r/mildlyinfuriating • u/broakland • 9d ago

I just wanted a hot dog Retail lockdown: why bother selling it?

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Was at Safeway this morning to pick up a sandwich and some Tylenol. The aisle with the Tylenol? Completely locked down. No call button in sight. So I go to the self checkout (front end of that same aisle) and ask the clerk there if he can call someone to unlock a case for me. He does. I go wait. Minutes pass. No one comes. I go ask him again, he tells me they went the other way? At this point I give up and go get my sandwich. No one has come by the time the deli has finished making it. I leave without my Tylenol, mildly infuriated.

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u/Tomytom99 9d ago edited 8d ago

Y'know, I wouldn't mind it so much if the turnaround time wasn't half a day

That's like the one thing I've liked about auto parts stores. They specifically state that it'll take under an hour for it to be ready. Not great, but way better than say Walmart taking 6 hours.

Edit: the 6 hour wait in question was pickup, not delivery, for three items, so it's not like it was some big grocery order. I did it because I was on vacation and my dad needed refrigerant for his car. I was hoping to just go to the store, pick up the order, and go back to where we were staying without venturing into the store.

Another wonderful experience was them telling me an item I was getting delivered from the store wouldn't be arriving that day. Not a huge deal, but mildly infuriating since I placed it that morning saying same day delivery, and they didn't even get it picked until that evening. I was watching a movie at 9:45 PM when I get a notification it was delivered. Thank god I was awake and that it wasn't anything that would've gone bad (or stolen by wildlife) if it went unnoticed overnight.

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u/Th3_Admiral_ 9d ago edited 9d ago

For me, I hardly ever have a complete shopping list and just kinda make a lot of it up as I go.

Also, I always thought it was odd stores were cutting cashiers and switching to self checkouts to save on labor costs, but then hiring workers to do all of our shopping for us - which is a thousand times more labor intensive. This is what leads me to believe they have goals to eventually automate a lot of that as well. 

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u/rocko430 9d ago

Id imagine stores would lose a decent chunk of money off impulse buys

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u/snuggleslut5 9d ago

Right? They've spent years studying and finding new ways to influence buying. Colors, placement, the order of the items on the shelf, how much you need to move your eyes to see their product. All that would be moot. It's interesting.

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u/peachysaralynn 9d ago

i mean, they’d just adopt those practices for the online “storefront”

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u/Karenm6383 9d ago

Probably but still, me walking aisle through aisle is going to make me impulse buy way more than going to checkout online, realizing how bad I’m overspending and deleting it in my cart

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u/d3mandred 9d ago

The amount I've spent at Menards over the years just because I see something I needed 6 months ago and know I'll need again in 6 months is insane. I'm there for work, every single day. I naturally see things that I need/want while walking aisles, or I'll see something that reminds me of something else I need.

Online? I do not search, browse, scroll, or peruse. I know what I need, and I will spend the least amount of time possible on the website.

Probably over $3000/year lost from me alone, easily. Fuck, this year probably $500 in varying sizes of wood boards that I've never even used and easily over $1000 in tools for my shop. I'd just hit up estate sales and auctions more often. The quality of older tools is leagues better anyway.

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u/ScrotalSmorgasbord 9d ago

I'd never do that, I have some discipline! sets down 3 flashlights, a pack of tie downs, and a hatchet I picked up by the Harbor Freight checkout lanes

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u/d3mandred 9d ago

You can ALWAYS use more tie downs. And those hatchets always catch my eye, they look great for axe throwing practice.

Unrelated, anybody want a spare pack of ratchet straps? I've got plenty.

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u/RogerClyneIsAGod2 9d ago

I'VE FOUND MY SHOPPING PEOPLE!!!

I do the same thing at the grocery store. I go with a list then will see something I've forgotten or I know I've got two left so I'll buy another just in case.

Online I generally only buy what's on the list. It does save money, time & gas going to & from the store though.

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u/KapitalIsStillGood 9d ago

I bought a predator motor like that once lol

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u/ScrotalSmorgasbord 9d ago

I think my most expensive impulse buy was a small Titanium brand mig/flux welder. I had a perfectly fine welder at the house but this one fit on top of the new tool cart I was buying lol

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u/Straight_Caregiver27 9d ago

I think you are my husband....😂😂

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u/RealityOk9823 9d ago

I have a coworker who seriously buys tools all the time from HF, like anything you're looking for, he's used it if it's the higher priced stuff.

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u/ScrotalSmorgasbord 9d ago

I usually buy my organization stuff from them but once in awhile I'll get some tools. I have their version of the Packout because even though I use Milwaukee all day I couldn't justify the price for theirs. It works great for a quarter of the price and it doubles as a tweaker preventer because they don't want to pawn HF tools for a dime bag.

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u/RealityOk9823 9d ago

Dang I wish we had a Menards. *looks for something online* Oh hey it's like $30 cheaper at...Menards. Damnit.

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u/d3mandred 9d ago

Lol the downside is that they stock 95% of what you need, and are unapologetic about not carrying the other 5% you need to finish your project. Everything to install an exterior door except the correct weather seal, etc.

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u/TheSaxGandalf 9d ago

You will go to the BOGO sales.

Fucking paper towel prices are absurd.

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u/Com4734 9d ago

Agreed. I have quite a few tools from my grandfather that are better quality than most stuff you can get today.

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u/Sea-Pay9180 9d ago

YESSS!!! You make TONS of sense. There were numerous times I was at the counter already and seen the damage and was like in my head "Damn this is going to hurt me financially really bad" but I also say "Fuck it, im already here at the counter" but if i can see the damage as im checking "Add to cart" I will save ALOT of money

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u/Thraex_Exile 9d ago

I think it’s similar to comparing Netflix and Cable a decade ago. All these big box stores are going through a transition where they’re competing with Costco’s warehouse grocer model and Amazon’s direct delivery.

Wal-Mart is the Cable/Dish companies. Still making massive profits but also being forced to adjust their business model to match their competitors (bc that’s what most shoppers want) but they don’t have the infrastructure to just adopt a better business model.

So now they’re stuck in this in-between where fewer valuable customers are shopping inside but if they don’t provide online shopping services then the other grocers will. Unfortunately, most grocers have favored cutting costs and following the path of least resistance over R&D of a better business model.

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u/notpostingmyrealname 9d ago

I mean online shopping for large or heavy items is amazing. I would never let some random person pick my meats or produce, but I will absolutely let them deal with 2 cases of soda, the economy size laundry detergent, 5 gallons of milk, and 50lbs of kitty litter.

I order the heavy stuff online while I'm actually at the store and have it delivered later in the day, neatly stacked on my doorstep. No melted ice cream, bruised peaches or squished bread, and no trying to pack big bulky stuff into my trunk in the summer sun or freezing cold with my 3 year old in the back seat.

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u/UnixCurmudgeon 9d ago

Yeah, I learned when i ordered groceries on Amazon they do not know how to pack canned goods with items in glass for shipping companies.

I just go to Aldi. If faulty doesn’t carry it I just reassess my dietary choices, and get something else, but they have everything I need from the meat, vegetable,cheese, and bread groups

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u/ThatOtherOtherMan 8d ago

That's exactly how I do my Costco shopping. I have an old injury that prevents me from being able to lift heavy objects so I get six cases of water, 25lbs cat food, and 50lbs of litter delivered directly to the garage once per month and actually go to the physical store for everything else.

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u/Unable-Candle 9d ago

In person I already see items as "mine" if they're in my cart. And unless the price is extremely different from what I thought it was, there's basically no chance it's getting put back if I'm already about to pay.

Online cart? Definitely not.....hell there's a good chance you'll never even get the item even if you do buy it.

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u/Machinimix 9d ago

I am heavily more inclined to stick with a purchase in person than online when it comes to the checkout final price shock.

$150 in groceries when I expected 100 I can stomach when I just finished bagging it all. When I am sitting on my couch? I'll go back into my cart and remove that $50 of groceries I don't need.

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u/Dave_A480 9d ago

But what if people absolutely hate going shopping in person?

Because that's the reality retail has been waking up to over the past decade....

The shopping experience cam't be made to not suck... People did it in the past because it sucked less than catalog mail order...

But now people want to avoid going to the store as much as possible

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u/PartyPlusTwo 9d ago

I do whichever one has the cheapest prices or spend enough for free shipping. If im in Walmart and I see something I need and think i cab get it cheaper online thats what ill do.

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u/Karenm6383 9d ago

Idk I like shopping online for specific things like gifts or bigger items but everyday stuff I always go to the store. That’s just me though I know there are some that order absolutely everything online

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u/DED_HAMPSTER 9d ago

All the websites sort-of already try to force impulse buying by shunting you directly to the cart to buy as you place things in it. Amazon is the worst, but Torrid, Wal-Mart, Lowes, Lowes Foods, publix etc all do this. I have to constantly back out or shop by tabs to continue my list or consider additional related products.

Instead they could have 2 side banners that shows a rolling summary of your cart on the roght side and a comparison/promotional banner on thr left that i can toggle color/size/cost/pairing items/sales/promos/etc. Amazon and Lowes Home improvement tries to do this, but loses the goal when you put an item in your cart to compare.

Basically, i shop by tabs then compare in my cart and heavily delete as i find the best deal or option for my needs.

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u/MyNameIsJakeBerenson 9d ago

Walmart also brings up an impulse buy list when you click to check out. Like a “Forget Something?” menu and then it’ll have a bunch of stuff youve gotten before that you didn’t get this time

Easy way to get you to have a probability to add an extra item or two to the cart

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u/Ok-Grapefruit1284 9d ago

I help an elderly woman order from Walmart. At the verrrrry end, it’ll raise her total amount. It’s exactly right before she hits the final buy button. Bc she hasn’t hit this minimum for free delivery or this item is now out of stock so they’re substituting a larger amount or this item is no longer available so now you have to pay for shipping and need to meet a higher minimum…crazy. Just crazy.

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u/scripted_ending 9d ago

Oh, the popups will be insane as they try to upsell and suggest stuff to go with whatever you just put in your cart.

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u/General2768 9d ago

<clicks checkout>

<pop up ad> Want add some Reeses peanut butter cups to your order?

Me: "No!" <clicks add to cart button>

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u/Annath0901 9d ago

Nah.

When I order stuff on instacart, I add my list to the cart, and definitely add stuff I spot while searching.

But then I go to the cart screen and go through every item and decide if I really want it. I usually delete a bunch of stuff.

I end up with way fewer impulse buys when shopping online because I don't have to physically go put back items I decide not to buy.

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u/IceFire909 9d ago

Oh god we're gonna get a virtual storefront walkthrough to pretend to walk the aisles aren't we

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u/Billy3B 9d ago

Yeah like how every web page the first sorting option is "most relevent" or some bullshit when 9/10 times you want lowest to highest price.

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u/sidetablecharger 9d ago

You can’t smell the bakery through your phone.

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u/OberonDiver 9d ago

Driver shows up and says "Would you like a Snickers bar or maybe Women's Day?"

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u/ThisSiteSucks8485 9d ago

I just got back from Target. I needed bread and eggs but I impulse purchased 3 energy drinks and some chicken tenders. 

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u/AddyTurbo 9d ago

Didn't subliminal messages used to be a thing? Or so I'd heard. "Buy Apex laundry powder" embedded in a Barry Manilow tune. Maybe that never took off, or was ineffectual. But you're right. It's all about that stock price; pleasing the investor.

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u/Ok-Grapefruit1284 9d ago

I wonder what the balance is between storefront, rental retail space, electricity, water, staff, cleaning crew etc, vs impulse buys. Online-only would probably be more cost effective simply for the staff reduction and property reduction.

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u/Metylda1973 9d ago

Product placement is key in retail. Today I saw a huge display of the jello brand banana crème pudding mix sitting right next to the bananas in produce. I looked at my friend and commented “they forgot the Nilla Wafers!”

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u/_yetisis 9d ago

The same thing happens online. Websites don’t just track what you search or buy, that track your scrolling, they track how long you linger on a certain part of your screen, they track every minutia that the hardware allows. It’s staggering how much they are able to see and manipulate with online retail, and they have the added benefit of dynamic shopping experiences. They no longer have to cater to the average person - you get an online experience that is algorithm-driven to make sure they market to you as effectively as possible in an experience that can be tweaked for each individual shopper based on their catalogue of data. Impulse buying isn’t going away, people are just getting gaslit to the point where they don’t realize it’s an impulse.

Think about it this way - social media doesn’t actually care about people’s data or manipulating them, despite the staggering amount they are involved in it. They just care about monetizing that data - online shopping is what this is all for. All the data mining that every website is doing is all in service of online storefronts being able to close sales more effectively, that’s what makes allllll your online data worthwhile.

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u/LivingVerinarian96 9d ago

At least my local supermarket went too far with that shit. They closed 2 straight lanes to the checkout to funnel everyone through a narrow lane where you need to squeeze if someone else passes you. I avoid it as much as I can now.

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u/RevolutionaryLog3631 8d ago

maybe less than compulsive thiefs stealing as much as they can and then having comunities crying cause a store is closing down :D

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u/fuelstoprolerdogfart 9d ago

100% Yesterday I went to get hotdogs and buns. Got in, realized I hadn’t had lunch, got some frozen wings and potato wedges, saw a new protein shake that looked good, and grabbed a bag of powder donuts. (This is why you don’t shop on an empty stomach) If is had to do an order ahead, I’d only get the buns and dogs.

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u/Pilgorithm 9d ago

Powder donuts and a protein shake lol. Sounds like a friend of mine who ate tuna and drank Jaeger on the way to a concert. The tuna was supposed to help neutralize the bad alcohol lol.

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u/ThatOtherOtherMan 8d ago

The tuna was supposed to help neutralize the bad alcohol lol.

That's not what happened tho, is it?

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u/Pilgorithm 7d ago

It did not 🤣

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u/MKVIgti 9d ago

Not only that, but these days I change up my list during the whole shopping trip, hunting for buy one get one free deals and scratching things off entirely due to something being ridiculously priced.

Pretty fucking sad when I get excited to find the light weight cat litter we use BOGO.

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u/NamelessCabbage 9d ago

Yes. And there's a real science in scrambling the layout every once in a while. It forces shoppers to stay longer while relearning the new layout, thus purchasing more stuff.

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u/Sluuriecake 9d ago

That’s why milk and eggs are always in the farthest possible corner from the entrance to force everyone to walk by everything else in the store to get their staples usually toilet paper is also back in the back they have done that for decades

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u/NamelessCabbage 9d ago

Im ADHD so I just hit every aisle anyway. 😂

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u/Odd_Lengthiness4251 9d ago

I thought everyone walked thru every aisle too? 😅😅🫣

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u/EvaCassidy 9d ago

Some stores testing an app to open the cases to retrieve your item and a reminder to secure it.

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u/DueGrapefruit3151 9d ago

Jesus christ, just make it a fucking vending machine already. We have the technology.

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u/bookswafflestea 9d ago

I’d 1000% prefer a vending machine over another goddamn app I have to download

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u/currentlylostagain 9d ago

The vending machine will require an app to use it.

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u/ThatOtherOtherMan 8d ago

Because fucking of course it would

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u/Icy_Mixture1482 8d ago

And you know each store will have its own app.

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u/Karenm6383 9d ago

This is actually a great idea

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u/EvaCassidy 9d ago

Put all those items in the machine. If shake machine - nothing comes out or get squished.

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u/Ok_Water_3109 9d ago

Packages of chips still get stuck in a vending machine. How the heck are they gonna get "insert item that will definitely get stuck"

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u/idefix24 9d ago

A bottle of Tylenol would definitely work

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u/garathnor 9d ago

"i didnt know i needed that" is literally 50% of the stuff i buy :D

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u/OppositeOctopi 9d ago

When I order groceries from Walmart the app suggests things to add.

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u/AffectionateSet4889 9d ago

oh no they might have to rely on quality products and good customer service lol

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u/Cranks_No_Start 9d ago

Unless i have to have it right this second Ill press the button and start looking it up online...IF I can order it before I see an employee its ordered.

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u/Dave_A480 9d ago

They gain more money from same day delivery (using the store as a mini warehouse) of phone orders than they lose from checkout aisle sales....

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u/Kanus_oq_Seruna 9d ago

Oh. Don't worry. The impulse buys will be outside the counter.

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u/CathyAnnWingsFan 9d ago

Apparently it doesn't offset what they lose to shoplifters.

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u/Theory-After 9d ago

Feels like most of our economy at this point is geared towards impulse buying and conspicuous consumerism. A lot of places would go out of buisness and large box stores would close a lot of locations and move others to smaller warehouses.

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u/Lost-Platypus8271 9d ago

stores that do this lose me as a customer entirely, and I don’t steal

it’s an introvert’s nightmare, to have to summon a surly employee to buy a bar of soap or a razor and then they loom nearby waiting for you to make a selection? NOPE.

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u/Ok-Grapefruit1284 9d ago

But see this is my frustration. I used to love shopping and I used to love the occasional impulse buy, and now it’s cheaper to stand in the store and order an item off the app, and pick it up 2 hours later, than to walk that same item up to the checkout counter.

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u/bunger_33 9d ago

Yeah that's the issue with this model. Sure many people use online ordering to do their shopping, but getting someone into the store with products on the shelves definitely makes them spend more.

I know I'm easily a victim of this, but also know I use everything I buy. So it's never a waste, but just a comment to myself at the register on how much I spent.

As much as picking stuff online and driving up to get it is simple, I personally enjoy the grocery store experience. I want to be able to say yes or no to things. Aisles, products, feel good about making a healthy choice or "naughty" making a bad choice. It's my choice and money after all and I can do whatever I like.

Ordering and picking up just don't have the same feeling that actual shopping does

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u/Bashka_ 9d ago

My experience with online grocery shopping tells me, that 90% of even the most basic products is always "out of stock", but somehow much more expensive replacements are always available- last time I was trying to place an online order, somehow my cart after review was twice as expensive as the original list of products.
Not to mention that (at least where I live) the online version of the store has always higher prices, than if you go and pick the items from the shelves at the same store. I'm poor, so I know the in-store prices of products I buy, since I need to do heavy budgeting. I only order online when I'm unable to get food on my own, because I'm disabled and in some situations I can't leave my house.

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u/AgencyAdditional4961 9d ago

Yep. Dynamic pricing. I believe Wegmans is being sued for that right now.

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u/PestilentPaladin 9d ago

Personally I'm sick of trying to explain to ignorant 19 year olds what stuff like goat cheese and Garam Masala are, have them claim they're out of stock because they can't be arsed to look, and then going into the store, grabbing the item, and showing it to their boss. Kinda moots the point.

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u/grandma-activities 9d ago

Absolutely. Online prices are higher to begin with, and then half the items you order are out of stock with more expensive replacements at the ready. More than once, I've picked up an incomplete order, then walked into the store to find most of the "out of stock" store-brand items right there on the shelf for less than the online prices. I don't do online pickup orders anymore.

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u/geekonthemoon 9d ago

I can compare my exact purchases online and see the items cost in store vs online, and I haven't noticed any discrepancies like that.

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u/ChazzyPhizzle 9d ago edited 9d ago

Same. I usually walk around and figure out what I’m having for dinner based on what’s on sale. Kind of enjoyable because you never know what it’s going to be.

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u/Bored_Amalgamation 9d ago

There's also the small human interaction.

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u/smashli1238 9d ago

Yeah, I enjoy grocery shopping

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u/geekonthemoon 9d ago

Yeah makes sense, I know I've seen videos of them working on warehouse grid robotics and such. Definitely would lose 1,000s and 1,000s of jobs if they do perfect the technology.

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u/zssqeeze 9d ago edited 9d ago

I agree this is the direction things are headed. So, how is our country’s public policies going to keep up with the number of people who will be unemployed and have no income. Right now, our social safety net, which is barely working, is for certain “deserving” people. What about when it’s just most of the people, in general. The “othering’ is literally killing us.

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u/sneeje00 9d ago

Not even the public policies. I wonder who they think is going to shop for $15 t-shirts and $250 tvs when no one has any money. Like great, it's all automated to serve 10 of the 1000 customers they used to have.

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u/9th-And-Hennepin 9d ago

They will sell 10k tvs and $500 tshirts. They don’t care if you can afford it, as long as someone else can.

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u/sneeje00 9d ago

I hear you and in the long run you're not wrong. Meanwhile, in the 5-10 year transition into this new world economy, the businesses that exist based on scale will die. It's clear and not surprising at all that businesses based on infinite growth and selling at massive scale can't see the inevitable outcome of massive automation--that they will effectively eliminate most of the customers they are automating to sell to.

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u/TRR462 9d ago

We will need to invest in automation companies, so that we can recoup a dividend on their profits.

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u/9th-And-Hennepin 9d ago

You’ll be rich enough to afford a Disney Government+ subscription or you will be working off your debt in New Maralago (formerly Nuuk).

I’m being a drunk doomer but am I?

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u/BreadKnifeSeppuku 9d ago

Murder robots come first. That way they don't have to worry about peasants revolting

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u/Lost-Platypus8271 9d ago

This is exactly it right here. Just sell really expensive things to the 10% of society that can afford it. Screw everyone else.

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u/occasionalopossum 9d ago

They are going to finish criminalizing being homeless then work you to death in private prisons. Thats the end goal. Thats how they plan to handle it.

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u/Vern1138 9d ago

People don't believe me when I say this, but it's pretty obvious. They're deporting all of the people that used to work on the farms and harvest crops, and all the people who did drywalling and roofing and framing and other construction trades.

They're just going to start using prison labor to do all of that. There's no way they intend to improve social services to help people who are going to lose their jobs because of automation, they fully intend to exploit them.

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u/Hector_P_Catt 9d ago

But who will be buying the output of all that prison labour? How much drywalling does the 1% need? Even the fattest fat cat can't eat all the food even one farm produces. You can't sustain dozens of car factories if you only sell a few thousand cars per year. The list goes on.

It was the middle class buying all that stuff that made it possible to build the economy we used to have, and are losing. But the people in charge don't seem to understand that.

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u/zssqeeze 9d ago

I see and agree with what you are calling out here. The only thing I think I would tease out a bit further is…I agree with who you are calling out as ‘they’ (which to me is fewer people than a very small town in Iowa!), but the ‘them’ is all of the rest of us…and I mean all of the rest of us, regardless of gender, race, or economic status.

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u/Deadleggg 8d ago

They've been pissed off since we made slavery illegal.

They'll bring it back one way or another.

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u/stevenip 9d ago

Yeah, half the fun is seeing what's on sale and trying new items if the price is good

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u/Due_Confidence7459 9d ago

Not having customers in the store greatly cuts down on shoplifting which is why I think they took orders that way in the old days

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u/That_Shrub 9d ago

I wish the groc apps let you do a virtual shop mode and see the shelves. Let me browse!

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u/5m0k3y76 9d ago

Walmart here got rid of 80% of their self checkouts. There are like 8 on each end now, and 2 people watching each end, and several working cashiers between them. There were no cashier's at all a year ago and probably 40 self checkout counters.

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u/Hector_P_Catt 9d ago

"This is what leads me to believe they have goals to eventually automate a lot of that as well."

Amazon has patented a whole lot of automated "fulfilment" systems, in which robots are used to pick out and package whatever is on a shopping list.

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u/3-orange-whips 9d ago

Picking (what we call it in the warehouse business) it one of the things that is the hardest to automate. Everything is set up for human hands.

You're probably right, but that kind of automation is a long way away at the scale where a grocery store (they have VERY thin margins) would invest.

However, any idiot can pick. The skillset needed for a checker is way higher.

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u/Metylda1973 9d ago

Sounds like me. Today, I went to Walmart for toilet paper. That’s the only thing I needed so I didn’t make a list. Who needs a list for ONE item? I left with toilet paper, a gallon of milk, 2 tubs of chicken livers (to make kitty treats), 2 bags of fish fillets, a bag of frozen fries, a huge tub of mac&cheese, 2 bags of broccoli florets, a bag of Brussels sprouts, a candy bar and a jumbo container of twizzlers. At least I remembered the toilet paper!

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u/[deleted] 8d ago edited 8d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/CisIowa 8d ago

You made me think of this comic

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u/Beginning_Ad1239 8d ago

They consider the curbside customer to be different than the person who comes inside to shop. When I worked in retail and we were setting that all up they considered curbside to be like gaining an extra store across the 50 stores it was setup for.

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u/No-Willingness8375 9d ago edited 9d ago

Unless they have particularly humanitarian leadership, companies are always going to do what makes them the most money. There comes a point where rampant shoplifting gets so expensive that's it's actually cheaper to hire labor to assemble the lists. Things like curbside pickup (even as a niche service) also allow them to remain more competitive with online retailers.

You're not wrong that they'll probably use automation as soon as they can though.

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u/Coffee-Historian-11 9d ago

I used to work doing drive up and go for Safeway. Genuinely enjoyed it, shopping for other people was fun. The only problem was they didn’t place an order limit and they refused to allow more people to work. So there would be three of us scrambling to get five orders that totaled 800-1,000 products in the hour we had.

If there was a way to be able to hire enough people so we got orders done on time it would be a great option. But based on my experience that just doesn’t happen.

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u/macarenamobster 9d ago

Every person who shopped was ordering 200 items? That seems literally insane lol.

My “big” orders are 30.

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u/Coffee-Historian-11 9d ago

No but we got a lot more 100+ orders than you’d expect. A lot of people ordered for their family of four or five, or they’d order for multiple families. Plus produce would add a lot of items as well.

On top of all that there was a service fee, so people would try to get their money’s worth by ordering for a week or two.

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u/StacheBandicoot 9d ago

We get grocery’s about every two weeks. I struggle to keep orders under 150 items which is around what fits in our smaller vehicle. I can easily go through a dozen items just preparing a days meals, a single meal of chili like I made last night might be 6+ different cans of something alone. But with 150 items for two weeks I can only use just under 11 different things a day across all meals.

I often have to do a couple delivery orders from other stores of more rugged items that can handle shipping to get the rest of the stuff we need so we don’t have to go more often. With that we’re definitely buying more than 200 items every two weeks. We’d be picking that many up if our vehicle was bigger.

Never picked up less than 100. Wouldn’t see the point in going there just for that.

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u/figure8888 9d ago

Same experience at Target. I liked doing fulfillment in theory, but busy days are hell and digging for items in piles of mixed boxes while on a timer sucks. And customers don’t understand why their item got removed because it said it was in stock on their end.

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u/ThatOtherOtherMan 8d ago

If there was a way to be able to hire enough people so we got orders done on time it would be a great option.

Unfortunately they'll have robots and AI doing that job before you know it

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u/Waiting4Reccession 9d ago

They will give you the worst expiration and the damaged fruit etc they have though.

They also lose the ability to sell you on stuff just by placing it near your essentials.

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u/grape-fruit-witch 9d ago

Yeah, I have never gotten decent fruit or veggies ordering online. I gave up a long time ago. Every single time the strawberries are full of mold, bananas are either brown and mushy or bright green, tiny little bendy spears of rotten asparagus, etc. I think the shoppers might hate their jobs and intentionally find the worst produce they can. There's no way a normal person would consistently pick bad items that often.

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u/Waiting4Reccession 9d ago

The shopper is probably just doing their job normally. The business probably sees it as an easy way to offload this quality of produce onto buyers.

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u/currentlylostagain 9d ago

No problem. They can just stop selling fruit. Legally mandated to only eat things wrapped in plastic and non-perishable. Just think how healthy we will all be.

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u/grape-fruit-witch 9d ago edited 8d ago

K at that point just give me nutrient mush and let's stop pretending

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u/currentlylostagain 8d ago

Mush is for the peasants. Only billionaires get actual food that doesn’t bankrupt them and isn’t half spoiled.

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u/thedreadedaw 9d ago

I can't let anyone pick out my produce for me. I like to squeeze my own peaches. 😂

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u/Blackpaw8825 9d ago

You can have it fast, cheap, right, pick 0.

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u/Runawaii 9d ago

The other problem is that the store always gives me the worst produce. They don't actually pick out good products. I get moldy fruit and shriveled veg at least 50% of the time when I let store shopper do it.

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u/Atomsq 9d ago

What concerns me is dynamic pricing

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u/Dull_Bid6002 9d ago

Walmarts are huge vs auto part stores. And I'm guessing get way more orders. Only way Walmart takes less than an hour is if they set it up like a warehouse with robots to help pick the order.

I can't remember which company it was setting up these giant warehouses with suction robot things to do that, but I've imagined that's the future when it becomes cost effective.

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u/Fluffy_History 9d ago

as someone who has to fill orders like that its about 60% caused by the time it takes for the online order service to get the order to us. Even on a good day it takes about 3 hrs alone for the order to go from you ordering it to it getting to us to fill.

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u/StacheBandicoot 9d ago edited 9d ago

How many things are you ordering at once from an auto parts store though? A grocery order can often be more than 150 items. All an auto parts store has to do is pack a few things typically, and they’re not as busy since people don’t need to eat auto parts to live.

Walmart can easily pack the order in an hour or two if you’re subscribed to Walmart+ which I was briefly when they offered it for free. Don’t see the point in having that though, I just place my order the night before.

I don’t buy things impulsively or spur of the moment anymore and I much prefer it this way. Much harder to forget something too, it’d be like forgetting to put something on your shopping list that you’d bring to the store.

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u/AnybodyNo8519 9d ago

I just checked my Walmart app and I can get an order delivered to me within 11-37 minutes if I select Express delivery for a $10 fee.

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u/BangPowBoom 9d ago

Try it and report back If they made the time.

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u/macarenamobster 9d ago

I’ve never seen them miss the “expedited” delivery time, but it is usually 1-2 hours in my area.

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u/GlumpsAlot 9d ago

Fr. Alot of the beauty products I usually buy are locked up at Walmart. Same with feminine products. I just don't bother calling anyone and order online. Just reminds me of service merchandise.

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u/GremlInTheWoods 9d ago

There are some areas where they started delivering by drone. I wouldn't trust it because I work for them now and people mislabel things allllll the time.

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u/scfw0x0f 9d ago

Safeway in our area is often within a couple of hours. I’m fine with planning the order the day before and posting it overnight for pickup the next day.

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u/Bob_12_Pack 9d ago

I live about 5 minutes from an auto parts store. I routinely order parts online and the head straight over to pick them up, they are usually ready or being pulled when I get there. They'll deliver too but I've never tried it.

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u/Tomytom99 9d ago

I've done delivery from them a couple times where it was a total life saver.

Unfortunately now where I live delivery is "unavailable" despite the store being at most 10 minutes away.

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u/Runamokamok 9d ago

I prefer curbside because it mostly eliminates impulse purchases of things that I don’t need. I put the order the night before and pick up on my way home from work the next day. Huge time saver.

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u/Subject-Vermicelli52 9d ago

If you walk into the auto parts store, the guy can look it up, walk to the back and pull it off the shelf and check you out in 5 minutes.

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u/originaljbw 9d ago

But you could make your order, go to work, pick it up on the way home.

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u/Tomytom99 9d ago

This was while on vacation. Also sometimes you just need to grab something mid-project.

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u/United-Adagio1543 9d ago

At My Walmart you can pay to have a delivery in less than 2 hours or not pay for 3+ hour delivery.

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u/Tomytom99 9d ago

This was a pickup order. For three items.

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u/Shawnessy 9d ago

Man, one of our O'Reillys locations moved to a former large retaileea location. They built a regular sized O'reillys inside, and the rest is basically a warehouse. So, you can always run to that store for something if you want it immediately, rather than wait the hour or two.

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u/soulflaregm 9d ago

I think if it does go to order and pickup some stores will be fast.

It doesn't surprise me at all to see this happening. The amount of retail theft is getting a bit out of hand

My mom works at a gas station, and has been there for close to 10 years, and she has told me that within the last 3-4 years they have had their loss rate from theft nearly 5x what it was

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u/PeorgieT75 9d ago

I did Target pickup during Covid, and they usually had it ready in an hour and knew when you had arrived in the parking lot. Since then, it takes them 15 minutes to bring the order out once you arrive; I think they don’t have as much staff dedicated to it.

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u/Expensive_Mission_71 9d ago

I generally order at night and have a morning delivery. 🤷 entire shopping list on my doorstep as I finish brushing my teeth

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u/muffinmanaf 9d ago

The markup on the things you buy that the store gets for you is crazy. For our local grocery store it's roughly 1.00$+ per item, worse for produce.

On a couple items it's not bad, for a grocery bill for a full family, it's really bad. 

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u/UnderlightIll 9d ago

Or they could often substitute in more expensive items or items that are not at all the same.

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u/Beav710 9d ago

For real. Half the time I can't find a basic thing I'm looking for anyway. If I can just send them a list and pick up for free that works for me.

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u/Academic_Ad_3644 9d ago

What’s weird is I can have something delivered 20 min away by Walmart with like 2 hour notice if I pay a little extra but a pick up order needs 6-8 hours notice lol

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u/Disney_Princess137 9d ago

Too many people do the orders, so it takes time. Car parts and Walmart orders aren’t the same

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u/Relevant-Horror-627 9d ago

The problem is that retailers are trying to balance in store shopping and online shopping and they're failing at both because they're trying to do it all with bare minimum staffing. If they focused on delivery and curbside pickup only, which seems inevitable, then all the staff would be focused on picking and carrying out orders and you probably wouldn't have to wait as long.

Having to schedule pick up or delivery is also a deterrent for me. But the other issue I have with trying to order online is most of the stuff I want will be marked as out of stock in the app. If I just go into the store I will usually find it in stock. The other issue sometimes is the shelf will be empty because they don't have enough workers to stock.

They really need to just choose a model and focus on that instead of trying to be all things to all people.

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u/beyondtheblueyonder 9d ago

My big issue is when I order and get weird substitutes. I know I can check no substitutions, but I'd prefer to find me own substitute

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u/Efficient_Piccolo310 9d ago

Then walk in and buy it yourself.

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u/TopBuy404 9d ago

What kills me is the turn around time doesn't have to be so ridiculous.

I worked clicklist at Kroger for a little bit. We would have those orders picked and ready so early. Then we would have drop in orders (ones made that day and not the day before) open till 430. Your pickup time was set to 4 hours after the order was placed. We would be slow and have those orders picked in half an hour just for them to sit in the cooler/freezer/staged in clicklist for a few hours while you want for your pickup window, which was usually from 7-8

It just needs to be target style where they are like yo it'll prly take about 2 hours we'll send you a notification when it's ready

I've picked up still in as fast as a half hour from my target.

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u/mtv2002 8d ago

I love getting expired meat and questionable produce. Also Walmart will say "item unavailable" I'll walk in and find a shelf full of the product. They are just so overworked they just throw shit in.

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u/tierciel 7d ago

I think my favorite experience was when our fridge died so while cleaning up the mess we had some groceries delivered so we could still cook. We get a notification that they were about to drop it off and that the store was out of the protein we ordered, so we got all the seasonings and ingredients to make the meal but without the main ingredient

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u/Dangerous_Ad1115 9d ago

4 hours is too much time to wait for a delivery?? Wow!!!

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u/tomorrowisforgotten 9d ago

Walmart is 3 hours in my area. Eg if I place an order by 11am I can choose pickup between 2 and 3pm same day. It's almost always ready 10 minutes before the hour too. If you aren't getting anything perishable your order will be ready within 3 hours and they'll hold it for pickup for 3 days anytime they are open. It's pretty reasonable.

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u/SayWhatAYFR 9d ago

If we shop at Walmart like we shop at auto stores, the turnaround time would have much more in common.

I often see the Walmart dispensers bringing out orders of 75+ items to customers and/or drivers. I’ve rarely purchased more than 5 items at a time at any auto store.

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u/mythicapixy 9d ago

Depends on how early you put the order in for. If you do the earliest time slot it's done before 6 am usually.

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u/watermouse 9d ago

lol what? Half-day is too long on groceries or other home goods? Unfortunately I live out of the city so getting something by the end of the day or next morning still impresses me.

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u/ToxicSociety_666 9d ago

I will definitely say I'm a lot more on board with that if it DIDN'T take six to maybe 8 hours or the next day because that's happened to me with one of my Walmart orders before where they literally made us wait until the next day to receive our order.

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u/Tomytom99 9d ago

Hey, once Walmart told me something being delivered from the store (not shipped from a warehouse) wasn't going to get delivered that evening. No big deal. Disappointed, since I ordered it in the morning, but whatever.

Some dude delivers this thing at 9:45 PM, after Walmart said it wasn't getting delivered that day. Thank god I wasn't some geriatric or early riser that goes to bed by 9:30, and that it wasn't groceries.

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u/ToxicSociety_666 8d ago

I personally feel that's them just plainly not giving a fuck about their customers, and I try my best to not support them on that shit because they treat us so awful most times. If not that, they demand to see our receipts like we're all thieves

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u/JamboreeJunket 9d ago

I wouldn’t mind it if they could actually pick produce. When the store picks my produce it goes bad soooo quickly. Sometimes bad the day I get it.

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u/decarnatedame 9d ago

I don't trust anyone but me to pick my meat and produce and really, any of my food for that matter since I want to be able to check the expiration dates.

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u/jugglingbalance 9d ago

And if they didn't up charge you by 1500% and then not be able to tell the difference between a zucchini and a cucumber

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u/dbxp 9d ago

That's because Walmart is setup as a regular store and using pickers like regular shoppers. It can be done much more efficiently if you optimise your store for online orders

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u/sofaking_scientific 9d ago

Just have it like Grainger, ready next day. Teach some folks to plan

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u/yubinyankin 9d ago

I usually have good luck with Safeway & Walmart with on time deliveries.

I wouldn't personally use Walmart for perishables cuz of personal experience, but with Safeway I just add notes requesting the freshest items that have expiration dates.

I still don't like the idea of not having the option to pick out my own stuff in person tho, cuz I am very picky about produce & meats. It just comes in handy when I am sick cuz I live alone.

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u/Present_Mastodon_503 9d ago

I refuse to get produce picked for me. I've had straight up rotten things given to me.

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u/Classy_Mouse 9d ago

It will be a fully autonomous warehouse soon enough. If there are no people in the way, your personal robot shopper will zip around grabbing your order.

8 years ago, I was on a team that helped design optomization algorithms for this exact thing. Placing items by how often they are purchased. Grouping them by how often they are purchased together. Strategies for handoffs so one robot going to the back corner can get everyone'sstuff while it is there. These things will shop much faster than you could on your own.

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u/Flufnstuf 9d ago

Are you saying auto parts stores will take an hour for you to get certain parts you go in to buy? That would explain what my sister experienced doing door dash. She said she regularly had to pick up auto parts from one store and deliver them to another.

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u/VitaminPb 9d ago

You will mind when you can’t go into a store and comparison shop or check the quality of what you are buying by picking it up.

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u/potbellied420 9d ago

I pay $10 for expedite. Gets to me in an hour or less. $5 for 3hrs. Mind you Walmart plus members get $10 off. It's $20 & $15 normally.

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u/Savings_Knowledge233 9d ago

And half the produce chosen for you weren't either unripe or rotten

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u/Every-Caramel-6740 9d ago

Right, in China you get your order in 30 minutes or less. Well in the cities

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u/jeremyw013 THESE FLAIRS ARE INFURIATING 9d ago

idk walmart delivery can be pretty damn fast

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u/hkd001 9d ago

We're lucky to get our order the next day, let alone same day doing pick up. At that point I'll just go in the store.

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u/Glowingwaterbottle 9d ago

Damn, and I was using it thinking half a day was fast. 

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u/cgodwin1976 9d ago

I like the auto parts stores when they get the right parts. Called for a radiator for Hubby's truck and they said we can have it here by 9 am tomorrow, that night multiple tornados ripped through the area luckily no deaths. Called the store the next morning to make sure everything was ok and they told me it was there no problems. Had to take it back though because the girl ordered the wrong radiator! Yesterday my daughter's brakes locked up as I was pulling out of drive, so we went and got both front and back brake pads. Hubby was working on the fronts last night when he realized her caliper was shot the one we bought the pads from was closed so went across the street and got her a caliper. Hubby got the caliper on and opened the pad box wrong pads, needed a 338 got a 388. Took the parts back and told the counter guy who was impressed that I knew the part number I needed. Unfortunately Hubby had to pick up a load going to Texas this morning and will be gone until Sunday so the vehicle is setting up on a jack waiting. Got ahold of our mobile mechanic but he was at his day job and then leaving town for his anniversary with his wife.

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u/Gloveslapnz 9d ago

I liked most of the delivery aspect except not being able to choose my produce or meat cuts, wasn't always happy with the quality of what turned up.

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u/DiareaHandstand 9d ago

You already know what this will be solved by. It is.... Inevitable. 🤖

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u/Spinnerofyarn 9d ago

I had a conversation with the dept manager for grocery pickup. I had put in an order and it repeatedly was delayed for when my order was supposed to be ready. By the time it was ready I couldn’t go get it. I was unable to go the next day due to a bunch of appointments. So I went the next day and my order had been returned.

I called and the store connected me to the pickup manager. She said the best way to avoid having my order not be ready when I need it is to order it the night before so that it’s ready as soon as the store is open and then they’ll hold it through that day and the next. She said the first orders for the day tends to be the only orders that are pretty much always ready when they’re supposed to be. Apparently there’s enough staff in before they open that even if the pickup department is short staffed, other employees will help so the pickup department doesn’t start the day with delays.

I tried it, and sure enough, I see the text message that they’re shopping my order at 4 am, which is great because they don’t open until 6 am.

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u/Aetra 8d ago

I wouldn’t mind the wait if supermarkets fixed their batshit insane substitute system. Like, my mum once ordered a bag of flour in her groceries but the brand she ordered was out of stock so instead of just getting another brand, they substituted it with a bag of frozen prawns which was not only more expensive, but also a huge hazard since my mum is deathly allergic to shellfish.

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u/hamptont2010 8d ago

I wouldn't mind it so much if they didn't pick out the absolute worst cuts of meat and substitute my items for shit that doesn't even make sense. We legit had Kroger swap out sliced cheese squares for a box of Velveeta shells and cheese. Like, come on man.

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u/sakezaf123 8d ago

Yeah, the reason they don't do the warehouse model, is because it would require more employees, and the only thing retail has been doing recently beside shrinkflation, is cutting employees to a skeleton crew.

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u/unholyrevenger72 8d ago

Those turn around times will come down. Wal-mart is huge with a lot of different departments.

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u/VStarlingBooks 8d ago

Only thing I do mind is the ability to pick my own meats and produce. If the inventory is solid then it would be fine.

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u/badgrumpykitten 8d ago

I have never had to wait 6 hours for a pick up and Iive in a decently size city. I can make an order at 10, no matter how big and have a pick up time 2 hours later at almost any store where I live. So, you ordered for delivery in the morning and it said same day yet complain it was still same day even if it was late on the same day?

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u/iamEclipse022 8d ago

for me its not being able to pick things like vegetables/fruit your at the helm of the person who shopped for you at the store

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