Dearest eaters and readers and grocery shoppers,
It’s time for another Tasty Tuesday but shaking things up a bit. Instead of sharing a recipe today, I wanted to talk about my experiences with Walmart’s grocery pick-up service. I’ve used the service twice personally. The first time back in August and more recently in January before my daughter’s visit. Thought I was getting in on the ground floor with this fabulous trend but apparently Walmart began talking about launching their grocery pick-up service waaaaay back in the fall of 2015. Offering the program in San Jose, California; Bentonville, Arkansas; Phoenix, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; and Huntsville, Alabama. In June 2016, the service was available in more than a dozen additional markets. As of this past fall, 2016, Walmart’s grocery pick-up service has expanded to more than 1,000 of their 4,700 stores. [source]
It is available at our Walmart Neighborhood Market, about 2 miles from my house and at our Super Walmart, 5 miles away. Here are some thoughts on my grocery pick-up service experiences.
Walmart Grocery Pick-Up Service
Never one to be the first to jump on a trend, I had to mull this over awhile before taking the plunge. Received an invitation to give the service a try and receive $10 off my first order. As I do like a bargain, that was the convincing I needed.
Make Your List and Check it Twice
My first step was going to Walmart Grocery to make my shopping list.
- Begin by selecting the Walmart nearest your zip code. (see green oval on the left)
- Next, select the time you would like to pick up your groceries. (see green oval on the right)
- Then begin shopping by selecting items to put into your virtual cart.
- You can search for particular products or brands of products or you can search by types of food-fresh vegetables, soft drinks, snack cakes.
A Weight Watchers Moroccan-Spiced Butternut Squash Bisque recipe I was trying out called for…yup, butternut squash. I typed that into the Walmart Grocery search bar and was given several purchase options.
- For each of the varieties of butternut squash, Walmart provides the price per ounce/pound.
- By clicking on the image for the product or the product’s name, you can read more details about the product, including ingredients and nutrition facts, when applicable.
- Click on Add to Cart and the product is added to a column on the right side of the page, which is a list of items in your cart.
- The program even keeps track of items you have recently purchased, helpful when trying to buy ingredients for a recipe you have made and shopped for in the past.
Really like that feature because I can’t remember my own name from one day to the next, much less the type of butternut squash I bought last month.
- Your subtotal changes as you add items to your cart, and the program reminds you when there will be items that must be weighed to determine their price.
Checking Out
- When you are finished selecting all of your groceries, be sure the final total meets the required $30 minimum, then click on Checkout.
- The screen that opens allows you an opportunity to select your method of payment, to sign up for text messages on the status of your order, and provides a chance to review the items in your cart.
- Click on Place order and your order is submitted.
The first time I tried this grocery pick-up service, I clicked on Place order and then immediately thought of something I should have added to my list! Kind of like going to the store for milk and coming home with $100 of groceries but no milk. Yeah. No bueno.
But Walmart made allowances for shoppers like me. And for a few hours after you submit your order, you can still go in to edit your list. Remove and add items. The program will let you know when that feature becomes unavailable – usually about 8 hours before pick-up time. As the time approaches for your order to be filled.
Pick-Up
I was a little nervous when it was time to pick up my groceries the first time. But it was so easy. And the second time, I felt like an (not-so) old pro.
- Park in one of the spaces allotted for grocery pick up.
- Dial the number provided on the sign in the parking spaces.
- The grocery pick-up service employee will bring your items to the car.
Mike helped me in August with my first order and remembered me in January with my second.
- He offered me a cold bottle of water both visits and refused a tip.
- Mike went through the items on my order before loading them into my trunk.
- On both occasions, there were a couple of substitutions made; I ordered 2 liter bottles of Pepsi, Walmart had to sub in smaller bottles (but a greater number of ounces) for the same price, subbed larger can of chicken broth for the smaller cans I ordered for the same price, and substituted a 32 ounce bottle of OJ for the smaller bottle I had ordered but for the same price. So I made out like a bandit! And Mike explained I was able to refuse the substituted items and have my total adjusted.
Just to give you an idea of the kinds of things I ordered, these are the items from my August trip.
Now if Walmart would just send Mike to the house to carry the groceries in and put them away, they would really be onto something!
A Few Tips
I love this service. Can you tell? I can’t find anything wrong! It’s free! And, if you refer a friend, and that pal uses the service, you and that pal get $10 off your next order. Speaking of which…here’s my link. http://r.wmt.co/hMtEk If you click on it and place and order, we will both get $10 off our next order! Woo hoo! And then with Ebates you can earn an additional 1% on your order.
- Also, you can upload the app on your phone.
- Check in when you are on your way to pick-up your groceries.
- The pick-up process will be even faster!
While I can’t imagine doing all of grocery shopping this way, it sure makes those in-between BIG grocery shopping-grocery shopping trips much easier. Last spring, I wrote a post with 5 organizational tips for making grocery shopping more bearable. Check it out here. It was written before I tried the Walmart grocery pick-up service. Which is my numero uno tip these days. I will be using it again very soon.
Your Turn
Have you used the grocery pick-up service at Walmart or elsewhere? What was your experience? Do you have tips you could share in a comment below?
In El Paso, we have very few grocery stores. Very few national chains. No Kroger, no HEB or IGA or Fry’s or Trader Joe’s. A real drought here. I shop the commissary (PC is retired military) on Ft. Bliss for my big monthly shopping but Walmart for those filler trips for milk, produce and snacks. And going to use the grocery pick-up service for those items.
Remember waaaay up there ^^^^ when I mentioned the Weight Watchers Moroccan-Spiced Butternut Squash Bisque recipe? Well, I am going to share it tomorrow for Tasty Wednesday. Yeah, no. Doesn’t have that same ring. Tasty Tuesday take 2. There, that’s better. Hope you’ll come back to check it out.
Thanks sweet friends. Always nice to have you stop by any day of the week.
Hugs and kisses,
Michael Ann
What a helpful post, Leslie! I’ve not tried this service, but I’ve thought about it. Maybe I’ll use your coupon and give it a go! I *did* recently use a grocery delivery service that let me place my order, and then they (as the name implies) brought it home to me. It’s not normally free, but some days I think it would totally be worth the money. (I had coupons that made it free THIS time.) I’m with you on the “they need to come and put all my groceries away now” thing! I love buying groceries, but I sure don’t enjoy putting them away. Ah well. I’m grateful we’re able to buy food! Truly.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Woo hoo!!! Imagine pairing your Prep Dish with Walmart’s grocery pick-up service? Talk about win-win! Please give Walmart’s service a try. I haven’t heard one negative review. And it really uncomplicates busy days. Make your list at night and pick up your groceries the next day.
Sheila DelCharco
My sil raves about this neat feature Walmart offers! I’ve yet to try it. Mostly because I mostly shop at Aldi, Trader Joe’s and Freshfield Farms (fresh produce and meat). But I do have to go occasionally to a “real” grocery store to buy stuff like cleaning supplies and dog food. Maybe I’ll give this a try! Thanks for your thorough review!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
You could put together a once a month (or so) list of cleaning supplies and dog food purchases and try Walmart’s grocery pick-up service. I thought I would wind up throwing all kinds of goodies into my virtual cart but to the contrary, I really only bought what we needed. Not seeing the Ho-hos and Twinkies in person at the store kept me from buying them.
I wish we had a Trader Joe’s or Aldi’s. We do have Whole Foods, which looks lovely, but it is across the mountain about 25 miles away and just inconvenient. And I fear, expensive.
Let me know if you try this service. Would love to do an update with my buddies’ opinions. You can get a $30 order together in a hurry and with $10 off, it is a bargain. XO
curlycraftymom
I have not tried this yet, can you believe it? I have done the program with my local grocer, because on Christmas Eve it was snowing and I didn’t feel like going out. It was SO worth it! I really need to try Walmart, because we have one super close to our house.
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, Carrie, please, please try it!!! Especially since Walmart is handy and close to home. Use my link and get $10 off. Then let me know what you think. I would love to do a follow up post of my buddies’ opinions. Maybe put together a list tonight for your Super Bowl supplies? But then, you are so organized, you have probably had those on stock for a month. XO
Laura
Great post, Leslie! I actually used this service for the first time last weekend, and I’m already working on my second order to hopefully be picked up on Saturday. I absolutely LOVE it! Not sure I will ever walk in Walmart again. Ha!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
YAY!!! You are a busy mom and wife, and I am so glad you found this Walmart pick-up service helpful. I love it, too. And to think it is free. Hopefully forever free. Get that order in for Super Bowl!!!
Thanks, sugar, for coming by. XO
Laura
Wow! This sounds amazing! Especially since we have a Walmart so close by and some weekends the last thing I want to do is spend time shopping and waiting in long lines with so many other people! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
OH, OH, Oh, if you haven’t tried the Walmart grocer pick-up service, please, please do. Please! It is a game changer if you have a Walmart nearby. Throw a quick list together for goodies for the big game this weekend. Try it out and see what you think. Would love to feature the thoughts of my blogger buddies in a update post. You won’t have to step out of the car and it will make getting groceries so much easier!
Thank you so much for commenting.