These services that are supposed to make life easy, doesn't always happen that way. I too have spent hours on the phone with first trying to contact customer service, then having to straighten things out.
Just to finish up the story, the groceries finally did arrive. Actually they arrived fairly early yesterday, but they didn’t put them on the porch, so we had no idea that they had left them on the walkway ramp, where we could not see them. Walmart customer service kept insisting that the delivery person had sent a picture of “something green, like grass”. Eventually, I remembered that Bobby had used that indoor/outdoor carpet that looks like grass on the ramp, so that I would be less likely to slip. Since I already cancelled the walmart+ account, I won’t be asking for delivery service anymore anyway, and we can do the drive by pickup with out having walmart+. If I need delivery, I will use instacart, who seems to be much more reliable.
No, I spend less, a lot less. I Buy only what I need and the store offers instant coupons on the item I am buying or instantly offer an alternative product at a lesser value. Publix offers buy one get one free on a lot of items. Walmart, Kroger and Publix are the best in my area.
Hey, Rachel! Welcome to the forum! If you'd like, you can go to our Introduction group and tell us about yourself, and peruse the other "Hello, I have arrived!" threads to get to know a little about the rest of us and where we're from. It is here. In any event, it's nice to have you here. And it's interesting to add you to the list of my contemporaries who shop this way...I do not.
Except for this thread, I've never heard of Instacart. I wouldn't do Walmart Plus because I hate Walmart, particularly the food section because everything they sell there is tasteless, but I don't like much else that they sell there, either. I did try to shop online at Walmart once when there was something that Michelle wanted there. Our nearest Walmart is about twenty-five miles away in Lincoln, and it's one of the small ones. While I was shopping, I ordered a few other things as well, maybe so that I'd have enough for free shipping, but I don't remember. Then, when I got to the checkout part of the site, I found there were two items that they wouldn't deliver, although there was nothing to indicate that when I put them into my shopping cart. Since they wanted me to drive to Lincoln for those two items, the whole online shopping thing didn't make any sense to me. If I wanted to drive to Lincoln, I could shop in the store and bring it all home at one time. I abandoned my shopping cart and never logged into the Walmart site again.
especially for groceries, I am too much of a control freak to order on line. I have ordered from Walmart and amazon to get some stuff with little difficulty. I was surprised that walmart items had a photo emailed so I could find them. the amazon people leave them like easter eggs for me to find. In the garage, in front of the garage, on the porch, next to most anything...
I had my HVAC guy out yesterday. He's jettisoned all of his crews and gone back to flying solo. His wife is his field helper, his receptionist, his scheduler and his biller. She does it all using a cellphone-based small business service while on the road with him in his van. They have 4 kids: 2 of "their own" and 2 adopted. They love ordering their groceries for pickup (we're too spread out here for delivery) while on the road. This convenience has become a necessary component to make their daily lives function. Personally, I like grocery shopping because I like cooking...it's all part of the experience. Even when I was working, my life was not all that time-compressed. Now I'm retired, my shopping trips are what get me off of the compound and force me to interact with other humans. Regardless, I still like selecting my own produce and meats. If I get a head of marginal lettuce delivered, I have no idea if the Picker was lazy or if that was the best the store had to offer that day.
I agree picking your groceries is the best way to shop, however during the peak of covid I use the shopping Service and I had one shopper that got to know me and what I liked and she was phenomenal. Example If she was searching for meat and wasn't sure if it met my requirements she would take multiple pictures and text them to me. After a while she got to know what I liked and I never had a problem with her or what she selected. One time they were out of stock on an item she happened to have it in her car she gave it to me and would not you accept money for it. I made up for it by leaving a cash tip for her next time she shopped.
I'm pretty picky about stuff but I love the grocery delivery service. Their order entry has drop-down selections for things like bananas; you can choose if you want them green or ripe. If something they deliver is not to my liking they quickly refund my money for that item.