Walmart Grocery Pick Up...Yay or Nay?? | My Honest Review

Hey, guys!!

If you've been following my blog for very long, you know that I am always mentioning how I use Walmart's online grocery ordering and pick up system.

I've been using it for about a year, so I feel like I've given it enough time to be able to give a truly honest and thorough review. And here it is!!

Okay, so I began using Walmart's Grocery Pick Up for the convenience. I mean, taking 4 kids to the grocery store is not MY idea of a good time....is it yours? ::wink:: On the other hand, I have pretty bad social anxiety, so shopping alone wasn't at all appealling to me, either. So when I saw that Walmart offered this FREE service, I had to check it out...and I quickly became addicted!

Each week, I go on their website and order my groceries. I schedule when I want to pick up my order. I pay for my order online (though they don't charge me until my order is picked up) and then my husband will go to pick it up. He says it's super easy: you call on your way to the store, so they can get your order ready to go. You pull into a desginated parking spot and call and let them know you're there. (I believe they may also have an app that makes this a little less of a process and you may be able to "Check In" on the app...I don't know...we don't have the app) And then a super friendly worker comes out and loads your groceries into your vehicle. Tips are not accepted. It's a free service.

For most people, that alone is enough to make it worth it for many people.

In the beginning, I really loved it.

But, over time, I realized that their produce selection really was sub-par.

Lettuce wilted. Green potatoes. Moldy oranges. Bruised apples.

But they also just didn't get the concept of picking out my produce, either. Maybe it's a personal preference? I don't know...

What I do know is that I've ordered 6 lbs of bananas...only to be given 6 small bananas. (they rectified this when we complained and gave us our 6 lbs when we went back the next time) I will order 2 lbs of zucchini...and they give me a bag of special/gourmet teeny tiny mini zucchini?? I mean, how am I supposed to cook these? They are too small for my recipe.

I've ordered 2 lbs of prechopped butternut squash because I HATE chopping butternut squash but love the flavor. They substituted it with a 2-lb whole butternut squash. Which I just threw away because my knife couldn't even cut into it...and I didn't want to be bothered. That's why I ordered the prechopped package. Besides, the rind/skin and seeds of the squash are included in the 2-lbs, whereas the prechopped was me paying only for the edible part. So it was a waste of money.

You can stipulate on your online order if they are allowed to substitute items or not...but you can't make specific requests to what kind of substitutes are allowed:

i.e: another brand of prechopped butternut squash is okay...but NO whole squashes.

You see what I mean?

When it comes to meat...like chicken breasts...their options are like:

Butterball chicken breasts....2-4 lb package.

Umm..okay...well, how many pounds am I going to get? I can't specify. I just leave it up to them to decide for me.

I don't like that.

I've gotten an empty (but sealed) box of crackers. They offered me a refund or to come back in to get a new box...either option sucked because I needed the crackers that day but couldn't get to the store to get a new box.

This past week, I ordered 1 lb of sliced American cheese from the deli to make grilled cheese sandwiches.

Apparently their deli was out of American cheese?? ::blank stare:: because they gave me a 1 lb package of Cracker Barrel sliced cracker cheese....like, pepperjack, cheddar, etc sliced in tiny squares to be put on crackers. Ummm... what? I mean, it's not even American cheese. I'd have to piece the pieces together like a puzzle to make sandwiches...and, because of the way it was sliced and whatnot, it wouldn't be enough cheese to make enough sandwiches for my family.

These are a few of my experiences.

I told my husband that I am just getting tired of it. Tired of redoing my weekly menu to make their substitutions work for what I'm cooking that week. I love the convenience of not having to step foot in the grocery store...but not the inconvenience that comes with having them make my food substitution choices for me.

We are talking about just paying for a grocery service like Shipt or Amazon Fresh, where they let you choose your substitutions and, from what I've heard, the produce selection is MUCH better than Walmart's. I think that sounds like a more workable option for our family.

If you use Walmart Grocery PickUp or another grocery service, I'd love to hear about your experiences with them!! Let's talk in the comments below or on Facebook!!

xoxo