Walmart online grocery shopping. Best idea ever.

Here’s the truth. I’m not a huge fan of grocery shopping. Or shopping in general. So if there’s a way to eliminate some of the pain (or process), I’m immediately a fan. I’m also not a huge fan of Walmart. But their prices are generally lower. I tried the whole clipping coupons bit. It didn’t work out for me. And by that I mean I’m just not willing to try very hard. Because searching for deals is also not my jam.

I’ve waited in a Walmart checking line for over 40 minutes before. While my toddlers destroyed everything in site. And if it had been any other situation, I would have just left. But turns out we need food. I’ve also taken all four of my kids grocery shopping with me. I got a small glimpse of what hell might be like. I’ve only made that mistake a handful of times.

So when I found out Walmart offered online grocery shopping and curbside pickup at some of their locations, my first thought was “Man our society is really getting lazy.” And my second thought was “Sign me up”. And though this doesn’t exactly fit in with the content of my blog, if it makes MY life easier, I like to share it with other people in hopes it makes their life easier as well. Online shopping really is a wonderful blessing. It is definitely fair to say the advent of e-commerce has played a huge role in changing the way we shop. Salesforce has more information on this subject.

 

Here’s how it works.

Go to grocery.walmart.com OR click on this link to get a referral code and a $10 credit to your account.

(If you sign up through this link, you’ll get $10 of free groceries. I’ll also get $10. Score for both of us. Or, if you have a friend who already uses the service, you can have them send you the referral code and you’ll both get the $10).

You can check by your zipcode to see if the service is available anywhere near you. The closest place to me is 20 minutes away, but that 20 minute drive is 100% worth it to me. My 4 year old can watch movies in the car. No one cries. Everybody wins.

Once you’re in the system, you can start shopping. I had my grocery list ready, typed the items in the search bar and added them to my cart. You can also shop by department. Once you’ve used the service, it saves your previous items so you can easily add “favorite” items or things you regularly buy each time you shop.

I save a bunch of money shopping this way because I don’t throw a bunch of random things into my cart as I’m walking down the aisles. I am much better about sticking to my list. And I’m more likely to meal plan this way. Meal planning is my nemesis but I’m sure trying.

When you’re finished (there is a $30 minimum), you pick a time for when you want to pick up your groceries. The times available will vary from store-to-store based on how popular the service is there. Right now, for the store I use, it’s usually about 1 day out. So if I do my online shopping this morning, I’d pick a time sometime tomorrow to pick the groceries up. This obviously requires a little planning ahead. When the order is sent through, you’ll get an e-mail giving you a cut-off time for when you can add things. So if you forgot something, you still have time to add it up until your cut-off time. I always remember things later, so it’s nice you can add them.

Once you have your time-slot and an e-mail confirmation you’re good to go. All you have to do is go pick up the groceries anytime during the time-frame you selected. When you’re about 15 minutes away from the store, there’s a number to call to tell them you’re on your way (this is all explained in the e-mail confirmation).

 

When I called, the woman who answered told me which stall to park in and they would bring out my groceries.

When you arrive, you call the number again and they bring the groceries out to your car and load them in the back for you. I tried to tip them, but they don’t accept tips. So it really is completely free.

The entire process almost made me love Walmart. Almost.

It was fast and easy to order the things online. I was the only person waiting to pick up my groceries so they brought them out immediately to me (no waiting once I got there). They were loaded in my car in about 30 seconds and I was on my way. Fast. Easy. Done.

Huge fan of online grocery shopping. If there’s a Walmart in your area that does this, I would definitely give it a whirl. No more of this:

I know there are other grocery stores offering this as well. Macey’s is another one by me who offers online shopping with curbside pickup. And some areas have services where someone will go to whatever store you want, do the shopping and deliver it to your house. Times are certainly changing.

If you want to try Walmart shopping from your couch, you can use this link to get a free $10 credit. No more dragging the kids to the grocery store. Sweet. Mercy.