Hey! Do you have people living in your house? Do you work? Do you have practice, games, lessons, meetings, and etc.? Are you or someone in your home sick? Are you trying to stick to a food budget? Do you not have an hour or more to dedicate to in-store shopping? Do you just not like grocery shopping in person? If you said yes to any of these questions, Grocery Pickup is perfect for you!!
WALMART
Walmart has my favorite shopping online website. It is effortless to shop in their different departments. Their set up is very user-friendly. They have pictures of each item. It does get confusing with produce. Sometimes you can add items by weight or by number. I have done this before and have ended up with 1 banana instead of 1 bunch of bananas, so watch to see if your item is each (number) or by weight. Bonus! You can add non-food items like party supplies, crafts, holiday decorating items, toys, house painting tools, garden center items, toiletries, baby stuff, vacuums, and more! Talk about a one-stop-shop!
How to pick up: Walmart has really streamlined their pickup! There is an area (usually by the pharmacy) that is the designated pickup spot. There is a touch screen where you put in your name or order number, and it will tell you which parking spot to park. You pull up and park in that space, and they will bring your order to you and load it up. Before they load up your vehicle, they will inform you if certain items were out of stock or if they had to substitute a piece. If you don’t like the substitute, tell them, and they will remove it from your bags and order, and you will not be charged for it. You can stay in your vehicle, and they will load up your groceries, close your trunk/back of your car, and will go on to the next person. They do not accept tips. Sometimes they will give you a goodie bag full of samples and coupons. We have a favorite pickup person at our Walmart, who asks how many kids I have today and will grab them a bag of fruit snacks. My kids love it! Walmart will send you an email after pickup with your official total.
Pro tip: Mondays are their busiest days. Be ready to wait! Or just pick up on a different day.
Locations: ALL Lubbock locations have grocery pickup!!
STREETside (United Supermarkets & Market Street)
There are three United Supermarkets and two Market Streets in town with online grocery pickup available! They are usually my go-to when ordering meats, seafood, and produce online. Not all items have pictures (you need photos when online ordering!), and their website is not as user-friendly as Walmart’s website. The confirmation emails are also not consistent. Sometimes I don’t get one and have to call to make sure that they did get my order. I asked about it, and the answer that I received was, “Yeah, sometimes you get the emails, and sometimes you don’t.” United Supermarkets and Market Street employees are also unable to accept tips.
How to pick up: Pick an open spot in their designated STREETside parking area. The parking spots have the phone number to call and say that you are there ready for your pickup. Have your reusable bags prepared if you checked to use them.
Pro tips: For the best deals, check out their Weekly Circular and make your meals for the week with their sale items! If you have your own reusable bags, make sure to check the box that asks if you have your own bags. When you arrive to pick up your groceries, someone will come and pick up your bags and bag all of your groceries. Then they will bring them all out and load up your car.
Rewards: United Supermarkets and Market Street have a rewards system. During the checkout process, there is a redeem rewards page. I have never had anything eligible for rewards, even on expensive grocery pickups, so I am not sure how you earn rewards. But you can use your rewards sometimes when you are buying gas for your vehicle. I just filled up my van, put in my rewards number (check under your account online for your rewards number), and received 10 cents off per gallon!
What are your tips for becoming a pro at this, especially since we’ll all be staying inside for a while?
