To me, Walmart is a necessary evil. No, I don't have any political or moral objections to the store, I just object to the time-sucking, chaotic shopping experience that transforms me into a grumpy and irritable person every time I go. The good news is, thanks to their FREE grocery pickup service, I'll never have to enter the store again! Their pickup service can be used for non-grocery items too, which is a nice bonus. I do almost all of my other shopping online, so adding groceries to that list wasn't a stretch. It was so much more relaxing. Here's the process I use:
- Start at a cashback website and click on to Walmart's website from there. My favorites are Swagbucks (3% cash back) and Ebates (1% cash back).
- Select the store closest to you (not all Walmart stores offer this service).
- Reserve a pickup time - sometimes same day pickup is not available, but I was able to order at 9:00 am and pick up at 2:00 pm.
- Add all your desired items to your cart and check out, then make your payment ($30 minimum). If you forget something, you have 30 minutes to edit your order.
- You will receive a text or email from Walmart when your order is ready for pick up (you select your preferred method of contact when signing up).
- Either call them or check in on the Walmart grocery app and let them know your car color when you're on the way. I opted to check in.
- Head on over to the store, and follow the large "pickup" arrow. Park in any of the marked "reserved for pickup" spots.
- I only waited about 2-3 minutes before the associate brought my groceries out. It was a rainy day, but thankfully they brought a big umbrella so I wouldn't get wet when I opened the trunk for them to load in the groceries. They explained that a few items were out of stock - I had ordered Walmart brand cheese, but they substituted Sargento brand instead for no extra charge, and the same with eggs (12 count was out of stock, so I got 18 count for the price of 12 - nice bonus!)
- I signed on the electronic gadget they had to confirm I received everything and they also gave me two gift bags for being a first-time customer, which was a nice surprise. You can see my bonus goodies below!
Some may call grocery pick up lazy, but I call it maximizing my time and money. Instead of keeping a grocery list, now I just add items to my online cart during the week as I think of them. This helps me to budget and also cuts down on impulse buys because I'm not talking myself into grabbing all the candy bars in the checkout aisle. If you want to give it a try, you can use code WOWFRESH to get $10 off on your first grocery pickup order of $50 or more. Here's to saving time and frustration!
