This is for the curbside pickup process only. The service was 5 stars, but the pricing is 3 stars.
With COVID, we've been doing a lot of curbside pickup from local stores. Some charge a flat service fee, unless you spend a certain amount, and then they waive that fee. Others, mark up the prices to cover their expense but don't charge a fee. I have come to learn that the flat fee is WAY better, at least for us. I usually spend anywhere from $100-200 a week on groceries and if it's a special weekend (holiday), it can be a lot more.
I have used the online ordering/curbside pickup from Wegmans 3 times now. The first time, a Wegman's person did the order. Every time since then, it's been an Instacart Shopper. I place my order online, through the Wegman's website. I can make online changes up until the shopper starts shopping. I also can pick a pickup day and time from the website. This process is pretty painless.
The Good:
1) My Instacart shopper contacts me via text to let me know they're starting to shop and asks if I have any changes/additions. I was able to ask for a few items on the "fly" this way.
2) They text me, as they shop, if they are out of stock on an item and it shows me a suggested replacement, with a photo, in my text. I can "approve", suggest a change, or ask for a "refund" on that item. I really like this aspect of their app., although my phone was dinging every few minutes.
3) They let me know when they're done shopping and I get a text that my order can be picked up.
4) Pick up is easy at the store. You pull up to the curbside pickup lane and someone will take your name and bring your groceries out and put them in your car. Totally contactless. If someone isn't there, you just call the number and they'll bring out the groceries.
The Bad:
1) I don't like that Wegman's upcharges on all their items, instead of a flat rate. I was doing a comparison today, and most items are marked up any where from 10%-20%. On a large order, say $200, that equates to an extra $20-40, which is FAR more than say the Harris Teeter flat rate of $4.95, which is waived at $100.
2) It's really hard to follow their sales on the website. They don't show you the flyer or the things on sale. At least, not easily. If something is on sale, I can see that, but I can't easily shop the "sale" items. Other stores make it a lot easier for me to do this, and I often buy more things, because I can see they are on sale.
Overall, after trying several grocery curbside services, I'd have to say I won't be using Wegman's again anytime soon. When I realized how much more I paid today for my order, versus the instore prices, I was shocked. My two go tos for Curbside shopping right now are Harris Teeter and Common Market.
I will say though, the Insta Cart shopper was very pleasant and the pickup experience has been great both times, just not sure it's worth up to 20% more per order. read more