beware of Walmart online grocery substitutions

[MacFromOK]

It's also possible they run out of some items in between your order and pickup.

If someone has the last of an item in their cart and are still shopping, it won't show up in inventory until they check out (which could easily be 1/2 hour or more).


EDIT: @BobbyV posted while I was typing this, and pretty much covered it.
___

 

[okieshooter777]

if you get a sub and dont like it, click the return button online and keep the item and get a refund. easy peasy,. and get a free loaf

 

[yukonjack]

Depends. Are the telling you the stock available in the store to everyone and not just online customers?

There is no way they can receive your order and then go grab everything you said you wanted before others in-store might get to it.

They do not maintain a separate inventory for online grocery customers. If you regularly shop in WalMart you’ll see the order pullers pushing their carts down the same aisle as regular customers.

 

[AlongCameJones]

One thing I noticed doing the pick up is that the prices charged per item for pickup was higher than walking into the store myself. The item I noticed this on was peanut butter. It was about 25% for pick up. That was the last time I used pick up and was about 6 months ago.

There is no pickup charge on grocery totals in excess of $35. Even I with a bad heart can walk in the store to pick up a couple thing the old-fashioned way. I can't handle a full shopping wagon load of stuff, however.

 

[AlongCameJones]

if you get a sub and dont like it, click the return button online and keep the item and get a refund. easy peasy,. and get a free loaf

Thank you triple 7 for that easy peasy. I just requested a refund and got it! That 1-pound-loaf name-brand sub bread is now free for me to eat! I will just get refunds for subs from now on and just consume those subs! The sub bread didn't taste that bad. It did not have the strong caraway seed flavor I like from most rye breads I have eaten, that's all.

 

[Rooster1971]

It's nice you can order groceries online to pick up in the parking lot at no extra charge. They will substitute something for something else or you can specify a substitution for something when you order. I ordered generic new york rye bread online the other day. When I picked up the groceries, they "were out of" this bread and I got a loaf of Pepperidge Farm brand for the same price. The ripoff is that the name brand bread was only 16 ounces (1 pound). My generic rye, whenever they have it, is 24 ounces. I did not realize I got less bread for my money until I got home. I even like the taste of my generic rye better. From now on, I will specify a substitution for bread when I shop online. I would have rather gotten a 24 ounce loaf of generic potato bread for $1.88 than 50% less rye bread which doesn't even taste as good as what I buy ordinarily.

Walmart Online Grocery ordering needs to be improved too. The ordering system should be connected closely with store inventory. WalMart should know exactly how many loaves of a specific bread (things of Aim toothpaste or cans of Campbell's tomato soup) are on the shelves in each and every one of their stores with this being the hi-tec 21st century and all. The Wal-Mart ordering page should be able to accurately indicate what is in stock and out of stock at your own hometown wally-world you designate as your pickup store. Wal-Mart is the single wealthiest business in the world. Their stock control system should not be so lame. With computers, any retailer worth its salt should know exactly what they have on hand at all times.

Walmart calls it "Pickup and Delivery" service. It has a big inventory management flaw in it however.

You got 33% less rye bread not 50%. Walmart’s not the only one with math trouble. Real world problems.

 

[rc508pir]

Their computer system should accurately convey to the online customer what they have in stock and how many of each when the customer orders on line. There should be no need for this substitution crap. Does my store have ten 10.75 ounce cans of Campbells' tomato soup on hand or 105 50 ounce cans when I order? Their computers need to be taught how to count. The problem is their online ordering system, maybe. That system should tie in directly with store inventories.

There should be no surprises when I pick up my stuff ever.

You tell me why the Wally-World online shopping app lets me a order a particular item only to find out the store was "out of it" when I show up to pick my groceries up. Sometimes the shopping app will actually indicate when something is "out of stock". This out-of-stock indicator not consistent with all items however. It lead me to believe my rye bread was in stock when it really wasn't. Why didn't the shopping app know my bread was out of stock? It seems like an internal corporate failure to accurately communicate. Doesn't the store hold merchandise for customers when they place the order so an instore customer doesn't end up grabbing the last loaf of bread you ordered online?

The problem is with their computers and/or software to relay accurate information to web/app-based shopping customers about what is in stock and what isn't.

The problem could also be shoplifting, often by store employeees. This will surely throw the inventory data out of whack. They may have "ran out of" my rye bread because somebody ripped it off just before I got to the store for pickup. Yes, a big rat ran off with my bread!!

Its a simple fix... Click on "No substitutions"

 

[SlugSlinger]

There is no pickup charge on grocery totals in excess of $35. Even I with a bad heart can walk in the store to pick up a couple thing the old-fashioned way. I can't handle a full shopping wagon load of stuff, however.

It’s not a few or charge the add to the bill, it’s they charge more for the items.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Do they check your receipt when they bring your purchases to the vehicle?

 

[HFS]

...You won't experience any mass shooters with curbside pickup to boot!

Yeah but in this day and age you might get a carjacker instead.