Grocery Store Pick-Up Service May Save You Money

• With grocery store pick-up, you order your groceries online or using your local grocery store’s app.
• You choose a delivery window (usually within 24 hours) to pull up to the store and pick up your order. 
• A store associate shops for your items and bring them out to your car.

My mother and grandmother judge me for spreading the gospel of grocery pick-up. They can’t bear to think about somebody else choosing their precious apples, bananas, or produce. I, on the other hand, am a stereotypical millennial. I want to take a picture on the 'Gram of the lovely meal that I prepared, but I don’t want to go into the store and buy the ingredients. I’m too busy securing and growing my bag. 💅🏿

What is a grocery pick-up?

With grocery store pick-up, you order your groceries online or using your local grocery store’s app. You choose a delivery window (usually within 24 hours) to pull up to the store and pick up your order. A store associate shops for your items and bring them out to your car.

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Grocery store pick may be an excellent option for you if the following describes you:

• You are someone who brings home the money to buy the bacon but do not have enough hours in the day to purchase the actual bacon from the store.

• You are a shopaholic who risks it all every time you step in a store.

• You are a parent, and a grocery store trip with the kids leaves you with a headache and extra spending.

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Why grocery pickup works for me!

It helps me stick to my budget and avoid food waste.

I usually head to the grocery store when there is nothing left in my fridge. I end up walking through the aisles and pick up one extra item here, something I always wanted to try there. All of these extra items outside of my list add up.

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When I choose the grocery store pick-up, I find that I spend at least $15 less on each grocery store trip. With a grocery store pickup, I can review my online cart. When I double-check my online cart, I am more likely to get real with myself about what I need. If I see that my cart is $20 over budget, then I am more likely to go back and cut items until I hit my original budget.

In addition to the $15 saved each trip, grocery store pickup saves me because it keeps me from dining out while I work up the strength to go food shopping.

It saves me time

I’m busy. I’m a single, working woman, so everything to keep my fed, healthy, clothed, and sheltered falls on my shoulders. I realize that I am not superwoman, and sometimes I need help. Some of my work has to be outsourced. My budget is tight, so this outsourcing has to be as cheap as possible. Grocery pick-up is either free or a reasonable cost that fits my lifestyle.

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I frequently receive upgrades

The substitutions are the best part of grocery store pick-up for me. I will usually choose the cheapest version of whatever grocery product that I am buying. Most grocery pick-up services let you choose an option to get a substitution if your item is not available. Since I always choose the cheaper version, when I get substitutions, it’s an upgrade to a more pricey brand or larger quantity than I originally ordered. One time, I paid for a three-pound bag of potatoes and received four pounds because the store had run out of the size I had initially chosen. You couldn’t tell me that this gift wasn’t better than Christmas.

Nothing is perfect...

Some grocery chains offer pick-up services for free while others charge you a fee, and it’s best practice to factor in a tip for the grocery store employee. The grocery store that I use costs $5 per pickup. There are opportunities to get the fee waived; for example, my first three pickups were free, and the store offered free pick-up during the holidays.

I figured a way to get around this. Since I am shopping for one person, my grocery budget is not very high--if I get charged the $5 pick-up fee too often, then it may end up costing me too much. So, I order pickup no more than twice a month because I personally do not like paying for the fee more than twice.

What are ways that you save money on necessities? Leave a comment below or chat with us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.