During the pandemic, my family is minimizing as much as possible direct contact with others. We’re staying home, going out only when necessary, and staying away from other people when we do go out. To purchase groceries and other items, we’re ordering online. Earlier this week, I reviewed our experiences with Walmart pickup.

Today, we picked up an order from a local supermarket chain, Cub Foods. We had to chose a pickup slot about five days out. We placed a small order initially, and kept adding to it during the week. For our Walmart order, we had to make any final changes about 12 hours before the pickup time. With Cub, we were able to make changes up until the last minute.

When our order was being shopped, we received a text alerting us. We were able to log in to the app (or to the website, which I used) and chat directly with the person doing the shopping. When a product was out of stock, we were given a suggestion for a replacement product which we could either accept or decline. In a couple of cases, she texted us and asked for our choice.

A few items (rice, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper) were completely out of stock, and we were informed. We were informed when she was finished, and at the store, we alerted them that we were there using the app. The employee loaded the groceries into our car, with no personal contact needed. Unlike at Walmart, we didn’t need to sign in, and it was possible to stay back several feet.

One big advantage of Cub was that the whole pickup took place without any close contact with the employee.  We opened the door, and he loaded the groceries.  At Walmart, there was the additional step of having to sign for the order on a small tablet computer, meaning that there was some chance of contamination.  Update:  As of March 25, Walmart is no longer requiring you to sign for the order.  At Cub, you identify your car on the app (including the license number), so there is no need to sign personally.  The employee simply comes out to the right car and delivers your groceries.

Walmart had two advantages over Cub. First of all, it was possible to get a slot slightly sooner. It appears that slots open up at midnight (local time, I’m guessing) and you can make reservations for the next day. It appears that with Cub, you need to make the reservation about five days out. Also, with Walmart, it appears that you can purchase any item in the store. So if you need items such as hardware, electronics, or even clothing, Walmart would be the best option. Since Cub is a grocery store, you’re limited to mostly groceries. (However, like any major supermarket, Cub always has a small selection of non-grocery items.) Also, Walmart has somewhat lower prices overall.

Despite those advantages of Walmart, we preferred Cub. Being able to communicate with the shopper with respect to substitutions was a very nice touch. If you think of an item at the last minute, you can add it in.

At Walmart, most of the substitutions were very reasonable, and we did have the opportunity to reject them. But there was no mechanism to ask for a different replacement. With Cub, that was possible.  At Walmart, you reject any substitutions when you’re picking up your order, with no opportunity to get a different replacement.

To chat with the shopper while your order is being filled, you of course have to be available online at the right time. When life gets back to normal, perhaps that will be difficult. For the time being, though, that’s not a problem.

Of course, unlike at Walmart, nobody crashed into our car when we were picking up items at Cub. But that’s hardly the store’s fault. We’ll probably use Walmart again if we’re in more of a hurry or need non-grocery items. Their service was very good. But for most of our grocery needs during this crisis, we’ll probably rely on Cub.

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During the pandemic, my family wants to keep to an absolute minimum our direct interaction with others. If they’re infected, I don’t want to catch it. And just as important, if I’m infected, I don’t want to spread it to them. To minimize the amount of shopping we need to do, I’ve decided to alternate between online orders at local stores, and Amazon orders.  I think we have enough supplies for the duration, but it’s nice to maintain our normal diet, including things such as fresh milk and bread.

Today, I picked up our first  Walmart order, which was more or less a normal weekly grocery order, including milk bread, soft drinks, and canned goods. We happened to need some superglue, so we added it to the order, showing that you can order anything in the store.

I placed the original order online on Friday afternoon, and picked it up today (Monday). This was the earliest slot available, so the process does require some planning. As of today, no slots were available, and the website asked me to check later. So perhaps this is our one and only order. At the very least, the process does require some planning. However, once you reserve the slot and place the order, you are able to add and remove items from the order, up to about 12 hours before the pickup time.

Update:  The Walmart site seems to have changed since I posted this.  You can now make reservations only for “today” and “tomorrow.”  The best bet seems to be to check the site right after midnight.  For example, if you check at midnight Monday night/Tuesday morning, you’ll be able to reserve a slot for Wednesday.

Today, I received an e-mail telling me that my order was ready. The e-mail instructed me to check in on their app to let them know I was on the way, so I installed the app on my tablet. It turns out, however, that this is unnecessary. You can simply proceed to the store, park in the designated area, and then call from your car to the number posted there.

A couple of minutes after calling, the Walmart associate came out with our order and loaded it into the car.  It was a well organized process.  Our bags were in tubs labeled with my name.  I noticed that some were marked “cold,” and some “ambient.”  I apologized for not helping her load it, but I explained that I didn’t want to risk contaminating her.  I did have to sign on a small tablet computer.  Update:  As of March 25, you no longer need to sign for the order.  I was able to stand back 6+ feet the entire time.  I got out my hand sanitizer, and sanitized my hands immediately after doing so.

When placing the order, I was able to select whether I would be willing to accept a substitution for items. Some items were out of stock, and I received a substitute item. In most cases, the substitute was a slightly different brand, size, or flavor. For example, they were out of the two-pound package of white cheddar cheese, so I received two one-pound packages of sharp cheddar, for one cent less than my original order.

The only case where the substitute wasn’t useful was our order of a spray can of Lysol (which we were ordering for a neighbor). In the case, they gave us Febreeze, which really wasn’t useful. However, the choices were e-mailed to us, and we had the option of removing the item. I told the associate that if it was difficult, not to bother, but she quickly found the item, scanned it in, and we were credited for the amount.

We ordered a package of toilet paper and were hopeful that we would get it, but it was out of stock and no substitution was available.  We also ordered a container of Ensure for an elderly friend, but it was also unavailable.

Overall, the process worked very well.  If it remains available during the current national emergency, we’ll definitely make use of it again.

The only glitch was, upon leaving, another customer backed into my car.  Despite what sounded like a loud crunching sound, it left only a small dent in the rear door.  I’m sure if I took it to a body shop and let them know the other driver’s insurance would pick up the tab, they would gladly replace the door for hundreds of dollars.  On the other hand, it’s a twelve year old car, and I doubt if I’ll pursue the matter.

In the car, I had a pencil and sheet of paper, so I tore it in half, wrote my information on one half, and then had the other driver do the same.  When she was finished, I had her keep the pencil.  She was apologetic, and in better times, I would have shaken hands before we left.  In the time of pandemic, we just went our ways.

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