Want to know if Walmart Grocery Pickup is worth it? Then read my review and why it’s great for busy moms! Want to know if Walmart Grocery Pickup is worth it? Then read my review and why it’s great for busy moms! You can easily use the Walmart app or Walmart Pickup to help out. This is the easiest way to use grocery pickup services, ever! The next time you need some household essentials, placing a Walmart grocery pickup order i s an awesome idea!
Taking four kids grocery shopping isn’t my favorite pastime.
While I don’t think my kids are usually terrors, sometimes, well, they kind of are.
Because, here’s the thing: my kids love to play, run, explore, and imagine. Which sometimes means that they get carried away in the grocery store.
They don’t even realize that they are in fact in a grocery store because they are so far gone into their pretend world. Thus, they are oblivious to people around them and to my pleads for them to stop running and climbing and swinging or whatever they are doing.
Most of the time we get through without anything major happening, and without them causing anyone to trip. They really are good kids (just active).
But, there are some trips where someone has to go potty half-way through our shopping trip. Where I backtrack over and over again within the store because I did not take the time to organize my shopping list by department ahead of time.
And sometimes I’m distracted looking for good deals and using coupons that I ignore what my kids are doing…
And sometimes my kids think they need their own little shopping baskets which (every single time) turn into “cars” that they race along the floor, crashing them into each other, shelving, or other people or their carts. Needless to say, I nip the basket idea quickly anymore!
And often, without fail, the baby or toddler that is sitting in the shopping cart, who has been mostly content to get a free ride, is crying at the checkout line, simply because we are at the checkout line. So, I have to shush her, make sure my older kids are being helpful and not just touching everything or begging for a treat or donuts (for “being good”).
When our town got Walmart Grocery Pickup service over a year and a half ago, I tried it out, using my friend’s referral code, and I haven’t looked back since!
The Walmart Grocery Pickup service has spoiled me so much, that now it seems far more overwhelming to drag all the kids grocery shopping (which I often have to do as we homeschool).
Add in the fact that I now have FIVE kids to take grocery shopping, with no local grocery stores that offer double-seated carts, and I am completely sold on Walmart Grocery Pickup and am pretty much never going back (well, other than quick trips in to pick up this or that).
Walmart Grocery Pickup Service
Starting in June 2016 I began using Walmart Grocery Pickup at our local Walmart store. I’ve since used it at least monthly if not weekly, most of the last year and a half.
It has completely changed how I go grocery shopping and schedule out my week.
If you aren’t familiar with what Walmart Grocery is, it is a way for you to order groceries online, from Walmart, and schedule a time to pick them up curbside, without ever having to leave your car.
No unbuckling children. No getting out of your car. No need to stand in line or debate on which products to purchase.
Any mother knows that this is an amazing service! There are less wait times and it’s a great way for contactless delivery, too. I love that I can get my weekly grocery orders this way every single week. It saves me so much time and stress.
Okay, so I’ve been using this service for quite a while. So here are some things you need to know about Walmart Grocery Pickup.
11 Things to Know About Walmart Grocery Pickup
1. Walmart Grocery is Not Available in All Areas
Even though we’ve had the service here now in Central Texas since the middle of 2016, there are still many Walmart stores that do not offer the Pickup service. You need to check here to see where the closest Walmart is that offers the service. Just enter your zip code!
Some stores even offer grocery delivery, where you can have groceries delivered right to your home!
2. There is a minimum order amount required.
In order to take advantage of Walmart Grocery Pickup, your order has to total at least $30. I still think that this is a great value because i have no issue spending that in Walmart groceries. Just be aware of the order minimum.
3. You can pick up groceries as soon as the same day.
In most areas, you can place an order early in the morning and pick it up later that same day. It used to always be the next day, so it’s pretty amazing to get same-day service!
Just check what time slots are available on the same day. But, you can also schedule pickups for several days later too.
4. You can only pay with a credit card or debit card.
Unfortunately, you cannot pay with Walmart Gift cards or eGift cards. You can’t pay with cash, check or other forms of payment. However, you can use EBT with Walmart Grocery Pickup now at all participating locations.
5. You cannot use manufacturer coupons.
I love using coupons whenever I can to save extra money, but unfortunately, you cannot currently use manufacturer’s coupons with Walmart Grocery Pickup.
However, you CAN get $2 or $3 back if you shop Walmart Grocery through the ibotta app, or 450 kicks from the ShopKick app. It’s a great way to save a little extra on every single pickup order!
6. The service is FREE and the prices are not marked up.
There is no service charge nor any monthly or annual subscription fees for Grocery Pickup. Nor do they allow for their personal shoppers to be tipped.
They only ask that you fill out the survey after you pick up to let them know about your experience.
Walmart Grocery is committed to Everyday Low Prices and they do not charge any markups on their items. The prices online should be the same or better than they offer in-store.
If you ever do see a markup on items online versus in-store (it’s happened before), be sure to let your local store manager know as well as on your customer feedback survey.
7. You can make changes to your order.
Did you forget something? Realize you added too many of a specific product? No worries! Walmart Grocery lets you edit your order.
You can add or remove items or even change the pickup time or date of your order. You usually have until the day before to make any changes but can see your edit cutoff time when you select “My Orders”.
What a shopping experience, right? I’ve always had a good experience using their grocery delivery services.
8. If an item isn’t in stock, they offer substitutions.
Despite being available online for you to add to your order, they don’t always have exactly what you want in-stock.
When you go to pick-up your order, your personal shopper will begin with your substitutions (if there are any), going over what you ordered and what they are offering in exchange.
You also have the option ahead of time to select if you will allow for substitutions for various items you order.
If you are fine with the substitutions, you’ll keep them and the price will be adjusted in your favor (kept the same if not), and if you reject the items, it will be deducted from your bill and they will restock it for you (free of charge).
You can also ask to see any fresh produce before they put it in your trunk if you are particular about the quality of your produce.
Also, if an item you want is not available online, you can contact customer care and request that it be added.
9. First-time users can use promo code WOWFRESH for $10 off.
If you have never tried out Walmart Grocery Pickup, you can score $10 off your first order with promo code WOWFRESH.
Then you can grab your own personal referral code and encourage your friends to try it. If they do, they’ll receive $10 off their first order with your unique referral code and you’ll receive a code for $10 off your next order of $50 or more too!
10. Placing orders is fast and convenient.
Walmart online grocery is fast and convenient. You can mark various items as favorites for easier shopping next time, look for rollbacks, shop by departments, or do custom searches.
You can easily change the quantity of items and continue to add items to your cart all week before clicking “order” so you don’t forget anything!
11. Someone else can pick up your order for you.
As I recently had a baby, but was out of some basic groceries, I placed a Walmart Grocery order. My friend offered to pick it up for me and bring it to my house!
It was so nice to not worry about strapping five kids into the car and driving across town to get our groceries while still recovering from childbirth!
You can also place an order for someone else and have them pick it up. For example, I could order groceries for my mom who lives in Wisconsin, and she could go pick it up.
This is a great way to serve people!
There are lots of things to love about Walmart Grocery Pickup, especially from a mom standpoint, but it really fits so great into many people’s lives.
I highly suggest at least trying it. I have a feeling it may just change your life.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Walmart. The opinions and text are all mine.
Laura says
Our town just started the pickup service and I love it! My husband and I both add things to the cart and then one of us can go pick it up. It saves our favorites and makes it very easy to shop. I use the online cart as my shopping list. I’ve even shown my teens how to add things to the cart that they use up around the house. I’ve gone at least one a week, sometimes twice since they opened and I never used to go to Walmart (too crowded!) but pickup is so fast and easy.
Joy Victoria Ramos says
Our local Walmart finally has the grocery pickup. But when I went on the app the prices were higher. I have specific items I buy all the time…why were the prices higher?
WillDoDa says
I used the app a couple weeks ago and it was a huge help for me. I was able to order my food online. Not being in the store saved me the angst of seeing all the other food I couldn’t buy. I recently lost my job and haven’t got very much of a budget for my family of 6. Not only was I able to avoid temptation for myself, I was also able to keep the kids from trying to get more as well.
When I got there, They were quite prompt bringing me my groceries. My 6 year old still drove me crazy making me very glad I hadn’t taken him into the store to shop. LOL
The substitutions were explained to me via email and in person as soon as they were made. There were no surprises there. For me, the substitutions were all an improvement as my list was full of off brand items.
Nothing was missing from my order and the staff was very pleasant.
I really appreciate this ability to avoid going into the store and dealing with crowds and temptations. I have noticed that my area accepts EBT as well. I don’t have food stamps at the moment but I have in the past and it was always difficult to not be able to use certain services at stores due to lack of ability to use EBT.
My only complaint at the moment for Walmart Grocery Pick Up is the lack of ability to use coupons! That’s actually kind of a big deal.
Carol Bunagan says
My biggest complaint is that the same items are constantly out of stock! I also take issue with the fact they won’t let you apply a Walmart gift card when you pick up your order. WHY NOT! Why should I have to go inside the store to redeem it?
Jaimie says
Just a PSA, Ibotta lowered the cash back to $2 and haven’t even given it to me for my last two orders. But their customer service is so intensely terrible that it’s not even worth dealing with it. Walmart pickup is the best though! I mean yeah, when it’s new at a store it’s a little terrible, and sometimes their out of one thing from each of my planned meals and it kind of screws me over. But I’d rather pop into Aldi for five things than truck the toddler all the way around walmart while she screams for a snack and whatever else ?
Katelyn Fagan says
Yes. I noticed that earlier this week when I placed an order. Not thrilled. AND right now (Halloween) it’s telling me there that offer expires in 11 hours! 🙁 I really want some way to save additional money on Walmart Grocery as they don’t take coupons.
Gail Eichner says
I’m 72 and sometimes for long stretches I am not able to do the shopping. I have used this service one time and cannot see “going back!” Here’s what I love especially: 1) I can examine labels online! I do not want “high corn fructose!” I can compare fat, calorie, fiber, protein etc. 2). I can explore new options that I had not seen in the store such as ‘cow’ free cheese, i.e., goat! There are however some things one needs to know: 1) BEFORE SIGNING not only examine your produce but your meat – after a few days in the fridge a glaring dark spot showed up a hole in the ground beef wrapping! 2) returns AFTER signing are not allowed: one must call the nice 800#. My first time out I signed and then OOPS I noticed I had 5 – FIVE bunches of bananas. Just because I pointed it out they have changed the icon/photo of banana bunches for old eyes and tablet users where objects are sometimes too small to see! AND of course they credited me for not just 4 bunches, but all for my inconvenience. (I donated to local homeless). One needs to understand that you are dealing with an ONLINE grocer, not your local store when it comes to any OOPS after you sign. BUT THIS IS TOO GOOD A SERVICE FOR US OLD FOLKS TO IGNORE! ~~Sign me ‘grateful’
Sarah says
Thank you so much for saying that you can order for someone else and have them pick up! I wasn’t sure if you needed the card in person.
Gail Eichner says
My second order day arrived and “OOPS” – I was unable to keep the appointment. I had to send my husband. I called the 800# to say my husband was coming and didn’t have the order number with him and that also I wanted to turn down the substitution they had made in the order and noted on the fulfillment list. My husband said they could not have been nicer: confirmed who he was, had the food out to the car before he could even call them to tell them he was there (per my instruction that he was to call the number posted on the “pick up” parking spots. Because of my call they were expecting him and already knew he’d be refusing the one item. The communications with the online folks and the store was perfect.
~I continue to be greatful!
Darrie says
I love grocery pick up, but have had many issues from time to time. The detail I want everyone to know is prices are marked up for grocery pick up. And it’s not just a mistake when it happens. I contacted Walmart today and was told that items have different barcodes for pick up vs in store and that pricing is almost always different. Check your prices before buying into to their false advertising!
Gail Eichner says
Frankly, I had not noticed a difference because I wasn’t looking for one. Here’s what I noticed: When walking through Food Lion to pick up one of several items I do not buy at Walmart I have used the app to see what I’m being charged at Walmart vs Food Lion for example: 8 oz of goat cheese – savings is roughly $1.00; Almond Silk 30 cal milk savings – $0.50; Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup – $0.80! To a “T” almost every item I purchase at Walmart is a minimum of $0.50 cents cheaper – for 30 items, that is $15! Then add to the fact that if something is not 100% correct I call the online folks and am given a credit. Just today I called about an “issue” not an “item.” My issue is that my husband felt discouraged from looking in bags on pick up because they are double tied in knots and not easily undone. — The protocol is that they are supposed to ask you if you wish to examine anything. I like to look at produce and in particular make sure there are no holes in meat packaging, which happened once. When the bags come to my kitchen counter I cannot untie knots with arthritic hands – I simply take scissors and take the most expedient route and cut the bag open below the knot. It occurred to me that this was actually a bad practice on two levels: discouraging looking on pick up and getting to the products at home! This service is invaluable to us as seniors, slightly challenged by aging and sometimes unable to withstand the strains of shopping, walking, comparing, locating product and the people are friendly on pick up and the phone, if there is a need to report something. And yes I was given a nice credit – $$$ – for taking the time to give a friendly call! Just remember, the learning curve is that you are doing business with an ONLINE retailer who is fulfilling your order at your local store, thus the NECESSITY to call their ‘customer’ care for rectifications, which is immediate! Or as I did today – they charged me for coffee filters and there is a check off list on your app – if something was actually missing from your order, check it off, report it right there on the app and the credit will be immediate! You cannot beat that and it saves emotional haranguing with Walmart personnel – after you’ve stood in line just to fuss. This is NO FUSS, NO HASSLE!
Darrie C Hines says
For the most part, it is hassle free and a great service! However, I have had two separate occasions where more than 10 items were missing from my order and you cannot complete the refund on the app. It took about a 30 minute phone call each time and both times they were not very nice about it, almost like I was lying. Another time, I rejected a substitution, but it was still in my order. To get a refund, I had to go to the store and wait at the return desk to return it. Not “no fuss, no hassle”.
Kathy says
Obviously this experience is vastly different depending on which store you visit because I have never had any issue. I put the order in, click the link when they are done preparing it to let them know I’m on the way, and like as soon as I pull into the parking spot they are at my window. They only substitute what you tell them you will allow substations for. It defaults to all item but you could just as easily click the button to deselect everything. I have never had anything missing. They did not have a few items on my list a few times and I typically don’t allow substitutions so, they refunded my money straight to my card before I even got there to pick up the order. If they do substitute or don’t have an item they have always let me know at the time of pick up. They always always always greet me with a smile and seem to love serving. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this service at our Walmart. As a matter of fact, I recommend it to anyone who will listen. So many benefits and no downside for me personally!
Mimi Stout says
I’m surprised by many of these negative comments. We have not tried pickup but we did have groceries delivered to a family member that was ill. The groceries arrived when they were supposed to and the young man carried them to the front door. I would definitely use Walmart again for grocery delivery and if I have the time I will definitely try the pickup service. I have watched several YouTube videos on this and they all say to give the store about 30 minutes to get your car loaded and have you on your way.
Sherial huncharik says
I am an elderly woman who no longer drives. I depend on bus service. I noticed many of my favorite brand names are no less ne’er on shelves esp Arnold’s bread. I can not order it online for pickup because I have no car to park and can not pick it up in store. Now I pay almost $2 a loaf at another store. Why did Walmart do this to elderly poor people?
Dale Savoie says
I just started using Walmart Grocery pickup. Third time this morning and I absolutely love this app. I don’t have to go into the store. No impulse buying plus if I think of something I need during the week I just stop and shop immediately for it. I have had very impressive service, the employees were helpful and courteous. Hopefully never have to go back in store!!!
Ryan D says
Does anyone know what time the slots become available.
I’ve been searching for the last two days and no slots available.
Guessing that there is a time that they become available similar to ShopRite.
Thanks in advance!
Katelyn Fagan says
My stores are all only showing today and tomorrow for booking time slots and they are all full, and has a note that “new time slots open up every morning.”
Gail Eichner says
I was just able to secure the 9-10am slot for this morning. It is 4am! Yesterday – before midnight there had been “no available timeslots available tomorrow or the next day, April 1 or 2.”
~ I am not sure how this is working but since I’m generally up for an hr or 2 every night about this time – (part of an old lady’s sleep challenge) I thought I’d give it a job. I’m checked out complete with confirmation number! I’m very glad I tried!
MirandaDot says
Hello to all
In this enigmatical time, I honey you all
Esteem your one’s nearest and friends
Shirley Engle says
I Want to give kudos to the Delavan, Wis. Walmart for there pick up service I have been there 2X and it has been awesome. I was there today and them boys came out in the pouring down rain and brought our groceries out and even changed something for us and didn’t say a word. I wish I had gotten their names. Thank you guys. (Black Ford Explorer Spot 1).
cj says
I’m glad you got this off your chest in this manner….it’s healthy. You had really bad experiences. Now don’t stew. Ignore the critical comments.
kohar says
Thank you so much for saying that you can order for someone else and have them pick up! I wasn’t sure if you needed the card in person.
Tisch says
I’ve been using the shopping WM app for well over a year— LOVE it.
What I loathe is having to wade through pop-ups, random videos, flashing ads and a mile long story before the promised info.
I get that’s how most bloggers make money and the more crap the more possible clicks the more half-a-pennies made.
However the basis of all writing for others is CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE— value their time (just get to the promised point) consider their experience on your blog (all that advertising is horrendously irritating)…
There are plenty of other ways to make (far better) money with your blog than loading it to capacity with ads (think about trying to watch a 30 min tv program withs 45 minutes of commercials strewn throughout— omfg. )
Create an ebook, find one or two real sponsors, make printables and sell them on etsy— your readers will appreciate it and more will stick around for the article vs click off completely bc of ad overload.