My Walgreens Pickup Order Experience | Not that Great

In this day and time every store is launching their own version of pick up, drive up, curbside service.  I’ve used Walmart Grocery Pickup for years and it’s been forever since I’ve had any issues.  They’ve really worked out all the kinks.  Other stores have a high bar to reach and a lot of figuring out to do.

Walgreens was offering an extra $10 off pickup orders of $30 or more and there were some really good sales and a couple things I needed that I thought, “Hey, I’ll just save the $10 and save myself some time by doing pickup.)

Walgreens order pickup is ready curbside in as little as 30 minutes on orders  placed more than an hour before store closing.  Herein, lies the FIRST problem with Walgreens pickup.

My order was not ready in 30 minutes.  I placed it before I left to take G to karate, knowing I’d have time to swing by and get it while he was in class.  As I’m pulling in the parking lot of Walgreens 30 minutes after placing my order I get a text that says “Your order has been delayed.”

That’s all it said.  It gave absolutely no time frame as to when it would be ready.  I had a phone call to make so I decided to sit in my car and make my phone call thinking that I might get an update on my order.

A few minutes pass while I make my call and nothing from Walgreens.  So I decide to call the store.  I’m not in a huge rush but by this point I have less than 90 minutes before I have to be back to pick G up from class.

When they send you a “delayed order text” it does give you the option to cancel your order.  Part of me wishes I had just done that.

So I call the store and ask just exactly how long a “delayed order” might take.  Mind you, there were 10 things in my order – it wasn’t even a big order.  The employee that answered the phone passed me off to the manager who was actually shopping my order and she said she was just finishing up.

When I got off the call I got the text that my order was ready.  I had planned on going in to pickup anyway but when you get the text it gives you the option to do curbside or go in to pickup.  I was already in a parking spot but it wasn’t a curbside spot.  I drove around my store’s building and did not notice any designated curbside spots.  But the parking lot was also completely full so I parked in the first spot I found.  (A new restaurant had just opened next door and I noticed people were using Walgreens as overflow parking for the new Whataburger…).  Maybe they have curbside spots and I just couldn’t see the markings because it was night and there were cars parked there.

So I go in and my order actually isn’t ready.  While I’m standing at the counter waiting, the employee shopping my order walks up with my basket of items and still has to scan and bag them.

I don’t understand the bagging at all.  First, the oversized paper lunch sacks are super awkward to carry multiples of when you have other things to carry too.  And I had 4 bags total but my bag labels say “1 of 3”, “1 of 3” and “3 of 3”.  That probably has a lot to do with the biggest problem of my order…

When I opened my bags the next day, I did NOT have one of my Nice! Disinfecting Wipes Lemon 35ct.

I doubled checked my receipt and I was charged for two.  But I only had one.

Back to that in a minute.

I could’ve easily gone in and got all these things myself.  I had the time.  And in the end, using pickup didn’t save me any time.  The sole reason I did this was because of the $10 off pickup orders of $30 or more.

Because they didn’t have two of my items, my subtotal fell below $30.  They did some sort of prorated discount – I think I saved $7.  I can’t figure out what they did or how they figured it out. In my opinion, they should’ve just done the full $10 off.  Walmart does.  If you have a $10/$50 Walmart code and you have out of stock items that make your total drop to under $50, you still get the $10 off.  That’s how a promo should work.

Important item to note: One of the items out of stock was part of a BOGO deal.  I DID still get the other item at half price, whereas in store, you must get both to get the BOGO price.  So that is a plus.  BUT if you get a Buy One Get One 50% off deal and they’re out of the second item you will still pay full price on the first item.  I had one of those too.  That made it not such a great deal since I had to pay full price for one – especially since I was also shorted the full $10 off my order.

Back to my missing item. 

If you’ve ever done Walmart grocery pickup before, you know that if you get home and you’re missing an item, you open your Walmart grocery app, pull up your receipt, select what’s missing and they process a refund.  DONE.

I couldn’t find any information on what to do for a missing item.  So I just called the store.  I explained the situation.  She pulled up my order and said, “Well, it says we gave you two.”

“I’m aware of that.  But I only have one.  I was charged for two.  But I have one.”

She said, “Let me figure out what to do and call you back.”

That was a week ago.

News flash – THEY NEVER CALLED BACK.

So I’ve paid for an item – albeit, not a very expensive one – and Walgreens didn’t give it to me and neither do they care, apparently.

I guess I’ll call back tomorrow.  I’ll let you know what happens.