Grocery Store Pick Up Rated

Walmart - 4 stars out of 5

I've been using it for almost a year, here's the pros and cons:

Pros:

* The minimum buy is $35 and I can usually hit that twice a month.  Our primary grocery shopping is at Aldi and I use the Walmart pick up for anything I can't buy at Aldi or want name brands such as Old El Paso Enchilada sauce, Starbucks espresso beans, brand name cereals, Great Value Garlic Bread, Jalapeno Cheddar sausages, brand name chips and the occasional soda, and Walmart has a much better ice cream selection.

* You can also ask for things like school supplies, toys, bedding and containers.  I think you can order anything in the store but I mostly stick with groceries with a few others thrown in.  I've even ordered deli meat but it has to be one pound increment to start.  That's fine, we can go through a pound of deli meat in one week.  

* They are super professional and hard workers at our local Walmart.  The first couple of times I wanted to give them a hug because they were so warm and friendly.  If I only had this when my babies were in car seats!  

Cons:

* Sometimes an item is available on the app but when you get to pick up they either don't have it or will offer a substitute.  Usually they will send an email so you can be aware before going.  At the beginning of Covid-19 it was so prevalent that I stopped using pick up for awhile.

* If an item isn't available like a toy, and you were shopping in the store you could get something else.  The one time I tried this it was for a birthday party and it was really inconvenient to have to then go into the store when I wasn't planning on it so I've ultimately avoided items that can cause greater stress by just getting food that is not urgently needed that day.  

* The app doesn't track our vehicle correctly so when we get there the system shows we are still in transit, that can cause delays.  I hope they get this fixed soon.

Target - 4 out of 5

Pros:

* There doesn't appear to be a minimum requirement for pick up order.  I've ordered just under $20, then I placed an order that was half pick up and half delivery for items not in store.  

* You can go any time in 3 days from order placement and just let them know you are coming through the app. This super beats Walmart because they require you to schedule almost a day in advance, during the early days of Covid-19 it might be a three day wait.  I really love scheduling it whenever I happen to be in the area within the time frame.

* They are really strict about no touch.  My first visit I didn't know and the girl was new so she handed me the bag, the next time I was told they must put it in the car.  Then I have to reach around to grab the bag and make sure everything is there but safety is important.

Cons:

* In my last order, I purchased 8 bags of masks for the kids.  Out of the 8, six items had a message that masks were resized for better fit.  The two that did not have the message did not fit well.  Those are the two going back!  I kinda wish the person picking them out had thought to only give me the ones with the message to be consistent but that's the kind of detail I might bring to a shopping trip and that's one small thing you give up when asking a total stranger to do your shopping for you.  

Lowes - 5 out of 5

There doesn't appear to be a limit for pick up.  I ordered a $10 chair and it was fine.

They have the same policy as Target, order and tell them you are coming through the app.  I've been there twice now and each time it went smoothly.  The first time a guy was stationed outside and as soon as we pulled up he came right over and then went to get my item.  The second time I waited 15 minutes for a guy to show up but he did come out with my items.  It was a longer wait than normal but it was Labor Day so I won't ding them a star for that.

Aldi - 1 out of 5

Aldi, uses Instacart for pick up and they charge a hefty mark up for their efforts.  I realized this because I memorize prices and while putting items into the online cart I noticed ground meat was $3.85 and I last paid $3.39.  That's a 20% mark up!  I quickly discarded the cart and went there in person.  Aldi's in store prices are great, and this might be helpful to someone who cannot do their own shopping but I'm not willing to pay a mark up.  The sad thing is on their website they advertise free pick up and I think that's hugely misleading.