Walmart Grocery Review | It's a GAME-CHANGER, Folks!!

Today I had my first Walmart Grocery (online ordering/pick-up) experience, and let me just say...this could be the biggest game-changer for our family, ever!  

A couple of weeks ago, I received a mailer "introducing" me to the Walmart Grocery experience and offered a $10 credit on my first order.  I looked at it, and tucked it away in my coupon holder, and hadn't really thought much about it.  Until today...

You see, I have put off buying groceries for days... dreading the task of taking all three kids grocery shopping -- with all of the kid drama, long lines, scorching heat, and the inevitable frustration when I get home to realize I missed half  of my list of items needed due to trying to focus on the kids and their antics.  I had already decided that I would just go get groceries this evening, even though that's when it's craziest, just so I could go without the kids and hopefully have a little less crazy in my grocery shopping.  But then, I remembered that Walmart Grocery coupon, and it expired in just a few days, so I decided now is truly the perfect time to "give them a try."

Guys, I didn't have big expectations, at all.  It's Walmart, after all...not Publix.  But, small or large expectations, they blew me away today!!  So, I'm here to share my personal experience (good and bad) with you, so you can decide for yourself if this may be that game-changer for your family, as well.  

So, let's start with the website...Walmart Grocery Website + $10 off coupon

• It was much like any online shopping website (Walmart/Target/etc)...you can shop by category, you can search by general name (ie. milk), or you can search for a specific name (ie. Almondmilk Original Unsweetened).  And, once you find your item, you easily add it to your cart.  
• It gives you the option to choose the Walmart Grocery location you'd like to use, as well as "reserving" you pick-up time slot (you have an hour for your pick-up window).
• In my experience, I had approximately 30 minutes to complete my order before it made me reselect my reservation time.  {Most people could probably have been done in half that time, but since I was home, I would think of something and I'd go "check" to make sure I needed it...not to mention the occasional kid interruption...but I digress...}
• Once you finish, you will check out.  {This is also where you will put your $10 off coupon code if it didn't already apply it for you}.

Once you've checked out, you'll receive a confirmation email that gives you a run down of your order, as well as details on pick-up...

• Here's a "snippet" from my email:  {note:  I did not receive a call to alert me that my order was ready for pick-up, but I arrived 2 minutes prior to the beginning of my pick-up time window, and they brought it out within just a few minutes!}

• Your confirmation email tells you about the "edit" option, where you have a small window of time that you can add/remove/change your order.  For me, I ordered at 10am, and my email said my "cutoff time for changes" was 1pm.  I did try to add a forgotten item at 11am, and it would not allow it, as it was already "processing".  Honestly, I thought I just wasn't finding the right "area" online to make the changes, so I contacted customer service, but they said they couldn't "add" anything once the edit button disappears, whether it is before the editable time indicated or not.  
• I will say, however, on a side note that customer service was super quick to respond (via phone AND email) to my question and offered an account credit for my trouble.  They also said they were escalating the call so that they could fix the problem for future, as they want their cutoff times to be accurate for the customer.
• Hindsight (and suggestion for you), it is probably best to order the day before you want to pick up, so you can easily add/change/edit before cutoff time when you remember things you forgot.  I just needed groceries today, so I didn't have that option this time.

Now, for the pick-up process...all I can say is Wow!  Kudos to Walmart for getting the job done and doing it RIGHT!!  

• Upon arrival at Walmart, it was very easy to see where to go for "pick-up"...there was a huge awning with Grocery Pick-Up written on it.  

• Once you get into a pick-up parking spot, you have a speaker system on the driver's side and also a sign in front of you that tells you a number you can call to pick-up.  I chose to call, and I immediately got a courteous employee ready to help.  I gave her my name and told her I was picking up, and that was it!  I sat back and waited.  {I arrived about 2 minutes prior to my 1-hour pick up window, and I did not call and give them any advance notice of my arrival...I wanted to see how well they'd be prepared without any notice.  I kid you not, she was at my car within 5 minutes, if that, ready to confirm my order and load my groceries!}

• The employee greeted me cheerfully, handed me a complimentary ice-cold bottle of water, and began the "order confirmation" and loading process.

• Part of the "order confirmation" was to confirm that a couple of substitutions were made in my order, and whether or not I was ok with those substitutions.  In my case, it was a small "size" difference, which did not matter at all to me!  So, I signed and we were on our way to her loading the groceries.  {Once I got home, I realized that they conveniently added a "substitution" sticker to the bag which held those items, if by chance, I was not ok with those items and they were taken off my order.}

• I had one kid napping through the entire grocery experience {it was so nice to be able to get groceries and do nap time at the same time!}  The other two, sat playing their ipods as our groceries were quickly loaded.

• They also labeled the "fragile" items (like my eggs) with stickers...probably more for their benefit, but it helped me, as well, so I knew which bags not to give the kids to unload.

It was a bit of a drive for the closest Walmart Grocery (about 25 minutes from my house to Madison Blvd), and it took less than 10 minutes for the entire pick-up process...So in way less than an hour, my three kids and I purchased and had our car loaded with groceries, never having to set foot out of our air-conditioned car!  It was the easiest shopping I've ever done for groceries, and it didn't cost anything extra!!  For me, it's a game-changer, folks.  I'm sure, at some point, there will likely be a "fee" associated with the service, but until then, I'm sold.  And when that time does come, I'd likely still be sold.  

Now, one final thing...Walmart Grocery currently has it to where you can earn a $10 referral credit for each friend that signs up and places their first order (each friend gets a $10 credit, too)!  Talk about a way to "earn" free groceries/save money.  So, go ahead and sign up HERE to get started on your Walmart Grocery addition ;-)