Curbside grocery pickup available at some Walmarts
Published 12:12 am Thursday, February 15, 2018
New technology at Walmart could change people’s entire shopping experience, reducing the amount of time spent in the story and eventually including curbside grocery pickup.
“Eventually we’ll have it where people will order from the website and have their things bagged by associates. Even groceries,” local Walmart manager Earl Albrooks said.
“So our associates will go throughout the store, pick up the freshest produce, bag it and walk it to the customer’s car. Then the customer will pay by a handheld device or they will have paid from the app.”
These will all make shopping easier, Albrooks said.
“I think it’s a great idea. It’s very easy for our customers and it’s honestly the way of the future,” he said.
Although the curbside pickup is still in the testing process, there are several Walmart stores in North Alabama and Tennessee that already offer the feature. Pensacola was among the markets in which the service was first launched last year.
Until the new technology arrives at the local Walmart, there are several other options to make a shopping experience easier.
Walmart has offered store pickup for several years now, store manager Albrooks said.
“What you do is you place an order on our website and we will have it ready within a certain time,” Albrooks said.
“It’s really convenient for our customers, for busy moms or those who don’t like to shop.”
Albrooks says the pickup option is a good way to speed up shopping processes.
“You just come in the store and have your things ready for you,” he said.
Along with pickup, there are other ways to make a shopping experience easier.
“We have Walmart pay, which is made so you can keep track of your purchases and your spending by scanning a code on your receipt.”
Walmart pay also gives customers a peace of mind when checking out.
“You pay from your phone with a pin and a QRC code. Then you’ll get a receipt sent to your phone,” Albrooks said.
“You can pay without your wallet,” he said.
There’s also a Savings Catcher, Albrooks said.
“The Savings Catcher is an app that compares with local competitors and gives you the difference back,” he said.
The difference is then put on a gift card that can be used to make purchases through Walmart.
“We also have the express money services, which allows you to transfer money through a safe and secure app. Another app we have is Pharmacy Express Pickup which allows you to refill a prescription using the app, giving you a notification when it is done,” Albrooks said.