Two years ago, I wrote about how much I enjoy Walmart Pickup. The convenience, cost savings, and stress reduction were all advantages I listed for ordering groceries online. These days, my enthusiasm for the service has only increased as we order our groceries online more than ever.

Back in 2017, I was pretty excited about Walmart Pickup.

The reasons I listed above for doing Walmart Pickup are still very much valid in our decision to use the service, but there is another perk that has emerged…

Upgrades.

If you are selecting your groceries online and Walmart does not have an item you selected (i.e. if it is out of stock), the ordering system will sometimes tell you. When this occurs, you simply have to choose another brand or leave it off your list. However, it is not uncommon for Walmart to not notify you that the item is unavailable. But don’t get too upset just yet…

If the online system allowed you to order an item that was unavailable or that managed to sell out by the time you went to pick up your groceries, Walmart will adequately make it up to you.

Case in point, on Sunday we were the recipients of these substitutions.
– The 12-pack of Diet Dr. Pepper we ordered was upgraded to a 24-pack.
– The Great Value peanut butter cookies were substituted with Nutter Butters.
– The 60-pack of Great Value paper bowls was upgraded to a 72-pack of Dixie paper bowls.

Although technically classified as “substitutions” by Walmart, make no mistake about it, these are legit upgrades. Best of all, you never pay a penny more than the generic, smaller item you originally purchased.

We are the recipient of an upgrade at least once every order. I understand that some people might be a little annoyed by it (some people prefer smaller portion knockoff brands) but you can substitute my Dr. Thunder for Dr. Pepper any day!

I Imagine people could really scheme the system and make a killing out of the substitutions. Those really looking to come out ahead could probably walk around Walmart with their phone, attempting to order items that clearly aren’t on the shelf. But in a way that is robbing Peter to pay Paul because by doing that tactic you are sacrificing the convenience advantage of Walmart Pickup.

When it comes to our online grocery shopping, we won’t “fish” for an upgrade––we will just put in our order at home and cross our fingers that we are the beneficiaries of a few extra cans of soda or a premium brand. I know Walmart has my back! Don’t Blink.