When I was the mom of three littles, I remember wishing that there was a drive thru somewhere where I could pick up milk, bread, and eggs. Staple items. Necessities. But, honestly, unbuckling three kids out of three car seats, walking like a flock of ducks through the parking lot, and shopping with three in tow was just so much effort for just a few groceries. I remember wondering if I could somehow convince the pharmacy tech at Walgreens to sell me a dozen eggs with my prescription.
Could someone have pity on the mom with three littles who needs just a handful of groceries?
Fast forward 14 years and somehow my wish has been answered. At Sam’s, it’s called Club Pick Up. At Dillon’s, it’s CheckList. At WalMart, it’s Grocery Pick Up. I call it a Godsend, a blessing deserved by all parents and caregivers.
Here’s how it works for me:
At night, after Little One goes to bed, I get online and place my order. I click on milk, lunch meat, eggs, produce, shampoo, tampons, cereal, paper towels, dog food … whatever I need. I choose an available time to schedule my pickup the next day and submit my order. Then, I drive to the store at the appropriate time, pull into a marked parking space, call the number on the parking lot sign, and within minutes some angel comes to my car with my groceries and loads it all into my car. Sometimes I get out of the car to help load; sometimes I don’t.
Seriously, this is a dream come true.
I’ve used three different locations in East Wichita. If you’re considering using this service, here are my pros and cons of each store – hopefully they can help you out!
Sam’s Club Pick Up
Pros:
- no minimum order
- no added service fee
- pick up times as early as 7AM (which is perfect for the days I needed to bring snacks for school – I order at night and pick up first thing in the morning)
- text messages to inform you when your items are pulled and ready for pick up
- well marked parking spaces near the main exit door
Cons:
- Be sure you pay for your order online. There’s an option to pay at the club, but it you choose that you (gasp!) have to walk inside and pay.
- no paper receipt, only an emailed one
Dillon’s ClickList
Pros:
- a place to leave comments by each item when you order (so you can type directions such as “green bananas”, “firm avocados”)
- ability to avoid all parking lot traffic since the ClickList parking spots are at the rear of the building
- pay when you pick up so you can use coupons
- great customer service (If you have a problem with your order, call the store and they will resolve the issue.)
- paper receipt given to you at delivery
Cons:
- $4.95 service fee (but I’ve ordered a few times now and have never paid a fee – not really sure how that happens)
- no signs to direct you for ClickList (I drove around the main parking lot for several minutes the first time I looked for ClickList)
- no communication except an email to say your order was received (I used Dillon’s service after the other two store, so not receiving any communication was a little worrisome for me.)
WalMart Grocery Pick Up
Pros:
- communication – an associate calls you 30 minutes before your scheduled pick up; they ask you to call when you’re ten minutes away; you call when you’re in a parking spot
- no service fee (with a minimum $30 order)
- referral rewards (Here’s a coupon code for $10 off your first order.)
- no tipping policy
- reserve a pick up time before you complete the order (to be sure a convenient time is available for you)
Cons:
- customers who are not grocery pick up customers park in the marked spots (but there’s six spots, so there’s still places to park)
- WalMart parking lot is busy and the pick up is by the west entrance doors.
- only two associates working (so the wait might be longer if they are helping other customers)
Overall, the three services are comparable to me.
- The associates are friendly at each location.
- The time from call to delivery to my car averages about five minutes.
- Although they only substitute when the originally ordered item is not available and they match the price of the item you chose, if you are picky about your items, be sure to click “no substitutions” or you might be disappointed.
- Ordering on-line is easy.
- A great budgeting tool, as you only purchase what you need and you stick to your list
At Dillons the first three times you order it’s free. That could explain why you have to had to pay the little extras. And there’s no tip policy at Dillons either. They actually say no tipping necessary 🙂