Curbside grocery store pickup is convenient but comes with some downsides. Here’s what you need to know.
Published: July 21, 2023
Writers: Jessica Walrack
Link: https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/articles/what-to-know-before-you-try-grocery-pickup
If you’re the main grocery shopper for your family, you might be growing tired of the weekly – or sometimes biweekly – trips to the grocery store.
Enter grocery pickup.
“Grocery store pickup is a good option for a lot of people,” says Caitlin Self, licensed dietitian/nutritionist, certified nutrition specialist and creator of the Frugal Nutrition food blog. “It can save a lot of time.”
It also helps you avoid impulse buys like the products displayed on the ends of aisles that can sometimes find their way into your cart, she says.
But there are a few things to be aware of before jumping on the grocery pickup bandwagon. Here’s a look at how grocery pickups work at various popular stores – and the downsides involved.
How Do Grocery Pickups Work Through Amazon?
Amazon now sells groceries through a partnership with Whole Foods. You simply add your groceries to your Amazon cart, choose a time slot to pick them up and head to your nearest Whole Foods to retrieve them. You’ll pay a fee only if you spend less than $35.
How Do Grocery Pickups Work at Walmart?
Walmart offers curbside grocery pickup for free. You just need to place an order online and choose a time slot, then Walmart employees shop for the order and bring the groceries out to your car at the allotted time.
How Do Grocery Pickups Work at Aldi?
To pick up the groceries at Aldi, you just place an online order, choose a time slot, pull into the designated pickup area and follow the directions listed on the posted signage. The company does, however, charge a small fee on all pickup orders to offset the cost of fulfilling them.
How Do Grocery Pickups Work at Target?
Free grocery pickup is available through Target’s app. When your order is ready, you can head inside to Guest Services or to the designated parking spaces. If you order an item that must be shipped to the store, keep in mind that it can take anywhere from four to seven days.
The Cons of Grocery Pickups
Grocery pickup is a convenient way to get your goods without having to go into the store and load them into your cart. There are, however, a couple of downsides to it.
You Might Miss Out on the Best Produce or Deals
If you’re on a tight budget or picky about your produce, you might consider whether grocery pickup is the best option for you.
Using a shopper in a grocery pickup service also eliminates your ability to pick your produce and meat.
For instance, she says maybe your shopper chose a bag of spinach due to expire tomorrow but you were planning on using it three days later. Or maybe the shopper got you some avocados that you wanted for tomorrow’s dinner but they won’t be ripe for another few days.
“That’s a downside for a lot of people,” Self says.
Still, for people who are flexible with the timing of their meals and have some wiggle room in their budget, a grocery pickup or two can still be a net positive, she adds.
Another issue could be you might not be getting the best deal.
“If you want to cost compare – to squat down and look at the things that aren’t on that prime shelving space that are going to be cheaper – you don’t really have that option,” Self says, adding that this could be mitigated by doing some research about the best budget-friendly brands.
Timing Can Also Be an Issue
Different stores have different policies when it comes to scheduling pickups; there are also different policies for being late for your pickup or not showing up.
To avoid any hiccups with your order, it’s best to be punctual. If you miss your pickup window, be sure to note the grocery store’s policies, which might range from rescheduling it to canceling it.
You’ll also want to take into account the time of year and day of the week you’re scheduling pickups.
“Anytime you expect it to be busy at the grocery store, you’re also probably going to have difficulty getting a grocery order quickly,” Self says.
The days leading up to Thanksgiving, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July are usually pretty busy at grocery stores, so those times might be more difficult to get a pickup order as well.
In addition, Saturdays and Sundays are typically busier than weekdays, so you may find that stores are slower to prepare orders on those days.
Is Grocery Pickup Right for You?
A the end of the day, getting your groceries via pickup or the old-fashioned way depends on your priorities.
Is it more important to save money and choose your products in person, or would you rather sacrifice on those fronts to save some time? If it’s the latter on a particular day, grocery pickup might be a helpful solution for you.
Commentary
