The composition of beverages included in the program is determined by statute, Section of the Public Resources Code.
The following beverages sold in aluminum, glass, plastic, and bimetal containers are included in the program:
- Beer and other malt beverages
- Wine and distilled spirit coolers
- Vegetable juice 16 ounces or less in volume
- Carbonated and noncarbonated water, soda and mineral water, and similar soft drinks
- Carbonated and noncarbonated fruit drinks that contain any percentage of fruit juice
- Noncarbonated soft drinks and sport drinks
- Coffee and tea drinks
- Carbonated and noncarbonated fruit drinks
The following beverages are excluded from the program:
- Any product sold in a container that is not aluminum, glass, plastic, or bimetal.
- Wine, or wine from which alcohol has been removed, in whole or in part, whether or not sparkling or carbonated.
- Milk
- Medical food
- Infant formula
- Vegetable juice in containers 16 ounces or greater in volume
- percent fruit juice in containers 46 ounces or greater in volume
- Distilled spirits
- Any beverage container product type that is not specifically included by the Act.
Walmart&#;s grocery pickup is free, but how is the service?
According to the Time Use Institute, the average grocery shopping trip takes 41 minutes. But this varies dramatically based on factors, like the day and time you visit the store and the number of items in your grocery basket. Services like Instacart and Walmart Grocery make it so you can avoid grocery shopping in a brick-and-mortar store by doing your shopping online via an app or website.
Walmart Grocery offers delivery, pickup, or both options, depending on the market where you live. Walmart’s grocery pickup service is free to use, which makes it rather attractive for those looking to save money and time meandering around a crowded grocery store. All you do is drive up to the store, get your groceries loaded by employees, and leave.
We decided to give Walmart’s grocery pickup service a try. Looking at factors like the quality of the groceries when compared to an in-store grocery trip, customer service, cost, and time savings, we aimed to find out if the service is as great as it sounds.
Ordering groceries on the app
Overall rating: good
We used the Walmart Grocery app to place our order, and found it to be, for the most part, user friendly and easy to navigate. To locate an item, you simply type it into the search box, and a variety of selections appear on the screen. It should be noted that some items require more extensive searching than others. For instance, it was more difficult to find specific brands of gluten-free items, even when typing the exact name and brand of the item into the search box. For some items, we had to try a few different searches like &#;gluten free granola bars,&#; &#;Annies gluten free,&#; and &#;gluten free Annies&#; to get the item we were looking for.
Our grocery order was substantial; the total for our order was $, but this got us a lot of groceries (enough to feed a family of six for at least two weeks). We ordered a variety of items, ranging from produce and meats to foods for those with dietary restrictions (gluten free and lactose free). The available food selection was impressive, and ordering groceries via the app was relatively painless. It took us 58 minutes to input our order. However, you could input a smaller order in a few minutes (the app indicated the minimum order amount was $30).
You can reserve your pickup time in one-hour intervals either before or after you make your grocery selections. If you reserve your time beforehand, the app tells you a time period, and you have to check out to keep that time slot. Depending on when you order, there may be time slots available on the same day. There were no available time slots on the same day we were ordering, but there were many the following day and each day after. We selected 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the following day.
During checkout, you also indicate whether or not it’s OK for the store to make “substitutions.” This means, if the store is out of an item on your list, they can substitute it for a similar item. We marked no substitutions for our &#;dietary restriction&#; foods, but allowed substitutions for the remainder of our items.
Picking up groceries
Overall rating: fair
Our order was ready at approximately p.m., which was right on time. An app alerted us and we also received an email that our items were ready. The email and the app instructed us to check in when we were on our way by pressing a button in the email or app notification. We checked in and headed to the store to pick up our order shortly thereafter.
When we arrived, we parked in the designated pickup area on the side of the Walmart store. The app told us it knew we were at the store, but we had to wait 18 minutes for someone to come out and greet us. The staff was friendly, but they didn’t say much to us. Overall, it took 33 minutes from the time we parked to the time we drove away with our groceries. According to the Walmart Grocery website, the associates cannot accept tips for pickup orders.
Grocery quality
Overall rating: fair
Upon unloading our order, we found out they had made several substitutions. Some of the substitutions made sense, like swapping different brand names, while others were a bit strange, like giving us fresh cauliflower instead of the fresh broccoli we ordered.
The produce and fresh food looked decent overall. The bananas were not overripe, the potatoes were fresh, and the green peppers weren’t damaged or dented. Two of our items were damaged, though. Our lactose-free milk was dented, and our leaf lettuce was badly wilted. One of our items — split chicken breast — was expiring the following day, but no items were past their expiration date.
Twelve items were missing from our grocery order. When we looked at the receipt, we noticed they did not charge us for two of the items, but they did charge us for the remaining 10 missing items &#; that&#;s $ in groceries we were charged for.
Customer service
Overall rating: poor
We contacted the phone number provided in the email regarding the missing groceries, but getting the problem corrected was very difficult. It took us 10 calls back and forth to the Walmart store where we ordered to correct the issue. The store associates did not argue with us or deny the groceries were missing, but they sounded like they were too busy to handle the problem. We were asked to call back several times, or an associate would ask if they could call us back in five minutes and then 20 minutes would go by with no return call.
The associate hung up on us on two different occasions (we are unsure if this was an accident or not). The additional phone calls back and forth took us a total of 71 minutes from the first time we called to the time we had a resolution. To get the missing groceries, we had to make another trip to the same Walmart store to pick them up. On our second trip, the associate was friendly, but this time it took an additional 20 minutes for associates to bring the missing groceries to the pickup area.
So, is Walmart Grocery Pickup as convenient as it sounds?
When we added up the time it took to place our order, make two separate trips to Walmart, and make phone calls to correct the problems with our order, it took slightly more than three hours to complete the process. That seems like a lot of work, although hopefully not everyone will have to make a second trip to the store for missing goods.
Verdict? If you’re buying a large amount of groceries or you have very specific dietary needs, you may be better off going to a grocery store and purchasing your groceries or using another service.
This is not to say this service isn’t useful. With a few kinks worked out, this service could be valuable. For those with smaller grocery orders, the service may be a time saver. So, is Walmart Grocery Pickup as great as it&#;s cracked up to be? That depends on what you value. You probably won’t get the same quality of groceries as you would if you were to search for the best dates on meats and the best looking produce when you pick them out yourself. You may not save a ton of time. But, this service does allow you to look in your fridge and pantry while you shop, preventing excess or impulse purchases. It also prevents having to actually grocery shop yourself, and to some people that’s priceless.
Editors&#; Recommendations
Walmart is one of several major food retailers that now lets customers order groceries online and pick them up for free without ever stepping one foot inside the store.
Grocery pickup services from Walmart and others are becoming a lifesaver for busy Americans who want to save time and money.
My First Experience With Walmart Grocery’s Free Pickup Service
Whether you&#;re a parent trying to avoid the &#;Can I get a toy?&#; conversation or a single person who would rather not leave the car during a storm, you can see how this service can be a huge convenience.
I gave Walmart Grocery a try to find out if it&#;s as good as it sounds. Let me walk you through how it went&#;
1. Reserve a Time and Start Shopping!
To get started with Walmart Grocery, I signed in to my account at https://grocery.walmart.com. You can also access online grocery directly from the Walmart app.
From there, I selected my local Walmart store and reserved a one-hour pickup time. There were options from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The shopping process doesn&#;t require much explanation. I added a variety of groceries and household staples to my cart to meet the $30 order minimum for free grocery pickup.
I think Walmart&#;s search feature is easier to use compared to Target, so I was able to quickly add items to my cart.
2. Pricing Policy
You might expect that Walmart would increase the prices for customers who use the free pickup service, but that&#;s not the case! The retailer guarantees that you pay the same low prices as folks who shop in the store.
If an item&#;s price changes between the time you place your order and the day it&#;s packed, you&#;ll be charged the lower price.
Walmart&#;s substitution policy can also work in your favor. If you choose to allow substitutions and one is made, you&#;ll always be charged for the lower priced item.
3. Payment Options
Credit and debit cards are accepted for Walmart Grocery orders. I simply added a credit card to my Walmart.com account when I was going through the checkout process and paying for my order.
All participating Walmart stores now accept EBT for online grocery pickup orders. Learn more about paying for your order with EBT here.
4. Watch for Text and Email Alerts
After I placed my first Walmart Grocery order, I received an email with information on when it would be ready and where exactly I would pick it up at my local store.
The email also gave me the option to add items to my order before a cut-off time. That&#;s a plus for forgetful people like me.
When my order was ready the next morning, I got an email and a text to let me know. To save time, the text suggested that I check in using the Walmart Grocery app when I was on my way.
5. Follow the Orange Signs
My biggest worry was getting lost while searching for the pickup area. Although I&#;ve been to my local Walmart dozens of times, I never paid attention to the orange signs until I placed this order.
Luckily for me, orange &#;Pickup&#; signs were everywhere and led me to a special parking area for pickup orders.
I showed up during the middle of my time slot because that&#;s how Kroger suggests customers of its own grocery pickup service can beat the rush. I was the only grocery pickup customer there!
6. Call the Number on the Sign and Wait for Your Order
After parking in one of the designated spaces for online grocery pickups, I called the phone number posted and waited for my order.
A Walmart associate brought my groceries to my car two minutes later. He told me about a substitution that had to be made and I signed for my order. He then loaded the groceries into my trunk in less than three minutes.
By the way, Walmart&#;s website says that store associates don&#;t accept tips, but a &#;thank you&#; is appreciated.
7. Walmart Grocery Promo Codes
In addition to saving time, Walmart Grocery can save you money! There are often coupon codes for the service, including $10 off your first order of $50 or more. Get the deal at ClarkDeals.com.
Final Thoughts
This was my first time trying Walmart&#;s free grocery pickup service, but it won&#;t be the last. I was really impressed!
From ordering to pickup, the entire process was easy. The fruits and vegetables that I ordered were fresh, which is the way it should be but was honestly one of my primary concerns.
I also appreciated the fairness of the substitution policy and ended up with a national brand item when a generic wasn&#;t available.
My favorite thing about Walmart Grocery is how much time it saved me. My local store typically has long lines at checkout, so it was nice to be able to avoid the crowds. I didn&#;t even have to leave my car!
Beth from Team Clark also tested out Walmart&#;s grocery pickup and put together this video review:
Have you tried Walmart Grocery Pickup or free grocery pickup services from one of its competitors? Tell Team Clark about YOUR experience by leaving a review in the comments below!
More Money-Saving Tips From Clark.com:
Best Credit Card Signup Bonuses for If you're in the market for a new credit card, you may be hoping to cash in on the hundreds of dollars in signup bonuses offered to new customers. Signup bonuses and offers are a marketing tool that credit card… Walmart found to be charging double for CRV bottle deposits; untold numbers have overpaid
His receipt showed $51 for water, and $48 for the bottle fee.
RELATED: Tips from a pro: How you can live 'zero waste' in the Bay Area
"Forty-eight dollars for bottle deposits?'' Ross recalls. "My first reaction was, wow the CRV is almost as much as the water. That doesn't seem right.''
And it wasn't.
Ross had ordered twenty cases of Walmart brand Great Value drinking water on the Walmart.com website. The Walmart site doesn't show the bottle fee until checkout - so he says it's easy to miss.
But there it was: Water, $ Bottle fee, $
"It just stood out to me that, wow that's way too much and then when it started looking at it deeper I realized yeah it is way too much,'' Ross said.
He did the math and realized the company had charged him a cent deposit for each ounce water bottle. That's twice as much as the state's CRV price of just 5 cents a bottle.
Ross contacted his local Walmart store. "I said, 'Guys I think you have a problem here.' I said, 'Has anyone else called you on this? Am I the only one who caught this? I mean that's a lot of money.'"
He says managers at Walmart promised to get it fixed. They didn't. Which means anyone on the Walmart website who bought that water paid twice the CRV.
TAKE ACTION: Get help with recycling, trash and composting
"And if they're paying double the price, they owe money back to people, and it could be a lot,'' Ross said.
Ross contacted 7 On Your Side. We did a quick check and found Walmart was charging double CRV on other brands too.
For a bottle case of Dasani Purified Water, Walmart charged a deposit of $ That's 10 cents a bottle, instead of a nickel each.
For a pack of Nestle Purified Water, Walmart charged a deposit of $ Again, that's 10 cents a bottle when it should be five cents.
And for a ounce bottle of Dasani water, it also charged a cent deposit instead of a nickel.
That means even greater losses for consumers having a hard time redeeming their bottles at all. The state's largest recycling center operator shut down this summer, leaving many consumers scrambling to find ways to recycle bottles and cans.
Many say they shouldn't have to pay any CRV at all if they can't get those deposits back. Others complain that, even if they find a recycling center, most of them redeem based on weight of the bottles. And that doesn't usually add up to the full deposit.
And now, to pay double?
"That really adds up,'' Ross said. "Walmart needs to pay people back. I don't want them to be charging everybody double prices and then not fixing it."
RELATED: Recycling is complicated, but we can sort it out together: Here's how you can recycle like a pro
We contacted Walmart -- the company investigated and within days it corrected the CRV overcharges that we pointed out. It did not say how the mistakes happened, how many customers overpaid for CRV deposits, or what will happen to the extra fees it collected.
It did refund Ross for the overcharged fees he paid. But what about other customers? In a statement, Walmart said only:
"We have fully refunded the customer who brought this to our attention and will work to refund customers impacted by this charge. We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers."
Walmart also told us it was "actively engaged" in investigating the mistakes, and how it will refund customers. So far there is no indication that in-store CRV prices were also inflated - only on its website. Check your receipts and if you find overcharges, let 7 On Your Side know about it.
Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.
Grocery bottle fee walmart
- Last Updated:
- Jul 9th, am
- nguyentri[OP]
- Deal Addict
- May 13,
- posts
- upvotes
- Ottawa
Jun 30th, am
Walmart Plastic Bottle Fee
Does anyone know anything about this? I've bought these bottles elsewhere since then and haven't been charged this. I know in other provinces they have deposits but I don't think they have this in Ontario.
- deltone
- Deal Fanatic
- Nov 17,
- posts
- upvotes
Jun 30th, pm
- dubjk
- Sr. Member
- Feb 1,
- posts
- 44 upvotes
Jul 1st, pm
but i would think they would just tell you beforehand, like how they ask you if you want plastic bags and how theres a cost to it. Now that i think about it, if this was true would it become something like buying alcohol at LCBO, and its implied that you will be paying a deposit for the bottles.
- aggronieszka
- Sr. Member
- Feb 10,
- posts
- 24 upvotes
Jul 1st, pm
It could very well be something new for Quebec.
- iamnotamerican.com
- Deal Addict
- Jan 30,
- posts
- upvotes
- Surrey
Jul 2nd, am
Sounds like the 'recylcing fee' many companies have these days, in addition to the deposit. It supposedly covers the cost of administration and processing of the recylcing program.nguyentri wrote: ↑I bought a 6-pack of Coke ( mL) at Walmart (Orleans, ON) the other day and I was charged a 12 cent fee for it. I asked the cashier about it and she says it's a new law that they have to charge for plastic bottles.
Does anyone know anything about this? I've bought these bottles elsewhere since then and haven't been charged this. I know in other provinces they have deposits but I don't think they have this in Ontario.
Personally I think it's a rip off, but what can you do?
Please donate toward my fundraising efforts and support research into childhood cancers.
Simply scan my avatar to go straight to the donation page!
- any
- Member
- May 31,
- posts
- 31 upvotes
Jul 2nd, am
I just bought on tuesday plastic bottle pop from zellers.
no fee.
just cost + 13% in taxes.
- Kenny Blankenship
- Deal Addict
- Jul 1,
- posts
- upvotes
- Sudbury
Jul 2nd, am
Considering Orleans is in Ontario it would have nothing to do with Quebec. Quebec has had deposits on all its pop/beer bottles for many years.aggronieszka wrote: ↑I became very familiar with this deposit in Saskatchewan. I remember when I first lived there, grabbed a 24 pack of bottled water on sale for , but ended up being charged 8 something for the deposit as well.
It could very well be something new for Quebec.
- aggronieszka
- Sr. Member
- Feb 10,
- posts
- 24 upvotes
Jul 2nd, am
You're right. I have NO idea where I got Quebec from. Maybe I was thinking of Quebec while I was reading the OP?Kenny Blankenship wrote: ↑Considering Orleans is in Ontario it would have nothing to do with Quebec. Quebec has had deposits on all its pop/beer bottles for many years.
- Cheap Cat
- Deal Guru
- Aug 20,
- posts
- upvotes
- Nowhere
Jul 2nd, am
- nguyentri[OP]
- Deal Addict
- May 13,
- posts
- upvotes
- Ottawa
Jul 2nd, pm
I called the City of Ottawa to see if they implemented any new fees. They said no, but to check with the Province.
I called Service Ontario, which sent me to Revenue (I think). They never heard of any such fee, but that I should check with Environment. I called Dept. of Environment and they never heard of it either (and said I should check with Revenue).
I think I'll email Walmart HQ to see what they say.
- hagbard
- Deal Expert
- Dec 19,
- posts
- upvotes
- Fernando Poo
Jul 2nd, pm
- angekfire
- Deal Fanatic
- Oct 27,
- posts
- 63 upvotes
- Ottawa
Jul 2nd, pm
yet.hagbard wrote: ↑At least you don't have to worry about a "Smile at the checkout" fee.
- ephemera
- Deal Addict
- Jan 7,
- posts
- upvotes
Jul 2nd, pm
Can you ask if you can poor the POP into a reusable bag so you can save the deposit fee?
Member since
- emmafb
- Deal Addict
- Feb 5,
- posts
- upvotes
- Montreal
Jul 3rd, am
That was what happened when I went to Philippines 25 years ago. I ordered coke from a street stand, the guy empty the bottle (glass bottle) in a plastic bag and put a straw in it!ephemera wrote: ↑I wouldn't be shocked by this. I am sure there will be many more 'green' taxes coming down the pike since most people won't complain if its 'green'
Can you ask if you can poor the POP into a reusable bag so you can save the deposit fee?
- nguyentri[OP]
- Deal Addict
- May 13,
- posts
- upvotes
- Ottawa
Jul 7th, pm
I asked if this was a voluntary program and she said yes. I'm still skeptical about this though. It looks like Loblaws is part of this program and I've haven't been charged anything there (yet).
Has anyone else been charged any fees when buying any type of plastic bottled drinks at Walmarts in Ontario?
- aaaaaa
- Sr. Member
- Jul 5,
- posts
- 65 upvotes
Jul 7th, pm
were you able to find out if all walmarts are now doing this (in ontario), or if it was just the one location?
- Cheap Cat
- Deal Guru
- Aug 20,
- posts
- upvotes
- Nowhere
Jul 7th, pm
So where does it say they can charge you a bottle fee. I doubt that one store in a chain like WM, where Head Office controls every thing, would be charging this fee. Did you contact Head Office? If all they told you was that they belong to this program then that is not a sufficient answer. Is there a sign in the store advising customers of this? You can't just charge a fee unless it is the law.nguyentri wrote: ↑The Orleans store called me back and said that the charge stems from a "Green" program that Walmart participates in called Stewardship Ontario (http://www.stewardshipontario.ca/).
I asked if this was a voluntary program and she said yes. I'm still skeptical about this though. It looks like Loblaws is part of this program and I've haven't been charged anything there (yet).
Has anyone else been charged any fees when buying any type of plastic bottled drinks at Walmarts in Ontario?
- Kris81
- Banned
- Sep 24,
- posts
- upvotes
Jul 7th, pm
That's alot of work for 12 cents!nguyentri wrote: ↑I wrote to the Better Business Bureau and they told me to call the Department of Finance. Federal or Prov. they didn't say (I assume Prov.). Anyway, BBB seemed pretty useless.
I called the City of Ottawa to see if they implemented any new fees. They said no, but to check with the Province.
I called Service Ontario, which sent me to Revenue (I think). They never heard of any such fee, but that I should check with Environment. I called Dept. of Environment and they never heard of it either (and said I should check with Revenue).
I think I'll email Walmart HQ to see what they say.
- Frankie3s
- Deal Fanatic
- Jul 4,
- posts
- upvotes
Jul 7th, pm
- nguyentri[OP]
- Deal Addict
- May 13,
- posts
- upvotes
- Ottawa
Jul 8th, am
Yeah, it's a lot of work for just 12 cents, but it amounts to like a 5% tax/charge/fee (the 6-pack cost like $2 or $).Kris81 wrote: ↑That's alot of work for 12 cents!
Consider the amount of pop that Wal-mart sells, this is a lot of money that Wal-mart is getting. Is it going to the government, some green organisation, or their pockets?
The woman on the phone said that she doesn't know exactly what gets charged and how (????), but that other stuff like paint-cans will get this charge too.
And there is no signage or anything telling you of the charge beforehand.
You don't know until you look at the receipt or the cash register I guess. I wonder if this gets charged in self-scan.
I emailed Walmart HQ and I guess they just forwarded me to the store I had questions about.
Even if this charge is not bogus, they should post signs in the pop aisle describing the charge.
Come on, Oleg, how long will you have to wander around the country. To be honest, I am already tired of such a life. No personal life, no one needs me, such a feeling. Maybe you ask to be transferred to your old position, or maybe there is something else.
You will also be interested:
- Minecraft base survival
- Red 2013 mustang gt
- Okc street outlaws cast
- Mine that bird youtube
- Presto case when
- Kwik goal replacement parts
- Philippians 4 6 tpt
- Word problems mixed operations
- Onelife fitness job application
- Pioneer elite integrated amplifier
That's lovely. - Vadim whispered and closed his eyes. And I continued to torment his ass until I reached orgasm myself.