Walmart Groceries: It was good while it lasted.

[TheMastersSon]

The last year or two we've been ordering quite a bit of our non-perishable food from Walmart's online store, because prices have been great and also because the supermarket experience in our area has become something between unbearable and traumatic. But today we discovered prices have suddenly been raised 30% (or more in some cases) across the board for food on their site.

 

Or sort of raised. The site has now added an "in store price" for many items, unsurprisingly these prices are exactly what their online prices used to be -- while the same items shipped will cost you an extra 30% on top of their existing shipping charge (which in fairness isn't bad, $6 for orders under $35 and free otherwise). But I'm curious to know how much of this 30% is justified by extra costs, if any, and how much is due to mere pressure from their brick and mortar stores. I assume the latter are not huge fans of online purchasing. With this one change they've instantly eliminated the major reason for buying online from them. :sad:

Edited November 7, 2017 by TheMastersSon

[HeyYou]

The last year or two we've been ordering quite a bit of our non-perishable food from Walmart's online store, because prices have been great and also because the supermarket experience in our area has become something between unbearable and traumatic. But today we discovered prices have suddenly been raised 30% (or more in some cases) across the board for food on their site.

 

Or sort of raised. The site has now added an "in store price" for many items, unsurprisingly these prices are exactly what their online prices used to be -- while the same items shipped will cost you an extra 30% on top of their existing shipping charge (which in fairness isn't bad, $6 for orders under $35 and free otherwise). But I'm curious to know how much of this 30% is justified by extra costs, if any, and how much is due to mere pressure from their brick and mortar stores. I assume the latter are not huge fans of online purchasing. With this one change they've instantly eliminated the major reason for buying online from them. :sad:

It's more about convenience, than saving money..... Initially, the introduced the service with lower pricing, to get folks to try it/get used to it. Then, once folks decided they liked the ease and simplicity of ordering online, and just having the stuff 'show up', they raised their prices to increase the profit margin. Just a standard marketing trick.

[Kanori24]

Oh god I HATE going grocery shopping. I've been thinking of using this service for a while. Really, when I go, it's just to get like a week's supply because I just can't stand being in there any longer. I've never used the pickup service before. So what's happened? Did the online prices suddenly go up? Did I read correct that they were once lower than in-store but are now equal?

[MalachiDelacot]

Oh god I HATE going grocery shopping. < snip >

I don't mind the shopping; I dislike crowds of people.

I go early in the morning, before the teeming masses

of rude, rushed arseholes arrive....

[TheMastersSon]

Oh god I HATE going grocery shopping. I've been thinking of using this service for a while. Really, when I go, it's just to get like a week's supply because I just can't stand being in there any longer. I've never used the pickup service before. So what's happened? Did the online prices suddenly go up? Did I read correct that they were once lower than in-store but are now equal?

Prices were once equal for both in-store and online, and now online prices are often 30% higher, although it depends on the item... The more in demand it is, the higher the markup. E.g. our favorite flavor of Peet's Coffee used to be $8 both in store and online, now it's just under $10 online but still the same $8 in Walmart stores.

 

For you and others who're considering it, I can offer a few tips. First, in our experience you should avoid online ordering of food during the hottest summer months. Packages are subject to exposure to the elements including heat. Also, if your local mail and package handlers are as brutal as ours, forget about ordering items in large glass bottles. Or if you do try it, don't blame me for the results. Just keep in mind as you're selecting items that Walmart's packaging department doesn't care either. Also, corporate profit motive being the infinite beast it is, if you order any canned goods, look forward to many or most of them being dented. We routinely order two cans of something, one of them ships from the East Coast and the other from Reno NV. So I guess the call goes out nationwide for dented cans of whatever you've ordered and that's what they ship. A lack of any dented cans often results in an "out of stock" notice for the item. If you think I'm kidding about the above, we recently read one review on Walmart's own site where a guy ordered a dozen cans of something, 10 were dented to the point of unusability. Meanwhile the shipping box was in perfect condition. :D They do offer a no-questions-asked return policy so be prepared to use it for canned stuff.

 

Also on the plus side, we've never had problems with old product or expiration dates, in fact they're often better than what we've found in local Walmart stores. Most bagged, boxed, plastic-bottled etc items are fine, and even with the new online markups they're still very competitive with the major supermarket chains. It sure is nice having your food just show up on your doorstep, instead of being forced to listen to endless advertising and Michael Bolton screeching in your ears and a single open register for the 15 people standing in line etc.

Edited November 8, 2017 by TheMastersSon