If you’re prone to impulse buys, you’re more than likely picking up a few additional items than what’s on your weekly grocery list.
For one mother, Kroger’s grocery pickup service has solved that problem. Formerly called Clicklist, the service allows you to place an order online and then pick it up without having to get out of your car.
Here’s an excerpt from the comment that money-saving mom posted to Reddit:
“The biggest thing that helps my budget is Kroger’s Clicklist. Each week I will go over their sale ad, plan meals around that and shop, place my order online and go to pick up my order at their curb. I never step foot inside their store. This prevents me from overspending and sneaking junk food/toys/candy or other useless junk into the cart. It’s a pretty neat service. It does have a few hiccups but I am overall pretty satisfied.”
I’d seen billboards for Kroger Pickup, but I never paid much attention to them until I read this woman’s story. I always assumed that any premium service like this would increase my grocery bill.
This mother says the opposite has been true for her, so I decided to test it out. Read on for my experience…
Things to Know About Kroger’s Grocery Pickup Service
To get started, I went to Kroger.com to place an order. Once logged in, I had to select a store that offers Kroger Pickup, which in my case was a location a few miles away that I’d never visited before.
Next, I reserved a one-hour pickup window and started adding groceries to my virtual shopping cart.
I always shop with a grocery list to save money, so I found it easiest to just enter items into the search bar rather than browsing by departments. Either way, the process is pretty straightforward.
Kroger says prices shown on the website are the same as what you’d pay in the store — there’s no markup.
In addition to building your grocery list around the weekly ad, users can take advantage of paper and digital coupons for extra savings. Pay special attention to the “Pickup & Delivery Only” offers.
On the day of my first order, I received a free protein bar that was exclusively available to Kroger Pickup users.
After paying for my order online (credit, debit and SNAP EBT only), I drove to Kroger to pick up my groceries. Kroger suggests that you arrive during the middle of your time slot to beat the rush.
Once I parked in the designated space, I called the phone number on the sign to let the store associate know I arrived.
I opened the trunk and waited about five minutes for my order to be brought out to my car. The associate presented me with my receipt and checked to make sure that I was okay with a substitution that had to be made.
When you place your order with Kroger Pickup, you can decide if you’d like to allow substitutions.
The associate told me to add the phone number on the sign to my contacts because you can call that number if you need to make a change to your order or if you’re running late — items are always stored at the proper temperature.
After this brief orientation, my groceries were loaded into my car and I was on my way back home.
You may be wondering how much this costs. There’s normally a service fee that varies by region, but Kroger is waiving it due to the coronavirus pandemic.
I also wondered about tipping, so I checked Kroger’s website: “While it is appreciated, our associates do not accept tips.”
Final Thought
Overall, my first experience with Kroger Pickup was a good one. Ordering online through the website was a snap, signage at the store made finding the pickup area easy and my groceries were quickly brought to my car.
The biggest benefit is how much time it saves, which Kroger estimates to be about 30 minutes per pickup.
Have you tried Kroger Grocery Pickup yet? Let us know in the comments below about your experience and if you agree with the mom on Reddit who says it can save you money!
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