Grocery Shopping Made Easier- Guest Blogger Brittany Doering

Oh, the grocery store! A place of wonder and delight. Unless you’re me, that is. In that case, the grocery store is a dreadful place of screaming toddler meltdowns and budget-blowing impulse purchases. My family lives a hyper-scheduled chaos-filled life, and I just don’t have time to aimlessly roam the grocery store aisles hunting for hard-to-find items while corralling children.  Low and behold, that feared toddler meltdown was averted because I discovered something beautiful right in my own backyard: Wal-Mart Grocery Pick-Up. Say that three times fast and a genie will appear and grant all of your wishes.

I knew of friends in cities nearby trying out the service at Wal-Mart’s competitors but none that had tried Wal-Mart itself. It was like a mystical secret club that I desperately wanted needed to be a part of. I decided to take the plunge head first. You’re welcome, friends.

 First things first, place your order. I hopped online to www.walmart.com and selected an available pick up time slot. You’re given a one hour window to pick up your groceries. Once that was hashed out, I was able to browse my store’s selection of foods. Everything from dairy, produce, paper goods, organics, baby items, canned goods, frozen items, snacks, deli meat, beverages and all the in-between. Produce and deli meat are sold by the pound. In this magical, virtual land, there are no additional fees and the prices are the same as those found in the store! The best part about it being virtual was that I was not tempted to make impulse purchases. I stuck to my list and budget! Sorry, junk food but you’re not hitching a ride on my hips this week. The only requirement is a $30 minimum order. Once you’ve added your desired items to your basket, you simply check out. That’s it. No waiting in line. No kids endlessly begging for candy bars and soda that no one needs. None of that. Not here! I placed my order around 5 pm and was allowed to log in and make changes until 12:00 am. I appreciate that flexibility, Wal-Mart. Did I mention that I did all of this while helping my kids with their homework at my kitchen table? Oh the glory!   I slept peacefully knowing that my most tedious task for the following day was nearly complete!

 The next morning, I received a call an hour before my pick-up window from my very friendly “personal shopper” letting me know that she had done my dirty work.  She gave me parking instructions for the store to let me know where to pick up the goods. She asked what time to expect me and then advised me to call 10 minutes prior to arrival so that they could be sure and have my order ready to deliver.

I called again once I arrived at the store to let them know what numbered space I was in. I was bursting with excitement as I waited no more than 5 minutes for my super hero errr…..I mean “personal shopper” to head out with my purchases.  

Hallelujah!!! Out she came with my bagged groceries in neatly organized blue bins.

She lovingly handed me my bread and eggs which were marked with a “fragile” sticker to put safely in the front seat, y'all.

Since I was a first time customer, my friendly shopper handed me a goody bag full of samples. It just kept getting better and better!

 She loaded it all in my trunk with a great, big smile. I was not tired nor did I need chocolate to ease my stress because I did not lift a single, solitary finger. That means I had plenty of energy to do the unloading at home.

 I was very skeptical about quality but I have to say that my personal shopper nailed it! My bananas and tomatoes were delicately picked. My salami was sliced beautifully for epic sandwich making. Nearly everything in my order was accounted for. The only thing completely missing was 2 lbs of peaches. Another slight glitch was a substitution for the gargantuan jar of Best Maid Pickles that I had originally ordered. They had to be replaced by another (non-Texan) brand. I like my pickles from Texas, ya’ll. My shopper placed a sticker that said “substitution” on the outside of the bag that had the impostor pickles.

My shopper never mentioned that my preferred pickles and peaches didn’t make it to my order but that’s okay. I’m guessing they were out of season, stock, whatever. Who cares. I didn’t have to step foot in a grocery store. Now you don’t have to either, friends. Dive in with me and follow this link to Save $10 on your first order! 

Brittany is a wine-drinking lover of Jesus who was born and raised in Arlington. She loves exploring the sights of DFW with her 3 preciously crazy children and lovingly devoted hubby. She is an independent social media consultant by day and a semi-super mom by night. You can get in touch with her at brittanyd@encompasssocialmedia.com         Photo Credit: Ashley Rutland Photography