I’ve got a question for you! Do you do grocery store pick-up, or do you actually go into the store to do your shopping?
I’ve been doing grocery pick-up for my large, weekly shopping order almost entirely since 2019. I was a bit hesitant to try it at first, but when I finally took the leap to do it, I was in love! I put my order into my grocery store app during the week when I have time and then BAM! I drive to the store and someone brings my order out to me. What’s not to like about that?
Well, after a few trips, I started to notice things I wasn’t so crazy about… But to start on a positive note, here’s what I love about grocery pick-up:
- I don’t have to go into the store! When I was single and then married without kids, I loved grocery shopping. I’d use a list, but often I’d just pick up what I thought my husband and I would like to eat for the week. I loved looking at the new products and carefully picking out my produce. After adding two kids to the mix, spending an hour in the grocery store each week with two little ones was no longer a fun or enjoyable experience for anyone.
- I save time! It used to take me about an hour to do the weekly grocery shopping trip. While not an exorbitant amount of time, it sure is nice to have that hour back to do something else!
- Sometimes the item substitutions are really good! Occasionally they gave excellent substitutes when they were out of what I ordered. I’ve had them give me items twice the size of what I ordered or even upgraded to name brand or organic. These surprises are always welcome! I’ve even had them give us something like holiday cupcakes for free once the holiday has passed!
- I almost always get what’s on my list! It’s easy to make sure I have everything on my list because I can do my shopping in the comfort of my home! I hardly ever place an order without items I need. I shop at Kroger and can add items to my list until midnight the night before I go.
- I save money! I find I’m able to use more coupons and make better price comparisons. Also, no impulse buys get added to the cart because I’m not at the store to see them!
Here’s what I don’t love about grocery pick up:
- Forgotten Items – Occasionally, they will forget an item. One time they didn’t put my entire refrigerated portion of my order in my trunk! Having to go back to the store once I got home was not fun… but this has been an isolated incident.
- Issues with Produce/Dairy – Sometimes, the produce is not the freshest or what I would have picked. This is my biggest frustration with grocery pick-up and what often makes me think I’ll stop doing it. They frequently give me produce that is past its prime and sometimes, sadly, even a bit moldy. The other week I was given a gallon of milk that expired the same day I picked it up, which wasn’t fun. This is the biggest headache for me because it’s wasted money. Yes, I could go back and get a refund, but that sort of defeats the purpose of saving time with grocery pick-up, right?
Despite the negatives listed above, I’ve continued grocery pick-up. Why you might ask? Well, I just can’t get past the convenience of it! Maybe one of these days, when my kids are older, or they’re both in school I’ll spend the time to actually go into the store, but for now, the convenience of grocery pick-up has me hooked!
