I was to use my gift card to buy some groceries to plan for the holidays, but I didn't get my card until the 8th of January. I didn't have any holidays to plan for at that time. I did, however, need supplies to make my kids favorite homemade bread, so my supplies that I purchased were for bread and some yummy Chicken Enchiladas. I do not have posts of those tasty meals as they were deleted somehow, but they were quite tasty and delicious and even more-so because I didn't have to shop with the kids and then start cooking and baking after being stressed by shopping. WIN WIN
If you are interested in doing this and saving yourself some time and stress, you can go to
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I first tried out the
Walmart To Go pick up as I figured this will end up being more my speed as the $7 for the delivery service is more that I want to spend even for the convenience, on top of that, I was told that with delivery, they bring the stuff right to you and meet you outside.
I did my shopping online, and the one thing that I noticed is that I couldn't use my coupons, or I didn't see how to do that. The other thing that I love to do when I shop, is to check clearance items before I jump into my shopping as I can find a lot of my items there first. Having someone else do that shopping for you, you miss out on some deals. I guess that could save me money in the long run as well, so it wasn't a huge issue. Being able to just pick up groceries and not having to take my kids SHOPPING saved me a tons of time, sanity, stress and so much more. The other thing that I noticed is that you can't use more than one card to pay for your order. This isn't something that I would normally need to do, but in this case, I was being "paid" to shop and was given a visa card with some money on it, but my total came to more. I was not able to split it, so had to decrease my order so that I could use the card. Because of this, I decided to try both services, Delivery and Pick Up, to compare since I still needed some items anyway.
After I ordered my items, I received an email with direction on what to do and what to expect. I was told by a friend that tried the service how easy it was, I did not have quite the same experience and having a person meet me is not what the email I received said to expect. I found myself a little disillusioned and disappointed by my first experience at pick up.
When I got there, I had to drive around to find where the
To Go pick up area was. I had a hard time finding it. I found the parking signs first, but the email mentioned a door that you go through. There was NO door for customers but there was an EXIT door at the very back of the building. I ended up having to get out of the car and walk into the store. I approached a checker to find out where I go to check in to get my
To Go groceries. The clerk was not certain and sent me to customer service, which was at the complete other end of the store. When I got there, they asked me who told me to come there and then called someone. They informed me to go back out and there is a door where they will meet me at. I went back outside and the only door out there was where the
Walmart To Go truck was parked. It was not where the Reserved parking was, so that is when I started trying to verify I was at the right spot.
At this point, I look WAY up and find the
To Go sign and number to call. I dialed the number and asked if I was in the right spot for my groceries. They said I was and they would be out in a moment.
I was VERY glad that I did not have my children with me on this first experience, or I would have been livid with how little the staff knew and that I had to wander all over to find where to go. This should have been a much easier experience. It did show me that they might need to train their staff, get a few more signs and make sure some are posted much lower.
I would like to know who thought hanging a sign way to the top of the building would be the best place for letting people know where the service location was. It is great for advertising from afar, but not for people that are driving and parking and trying to find it. It is not safe to be craning your neck that high while driving. :)
Once the
To Go clerk came out with my groceries, I didn't have to do anything but verify my order and open the trunk. They unloaded it all and put it in my car for me. This would be a completely doable situation for me with my kids. It is hard to shop in a store with 3 little children. I have one that is in an infant seat, he takes the back shopping basket, then I have a 3 year old that sits in the seat and a 6 year old that will either walk or will sit in the buggy that holds 2 children, if I am fortunate to find one after having to wander to find these specific carts. By the time they are all in the cart, I have no where to put my groceries, so it is already a nightmare before I even start.
Would I use this service again, YOU BET. As a mom with three small children, it was a great time savings to me. It was hard to let go of the control of picking what I wanted, searching for the best deal and making sure I got the best produce. I don't know that I would purchase produce this way again as my oranges were really pithy and lacking of flavor and one in the bag was rotten.
This was an easier service overall as I didn't have to go find where to park, where to get my items or wander around finding employees that had no idea about the service or what I needed to do. I waited in the comfort of my own home for my groceries to arrive within a window that I got to pick. Not much easier than that.
Now, it seems that my money didn't buy as much as I feel like I get when I go to the store myself, but maybe it because I was so much more aware of what I was spending as I saw it add up online as I put it in my online cart. That was a nice feature, actually. I can see it beneficial to people on tight budgets that can struggle with overspending. (That can be me.)
Walmart allows you to save frequent items on your account so you don't have to look for them all the time. I have a friend that would love this as she tells me she buys the same things pretty much every time she goes. That is not me at all. I don't know how anyone can do that...probably just me not being disciplined enough again, but I don't need to confess all my sins in one blog. :)
Overall
Pros
- I didn't have to shop
- Saved me lots of time
- They brought it to me
Cons
- I didn't see a place to use my coupons
- I don't get to shop the clearance
- Can't use multiple cards
Pick-up Specific
Pros
Cons
- It was hard to find the location as the sign is only on the side of the building
- Once at the side of the building, there are a couple parking spots, but there is nothing saying where to GO for the Walmart To Go. Who looks up that high for a sign when you are parked...There is NO door as mentioned in the email.
- Employees didn't know where to send me to pick up my groceries.
- There was no number to call to verify. They tell you to call ahead, but the number was not supplied in the email, just the address of the store.
- Doesn't have everything that I needed in my grocery area
Delivery Specific
Pros
- Brings it straight to my door
- I get to pick my window of time
Cons
- Having to pay an extra $7 for delivery is a con for me. We work on a very tight budget, and $7 goes a long way. Will that keep me from every doing it, possibly, but not guaranteed.
Walmart Grocery To Go
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You would have been 33 months today. This mommy misses you so much. I hear it is to lessen, but I still miss you everyday. The tears aren't there as much, but the ache is still near. 
Walmart To Go: Plan the Perfect Holiday