With the holiday coming up, the stores are going to be packed with customers filling their grocery carts full of food and picnic goodies. The lines will be long, and if your luck is anything like mine, you'll pick the slowest line in the store. Before you step foot inside a store for your holiday picnic, let me give you a little advice: Don't. Do. It!
Before you think I'm bonkers, telling you to scrap your bbq plans, let me explain.
What I want you to do is go to your computer, and pull up Walmart's website. You are going to order your groceries for pick-up! It's so fast and easy, and believe me, you'll be thanking me later.
Do you have tired, whiney or cranky kids in tow?
Do you want to avoid the crowds? Then grocery pickup is made for you.
Do you ever find yourself wondering how you are going to find time to get to the grocery store? Do you have tired, whiney or cranky kids in tow? Do you want to avoid the crowds? Then grocery pickup is made for you. I first heard Walmart was going to let people order groceries online and pick their order up a little while back. I was intrigued, but as I am prone to do, I procrastinated trying it out. Boy was I missing out. I should have tried this sooner. I could have been saving time every week on grocery shopping. This is a definite game changer.
Okay so here we go. Get on your computer, and go to Walmart's website. I'll help walk you through it. This is going to be so easy, you'll wonder why it took you so long to try it out.
| ORDERING | PICK UP |
 |  |
| Click on the Grocery Button to start. You can search for the items you want or browse through categories. Start adding thing to your cart.There is a $30 minimum order for this service. You pay online just like any online order. | I received an email about 20 minutes before my pick up window time started, letting me know my order was ready and I could check in with their app. I didn't have the app, so I couldn't do this, and I found out it's not necessary, so don't worry if you don't have their app. Park in one of the parking spaces reserved for grocery pick up. Call the number on the sign (in front of your car, in the parking space) to let them know you're there. They will bring your groceries out on a cart and help you load them. Their site says no tipping! |
It's really that easy! The email I received letting me know my order was ready also told me they had substituted 2 items. I had the option of refusing the substitutions. One of the items was for a different flavor, and the other item substituted was for a different item, but the same flavor. In that case, the item they substituted was much larger and more expensive than my original choice, but I paid the price of my original item.
When I pulled into one of the grocery pick up parking spots, there was an employee already out there because she had just finished up with a customer. Before I could get my phone out to call the number and let them know I was there, she was at my door asking for my last name. That's it. Nothing else. There were two other cars ahead of me, so I figured it would take awhile, but she wasn't working alone. She went back in to the store, and by the time she came out with my order, two other people had come out, with blue bins on flatbed type carts, filled with groceries for the other cars. I watched three more cars pull in while I was there, so it looks like they are getting off to a pretty good start.
Here's the best part...I really tested the service out because I ordered ice cream and frozen treats! I wanted to see if my items would still be frozen, or melted when I got them. I looked them all over, and saw no indication that they had been sitting out. Nothing was melted or soft. Let me tell you, I made a haul! I tried some new yummy treats. Breyers® has new 2 in 1 tubs that I've been wanting to try, so I grabbed one of them (Oreo and Chips Ahoy). I also tried the new Magnum tubs! I ordered one of the new Good Humor® Reese's cups, but they substituted Reese's Klondike® Bars. They must of known I liked Klondike® because I had 2 others on my order. I also ordered Popsicle® brand pops. I mixed it up and got 4 different kinds: Scribblers, Jolly Rancher, Star Wars, and Simply Popsicle.
 |
Anyone that knows me, knows I love me some ice cream, but alas I shared! I decided beforehand I would share my bounty with some girls playing softball (I got their permission beforehand), so I brought a wheeled ice chest with me. When I got to the park (just a short distance away), I put the frozen goodies in the ice chest, and wheeled them out to the park. They tried all the different Popsicle® pops, and then scooped up some of the Breyers® 2 in 1 Oreo Chips Ahoy mix. I was kind of surprised by this one. I was thinking beforehand that the 2 in 1's might have a divider in the middle, and that you would have one flavor on each side, but instead the 2 flavors are mixed together. The girls were excited to try out all the yummy frozen treats after their game!
 |
I left the park with a lot of ice cream and ice pops still left. This week, we have slowly been making our way through the different treats. They are all so good! I have to really control myself from eating too much each day. I absolutely LOVE the Magnum® tubs. I tried the White Chocolate Vanilla and the Dark Chocolate Raspberry (heaven!). If you have a Star Wars fan, they will love the Popsicle® Star Wars Pops because they look like light sabers, and let me tell you , their Jolly Rancher Pops really pack a flavor punch! Of course, you can never go wrong with Klondike® bars. I haven't had one yet I didn't like.
Okay, so back to this weekend! Get your order in for your weekend picnics and bbq's, and then just swing in to pick up your order on the way to the park. You'll save yourself the hassle of fighting the holiday crowds in the store, and save yourself some precious time, so you have more time to have fun.
Speaking of fun, be sure to check out our event calendar so you can FIND YOUR FAMILY FUN®. When others are searching all over the internet trying to find things to keep the kids busy, you'll already be out having fun because you checked our calendar and found out what is going on all over the area. Want to really stay in the know? Subscribe to our FREE newsletter and get the fun delivered right to your email each week. We don't bombard you with tons of emails, but you can count on one jam packed email full of family fun from us each week.
I've got another great tip for you: This summer, when the kids are out of school, and you need groceries, make sure to use this order pick up service to help save time, and your sanity. You won't have to worry about meltdowns in the store, or kids asking (and whining) about everything they see and want you to buy. You won't have to worry if it's getting close to nap time either. Pop them in the car, and let them fall asleep while you pick up your groceries! How cool is that? And don't forget to pick up some Breyers™, Klondike® and good Humor® ice cream and Popsicle® Frozen Pops while your at it. It may be sweltering outside, but you'll be keeping cool in your car eating a yummy frozen treat.
Right now Walmart Grocery Pick up is available in only certain stores. The Walmart on Pleasant Grove in Roseville, the one on Antelope in Citrus Heights, and and the Neighborhood Market on Sunrise Blvd in Citrus Heights all have the service available. If you are in a different area, just enter your zip code, and the closest stores to you with the service available will come up. To check for a store near you, or start an order, go to Walmart's website.
I received compensation to purchase and try out the service, and write this article, but all opinions are my own.
Quick links to get you where you want to go:
Macaroni Kid Roseville-Rocklin-Lincoln is published weekly to keep parents "in the know" about great activities in our area for the kids. Subscribe to our e-newsletter so you don't miss a thing and be eligible to enter our giveaways! If you already subscribe, help us spread the word to others! Subscribe here
Check out the other Macaroni Kids sites in our area!
We do our best to insure that all event information is accurate, however sometimes dates and times get changed, or an event may be cancelled, and we are not made aware of it. It is always best to check with the the event website or Facebook page listing to be sure before going.
