Walmart (Canada) has started offering subscriptions for “free” shipping for under $10 a month. The cost of gas to go there a few times a month would be more than the subscription fee.
Since I normally bike to get groceries, this isn’t really a factor, but the idea of getting groceries shipped over the winter seems like a nice idea.
Does anyone here use these grocery store shipping subscriptions? Is it worth strategically getting it for a few months out of the year?
I can’t comment on Walmart’s version, but it’s been a good deal for me on other services.
A possibly hidden cost to keep in mind is there may be a person doing the delivery who survives on tips (if same day delivery is part of the service).
If it’s just shipping, it tends to be a good deal because they’re just shipping directly to you instead of first to a store, then to you. So they save a lot on the supply end, and cash pass some of that to you.
As someone already mentioned, it’s luck if the draw if you order something like fresh fruit, of course.
Walmart clearly states no tips, so that’s one cost out of the equation.
Yes, this is my biggest concern. This applies to pick-up orders, too, unfortunately.
I can’t speak to the delivery aspect, but I almost always do pickup orders nowadays. With respect to the produce, the only area I’ve had troubles with is when I order pre-bagged produce like potatoes, apples, or oranges that come in 3 or 5 pound bags. In those cases about half the time I would get a bag that had a bad apple or potato in it where if I’d been shopping in person I would’ve dug around to find a better bag.
My solution has been to order individual apples and potatoes. Doing it this way I haven’t had any issues. The other tip I would offer is use their “choose a substitution” option for the items you order. That way you can let the shopper know what to do if something is out of stock instead of relying on their best guess.