up and voila!
Food again.
I’m not really a grocery impulse shopper, so I don’t feel like it particularly saves me a lot of money, but I know lots of people have commented on how much their grocery costs have gone down because they get what they need and not a bunch of extras that catch their (or their children’s) eye as they go down the aisles.
I’d been feeling so much dread about ever grocery shopping again once this new baby was born, since I wasn’t even managing with three children, but after I used this for the first time, I felt like a little weight was lifted from my shoulders.
Walmart $10 off grocery pickup
And not only can you get $10 off your first order (just go through my link here for the Walmart $10 off grocery pickup), once you’ve signed up, you can share your personal code with friends so THEY get $10 off their first Walmart grocery pickup order and you’ll get $10 of credit toward your next order.
You can only use one $10 credit for each Walmart grocery order, but since I’m buying groceries every week anyway, getting basically a free $10 worth of groceries each week feels like a big bonus on top of an already great little service.
I’ve heard that other stores are adopting this pickup system, like Fry’s Clicklist (which is the Kroger brand in our neck of the woods), and I’ll probably try that one out too, since Fry’s is a little closer to my house than Walmart and I like the Kroger store selections quite a bit.
Now if only Winco would adopt it, I’d be a completely happy camper (but since they don’t even bag your groceries for you, I’m not holding my breath).
Have you tried the free Walmart grocery pickup or Fry’s Clicklist or another grocery pickup service? Anyone else feel like it’s the BEST thing ever?
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Grocery shopping completely flipped the script for me. We've only been doing it for a few months but it's life changing. Living in London and without a car, we have to walk or take buses to grocery shop, are limited to what we can carry by hand, and it generally took a couple of hours even without kids! Now, I make my list, pick my delivery slot, and wait for the food to come to us. Brilliant.
I haven't tried grocery pick-up, but in Dallas we have Amazon Prime Now and they've partnered with Sprouts (including bulk items and frozen/refridgerated items), so we can get groceries delivered to our door within 2 hours. I don't use it a ton because I love Aldi and can get in and out within about 30 minutes. There have been a couple times though where I really needed something for dinner and I was able to order them right before I put the baby down for a nap and have them delivered to my doorstep while my baby was nursing. It was magical. Also, I don't think it's a coincidence that a package of diapers and a pint of ice cream meets their minimum order requirements.
I believe I called Wal Mart grocery pickup "the best thing in my life" on Snapchat once upon a time. I stand by that.
Even better: grocery delivery! Here on the east coast (I'm not sure how regional it is) we have Peapod which delivers from Giant/Stop&Shop… The delivery fee is around $7, which I am happy to pay- someone else lugs the groceries up our deck stairs and right into my kitchen!! I find that I save a lot of money because the app makes it easy to see what's on sale and I'm not making impulse buys at the store.
I have never tried grocery delivery, but now I am tempted. What I'd really like to know though is where the art behind you in the pictures is from. It's gorgeous!
It's from Minted! Here's the direct link: http://bit.ly/2jbgAM3
We don't have it here and I sooooo wish we did. I end up going on Saturday when Matt is home but it sucks taking up our weekend grocery shopping.
I definitely found this life changing as well. The time it saves plus the hassle of dealing with whining kids… it's a total win. The only thing I don't like is committing to a time to pick it up. I always struggle with that. I'm guess I'm afraid of commitment ha. But when I'm short on time it's a total life saver. Also, one time I complained about how long the wait was (only because they asked!) and they sent me a $10 off my next order. That's pretty good customer service.
We don't have Walmart grocery pickup in my area, but I regularly (about half the time) get groceries delivered through Safeway. Prices are a tiny bit higher, and there is a delivery fee (usually around $7), but it is well worth it to me to pay a little more in exchange for dragging a 3.5 year old and 5 month old to the store.
I love Walmart grocery pickup. I started doing it almost a year ago. The only problem is that my 1 1/2 year old has never been trained in the grocery routine, so anytime we have to go inside a store, it's a total disaster. My kids miss the opportunity to beg for junk in the checkout line-they never got it, but I guess they are optimists-they often ask if we can go inside. We just had a week of 9 degree weather and I've never been so grateful to be able to only roll down my window and pop the trunk.
I discovered grocery pickup when I was pregnant with my 4th and sicker than a dog. The thought of having to haul my nauseous, throwing up, exhausted self to the store and walk around with all those smells was more than I could handle. The first time I picked up an order I made, I texted my husband and told him how life changing it was!! And now with a new baby, I love it just as much. ??
YES!!! I said that out loud when I read the title of this post — I think my family and friends are tired of me talking about it, but with two jobs and full time grad school –grocery pickup is literally the best thing that happened to me in 2016 — and now, if I ever move, having that close is as much of a priority as schools and a church 😉
We have grocery store pick up from Walmart at two stores in our town that are at least half an hour away from us. We've used it though because at times it has worked out with our schedule to go get them (and we were already going to be over that way). I love it. They are opening it on our side of town at the end of the month and I'm counting down the days. I go to school, have two kids a job, and a husband works constantly, so this is going to be my lifesaver. It not only saves time and money, but it helps me remember things since they help remember them for you. It really is the best thing ever!
I use the one through Smiths (our Kroger) and it does feel silly to say, but it really has improved my life. And I don't even have tiny babies anymore! But with a new time-intensive church calling and my husband being in the hospital for 3 weeks, it has really saved us! And the employees that my Smiths has are the best people I have ever experienced in a service industry. Truly!! One time they forgot half of my bananas and I called them. Dawn, my new friend, drove the 6 bananas and a carton of cookies to my house. I'm not embarrassed to say that I laughed and cried when I saw her on my doorstep. I'm sure all my friends and family are sick of me talking about it, but it has made a diffidence to me!
We used this for the first time about a year ago, and it's the greatest thing ever. Especially when Em still couldn't sit in a shopping cart, it was a huge lifesaver. I still prefer shopping at Aldi for the lower prices, but you can't beat the convenience.
I actually really love grocery shopping…but I also have never done it with little kids. ha!
xox
I used to do grocery pick up when Fresh and Easy was still open. I could place an order to pick up an hour later…It was great!! Walmart pick up isn't available here yet, but I hope I'll be able to use it soon! Right now, the best convenience shopping for me is going to Sam's Club and using the scan and go app. I just scan things as they go into my cart, and I don't have to wait in line or unload groceries onto the conveyor belt… just show the completed order on my phone as I walk out the door!
Walmart grocery pick-up is the best thing ever. My kids are 6, 3 and 2 and it is not fun to shop with them! But even grocery shopping alone is exhausting. Walmart is also 5 minutes from my house which is awesome. I still much prefer Winco. (I second their sourdough bread!) There are some things I get at Winco that Walmart just doesn't carry but overall I've been very pleased.
I agree, it's completely life changing and is turning out to be really great for my budget too! I actually don't mind grocery shopping these days all thanks to Smith's clicklist! I've been really hesitant to try out Walmart, mainly due to the produce but maybe one of these days I'll give it a try.
I tried Walmart pickup and it was just OK for me…My order turned out fine, but I didn't like that I had such a narrow window I had to pick it up in. But I'm spoiled because my local grocery store (HyVee) offers not only grocery oickuo, but free grocery delivery (if you order over $100). If the delivery person is especially nice (like when I answered the door holding a newborn baby) they'd bring the groceries all the way in to the kitchen for me. It was magical. But I'm also an Aldi lover, and I can get in and out of there so fast (my record is 7 minutes — I left the kids in the car!) so I try to go there most weeks for the cost savings.
I know Smiths just started doing same day pickup, and I believe they are affiliated with Frys, so maybe that's good for you to know as well! It was through something called clicklist.
Walmart grocery pickup is 100% the best thing that happened to my mom life! I honestly tell my husband how much I sill feel like it is a direct blessing to me, there was so much stress involved for me shopping with children. ANWYAY you can request that they don’t bag your groceries, after you place your order you might have to call the number which is an annoying step but I can send a text to my local walmart with my order number and they will do it for me. I have two laundry baskets in the back of my van and they just load the groceries from their basket to mine. I’ve never had a problem with it. Just a heads up for your neck of the woods.
I just moved back to Phx after traveling for a year & a half. I don’t have a car and rely on Uber or renting a car for a couple days a month. While in Brisbane, I used grocery delivery & it was a godsend. The front door, kitchen and main living area was up a flight of stairs and they hauled it all up & put it in the kitchen for me. Wow!
I walk with a cane & can hardly get myself up stairs, much less haul groceries! I found this article while looking for somewhere that will deliver groceries locally. Even using the electric carts, I’m exhausted after shopping and dread having to still put it all away. The closest Walmart is almost $6.00 each way, so pickup would cost me $12.00. I’m hoping to find a (cheap) store that will do delivery for $10 or less. I’d lived here most of my life & had found Safeway and Albertsons ran 5%-10% more than Frys. I agree that Winco would be even better, but it’s a lot further away from me.
I seriously was googling “I love grocery pick up” because I am on a high from how much I love this service lol. I really enjoyed your post and just to say, no, it is NOT too much to say it is life changing! Thank you!
I totally agree! Walmart Grocery Pickup has been a game changer for my weekly routine. The convenience of ordering online and picking up groceries without the hassle of shopping in-store saves me so much time, especially with a busy family schedule. It’s definitely a life-saver!