Walmart Grocery Pickup Review Updated

I’ve just updated this Walmart Grocery Pickup Review to reflect how the service has changed in the past year and how the Walmart app has changed.

And, yes, I’m still using the service. In fact, I just picked up a grocery order today.

Why I wrote this Walmart Pickup review

This page may contain affiliate links, which means I may be compensated if you click a link. However, there is no cost to you. Also, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, please see my Privacy and Disclosure page.

When I first started using Walmart Grocery, my only option was for the pickup service. Walmart offers a delivery service, too, but not to my zip code in Western Pennsylvania.

However, I recently moved to Maine, where I can choose pickup, delivery or shipping. I love having all of these options to choose from now.

Nonetheless, I’m still using pickup because it’s free.

Also important to note: There is no price markup when using this online option. Walmart online groceries carry the same prices as local Walmart stores. This is great news, in my quest for the best online grocery shopping sites and deals.

If you read on, you’ll discover my pros and cons of the Walmart Grocery Pickup.

Here are other stores where you can place your grocery order online.

walmart grocery pickup just updated

How Walmart Grocery Pickup Service Works

It used to be that to do your online grocery shopping at Walmart for pickup, you had to go to a special sub-site of the regular Walmart.com. However, now food shopping is integrated with the regular Walmart site. Now, just start adding things to your cart.

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With the Walmart Grocery Service, there is no service fee. No tipping either.

I’ve found the prices to be competitive, if not lower than what I’ve noted at the local grocery store. Even organic items are priced competitively.

Organic Options

A long time ago, I blogged about the range of organic fresh produce at Walmart.

These days you have even more organic options. Plus gluten-free, non-GMO items and more.

Walmart makes it affordable to buy organic produce. You can buy organics in these seven categories:

  • fruits and vegetables
  • beverages
  • dairy, eggs and meat
  • pantry
  • bread and bakery
  • baby food
  • Great Value organic

In case you didn’t know, Great Value is one of Walmart’s private label brands.

Smart Tracker

Once you place your order, the Walmart app is vital. That’s because if there are substitutions and/or when your order is ready for pickup, Walmart will text you. It includes a link that, when you click it, takes you to the Walmart app.

Also, using location services, you can “check in” when you’re on the way to the store. Then, Walmart grocery can “see” how far away you are.

This ensures that your food doesn’t sit out a long time waiting for you to pick it up. In the times I’ve used the service, I’ve never ended up with mushy ice cream.

So, does Walmart Grocery Pickup keep food cold? I would definitely say, “Yes.”

Another way Walmart doesn’t keep you waiting: in the app you can tell the staff what space you’ve parked in and the color of your car. So when you pull up, they can head out with your purchases.

Because of this convenience, I’m not sure I’ve ever waited more than three or four minutes for someone to bring me my groceries—even on busy days when nearly every pickup parking space was full.

One time, when I showed up, I was the only one picking up groceries so the Walmart employee was already outside waiting for me!

You can order everything else at Walmart online and pick it up in person. It doesn’t just have to be groceries.

For example, in my most recent order, I got a pair of tweezers (I lost my favorite ones) and some gripper socks for doing barre or Pilates.

Pros of the Walmart Grocery Pickup Service

Like with any service I’ve reviewed on this blog, I always point out the pros and cons. Because there are always pros and cons. So what are the pros of the Walmart grocery pickup service?

First, orders are always free. That’s because there are no pick up or delivery charges.

Next, there is only a $30 minimum only to place the order. That’s a lot lower than other grocery delivery services.

Additionally, no tipping is necessary. The Walmart employees just load your groceries into your car and you’re good to go.

As I mentioned earlier if you use Rakuten for cash back and have the Rakuten toolbar tool installed in your web browser, you may also be able to earn cash back on your grocery shopping through Rakuten.

Cash back shopping with Rakuten on Black Friday for gifts

With gift shopping in full swing, now was a good time to revisit the topic of cash back shopping with Rakuten. Call it cash back hacks, if you will. The bottom line is how to earn money while you shop.

So I’ll explain how Rakuten works and how it can work for you–to put extra money back in your bank account. But first: Rakuten Black Friday offers, which will probably flow over into Cyber Monday, too.

So, what are some of the stores offering the highest percentage of cash back on Rakuten this holiday season?

  • Macy’s
  • Kohl’s
  • Walmart
  • Nike
  • Adidas

So, if you haven’t yet signed up for Rakuten, do it today before you start doing your gift shopping. This is my referral link to Rakuten.

[lasso ref=”rakuten” id=”16436″ link_id=”864900″]

Cons of Walmart Grocery Pickup Service

While some readers have posted comments that they haven’t been happy with the Walmart Grocery Pickup Service, I can’t say the same for my experience.

However, nothing is perfect so here is my only con or criticism for this review.

If you want to change your delivery time, you can’t. With my previous order we discovered that we’d scheduled to pick up our groceries the next day, smack dab in the middle of a cookout we’d RSVP’d “yes” to.

So we tried to move the pick up time back from 3 p.m. to 12 noon. Even though 12 noon was available, there was no way to change the time. So we had to cancel that order and then reorder.

Luckily, doing so was easier than I expected. I just clicked on “reorder” and it populated my cart with everything from the last order.

Note to self: double-check your calendar before booking a grocery pick-up time!

Walmart Grocery Pickup complaints

I’ve had readers reach out to me with their Walmart Grocery Pickup complaints. Most have complained that the store did not have what they ordered.

Or they complained that the store offered a substitute when they said they didn’t want one.

Here’s my advice to avoid feeling like this. Check the grocery app before you go to the store or when you pull up to the store but before your check in.

You’ll be able to see right in the app any changes, substitutions or out of stock items. Then, when the checker comes to your car, you can tell them that you do not want the substitutions.

They package substitutions in a separate bag so they can pull them out of your order easily. You’ll also receive a credit for those items you don’t want.

Personally, I think this is the best way to come away from Walmart Grocery Pickup without feeling like you need to complain.

35 Comments

  1. Walmart pickup for the most part has been great. However, on the last at least 6 orders I have checked the “Skip the bags” option and I get bags. I’ve called customer service 3 times about it and they say they’re making a note on my account not to use bags. I still get bags! Getting ready to make a 4th call this morning. I was only charged for them one time, but that’s not the point. Another thing that bugs me is that I get a “Pickup complete! Your items were picked up at…” message about a minute after I indicate “I’ve parked” on the app and then proceed to wait another 10 to 30 minutes for my order to be brought out.

    1. I’m sorry to hear this is happening. Literally, I just got back from getting a Walmart pickup order and I have none of those problems. In fact, because I’m in Maine, which has a bag law, my orders comes without anything. So, if I don’t bring my own bags, everything is just rolling around loose in the trunk.

  2. LOL, I canceled my 2 month free subscription. I ordered groceries at 10:45am, chose 7-8pm delivery, 8pm Walmart sent a text delayed and would receive in the next 2 hours. I had family from out of town and needed my order, my order was never delivered. I called Walmart’s customer service and spoke with Ronnie a supervisor he advised that he could either cancel my order or see if someone could deliver the next day, no guarantee. Basically, Walmart uses third party delivery services and the driver can either accept delivery of your order or not. A driver may not choose to deliver your order for many reasons such as, the order is too large, the order is too small, the tip may not be high enough even though it is an option on Walmart app, etc. Third party delivery services cherry pick their deliveries.
    Walmart’s supervisors make excuses, out of their control, third part delivery, ….lol, maybe someone will deliver it tomorrow. This is not the way i do business.

      1. It’s been $35 since before the pandemic in Georgia. Today I logged in to shop for pick up at walmart and there were two prices, a cheaper subscriber price and a non-subscriber price. So at least in Georgia it is no longer free to shop online at Walmart unless you’re a Walmart Plus customer.

        1. I’m sorry to hear this. I’ve been using the service while in Maine, and as long as I purchase at least $35, there is no fee to use the grocery pick up service.

        2. I’m a year late for this conversation. But I am disabled and use the Pick UP often. Mainly because of mobility issues and their carts are rarely available. I’ve had items missing with pick up orders and shipped orders, After double checking my order online and in car or in boxes it was shipped in I just got online a did a “return” and had no issue. The money was in my bank account in mere minutes. I’ve had damaged items also. and requested a new one and it was out of stock, again my money I paid was refunded immediately. I believe as long as the item you purchase is not a sent / shipped /delivered by a third party there is no charge. This service is not perfect but it is amazingly helpful for disabled persons. So far I have not been charged for either if I purchase items shipped by Walmart.

  3. Walmart has finally raised prices on pickup items. Their Great Value Multi Grain bread has been $2.12 in stores and online until recently when it shot up to $2.38 online. When I went into the store recently to pick up a few things, I noticed it is still $2.12 in the store. I was wondering how long a good thing could last! Now I know.

  4. Since June I have consistently been having issues when items on my orders are not in stock and told at time of p/u or delivery. Walmart authorizes the charges and the authorizations do not drop from our banks for a week for the missing items and if it is on the new Healthy Benefits Plan From United Health Care , funds are not credited for 10+ days plus if they are at all . Walmart should not do this. They should charge when they ship or process the correct payment minus items missing the moment the order gets delivered or prepared for pick up. Such an inconvenience and not to mention the time on the phone for this happening now all the time.

  5. Make sure if you are using Ibotta with grocery pickup you check it as soon as it posts to your ibotta account. Should have earned close to $30. Ibotta only posted $.50 to my account. Some of the stuff I only purchased because of the amount back they promised. They did not fix their mistake either. I no longer trust ibotta because if you buy something they had promised you cashback on and they don’t follow through, they really don’t care!

  6. Wosrt experience I have had since Walmart started grocery pickup ! I received an email and text at approximately 6:50 saying my order was ready for pickup. I checked in before leaving home, got there in about 20 minutes. I sat in my car for an hour and a half before I got my groceries ?. This is the last time I will use this particular store !

  7. I have used the pickup service once. I was amazed at the tech they use and how well coordinated things seemed. Service was fast and friendly. The down side is that when I got home, 8 items were missing although I was charged for them. I send feedback emails using the Walmart app immediately, finally heard back today (6 days later). Their instructions were to go back to the app and use the option to let them know I wanted a refund. The end result from that exercise was a note that it was too late for a refund and then got dumped. Needless to say my first experience is probably my last.

  8. I placed an order on walmart grocery yesterday that was supposed to be delivered today about 4 hours ago. I called customer service about an hour after it was supposed to be here and when they answered I asked for my delivery status. They put me on hold 4 different times with different representatives picking up each time until I finally got an answer. She said “they’ll be there in around 30 minutes and will email you updates if they’re running late.” 2 hours later the groceries are not here and the store is closed so I can’t call. And they haven’t sent me a single update. I’m very frustrated and won’t be using them again.

    Not to mention I got a notification that some of the items I ordered are suddenly “out of stock” and some will be substituted for something similar… the “similar” item they picked is nothing like what I originally picked.. And now 3 of the items i needed are not coming. This is ridiculous.

    1. I am very sorry this happened. Since delivery is not available in my area, I wasn’t able to include my experience in the review. However, your experience is unacceptable and I hope that when the store opens again, they will make things right with you.

      FYI, we are trying Instacart now for grocery delivery with a local mom-and-pop grocery story. We decided to do this since finding a Walmart store nearby (i.e. under an hour drive away, one way) with available pickup spots has become increasingly difficult.

    2. Walmart uses third party delivery services that cherry pick their deliveries. Your order may not have been chosen for many different reasons, the dollar amount was not high enough reflecting the tip not being high enough compared to other orders, even though Walmart pays the driver for delivery, tips are extra. Your order may have been too big. Bottom line the drivers cherry pick their orders. It happened to me and I canceled my free two month subscription. Shame on Walmart for not having more control.

  9. Horrible customer service!! I just ordered from them because I don’t want to go in any stores right now. They gave me the wrong flavor of two items I ordered even though I checked no substitutes for those items and they didn’t tell me they had made any changes to those items. They were not cheap and getting those was the main reason I ordered through Walmart grocery because that’s the only place I have found them. I contact them when I get home and see what they did and they want to tell me to come into the store!! Like there isn’t a pandemic going on!!! So beware of using this service! They don’t care about customer service and will not help you get a replacement or refund.

    1. During the coronavirus Walmart has made a “corporate decision” to require “in store pickup only” on grocery items, so grocery pickup is no longer an option.

      1. Can you please provide a link to this source of information? Because we got grocery pickup outside the store in our vehicle this past Sunday. Thank you. If they have changed the policy, I would like something to link to.

        Leah

        1. When I tried to place a pickup order (Monday-4/6/20) all items were marked “ in store purchase only.” I called Walmart 1 800 number. Both grocery and general customer service confirmed this. I called my local store and was told that items marked in store only are not available for pickup. All three sources said it was a corporate decision. It is obviously to their advantage to have customers come in and shop the entire store. During the corona virus they have a captive audience. Just check your local Walmart website. I tried three out of state Walmarts and confirmed that this is sadly true. SHAME ON WALMART If you find a way around this please share. It was my only safe way to get groceries.

          1. Was able to place a Walmart grocery order. Will see what I actually get. Toilet tissue in stock but in store only purchase!

  10. My experience has been horrible both times first time power went out for 29 minutes in the store which affected the system not to mention I never received an email that my order was ready so I went to the store had to go inside in order to be helped my entire afternoon was screwed because I had to pretty much stay close to home just Incase I received the email that my order was ready but that never happened

    My second experience I placed another order with a chosen pick up time for 5pm 2 entire hours went by no email no update I went to the store no answers the phone number that’s provided on the parking stump sign I finally get an email at 7:50pm that my order was ready jus to be to told after already waited an hour that there’s a shortage of employees in this area of the store and that my order wasn’t ready and to come bk tomorrow morning so I show up the next morning my order still is not ready I’ve been waiting an hour and still nothing this is absolutely unexceptable and ridiculous items are always has to be substituted majority of everything that I ordered is not in stock this is horrible

    1. I’m so sorry you had such a negative experience. Maybe Amazon Fresh would work for you? Again, here’s a link for more information: https://amzn.to/2L34aG5

      Thanks for taking the time to add your comment.

  11. I am so thankful for Walmart’s grocery pick up service. A few items have been sub substituted but I am always satisfied with it. The staff is super friendly and prompt. I am blessed to live in a great location-taxes are low and the employees are courteous!

  12. On Saturday, 5 July, I picked up groceries in which my wife ordered and the experience was very good. The gentleman that brought my groceries out was very courteous and in such a good professional mood and assured me everything was correct on the receipt. His name was Gary, and Gary was so kind and made me feel like I want to do it again in which I will. Thanks Walmart!! I wish they done this groceries pick up years ago. It really beats fighting the crowd in the grocery stores.

  13. I love the service I receive from my local Walmart pick up service. However recently I’ve run into a problem with the delivery service. I live in New Mexico where we don’t have a sales tax on food. However I was getting taxed almost 10% on every order. I called Walmart corporate offices and no one could explain why. Finally their financial office emailed me that in New Mexico Walmart super stores do not qualify as legitimate grocery stores for tax purposes. In New Mexico you must have 50% of your profits coming from food be prepared at home in order to be considered a grocery store and be exempt from sales tax. For example I ordered $125 worth of groceries, paid the 9.95 delivery fee, $15 in sales tax, and a tip of $4. So I spent almost $30 for delivery. Nowhere on Walmart site does it say check your tax rates or that something like this might happen. So it would be best to check with your stores before or during delivery. I’ll be picking up my groceries from now on.

  14. Walmart grocery delivery the worst ive used service 3 times, all 3x wrong, missing items, overcharging.

    1zt order, they substituted store brand deli turkey for bb oven roasted. Sell by dat was the same day

    2d order, theyonce again did the same thing with the turkey, and the deli ham, cc was charged 236, receipt said 178, called, rep said will have diff back in accoubt in a week

    3rd order, time slot was 3-4pm, its now 5pm, called cust serv, said delivery drivers cancelling pickup, and once again my cc was charged 72, receipt in ap says 41, called again, said a week to refund. Cust care said, we dont actually have your money. I said you dont have it, but neither to do i

    1. I am so sorry that your experience has been so negative when mine has been completely different. Thank you for posting your comment.

  15. This is without a doubt the poorest service I have encountered in years. When it first began, the service was great. However, in recent months, it has been terrible. Four times, I have waited in the Dartmouth, MA pickup lot for 45 minutes to an hour. There are a myriad of excuses: They are short staffed; the scheduled is backed up, or my order was not entirely picked correct even though they had sent me an email stating that my order was, indeed, ready for pickup. I am extremely disappointed, and do not recommend this service to anyone.

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