Some may call it laziness. Others may call it efficiency. All I know is that being a working mom of two rambunctious toddler boys has taught me that time is of the essence.
Introducing Order-for-Pickup:
The fastest and most cost-effective way for me to get the provisions I need to run my busy household without having to haul 80 lbs. worth of cuteness and mischief into a store.
I started using curbside pickup at Target as soon as my first son was born in 2018. Being new to motherhood–and to a preemie, at that–I didn’t want to expose my tiny offspring to the elements of suburbia.
However, the pandemic forced me into full adoption of order-for-pickup wherever possible. So now Sunday afternoons consist of me, my husband, and the boys hopping into the car and doing a small caravan around town to get our weekly essentials. First, we stop by the library to return the books we borrowed for that week and pick up books at the front desk that we reserved online. In other words, I mindlessly tap my phone early in the week to put some books on hold. Then someone at my library takes the time to get the book location from the online catalog, climb up to three floors, comb through corridors of bookshelves, and make the trek back to the main desk to reserve some books for me.
Yes, this is where I am at in my life.
After the library stop, we head to BJs, our local members-only warehouse/bulk store, where I’ve keyed in my order on my phone at 7 AM that day. I park in one of the curbside pickup spots and check in to the store via the store app to let them know I’m here to pick up my order. Within minutes, a friendly staff member wheels over the two gallons of milk, two dozen eggs, and the multiples of everything else that I’ll need to feed my hungry family for a week–placing it into my trunk, along with my receipt. Again, some kind soul has walked hundreds of feet through the store, putting all my goods into a cart, rang it up, and brought it to me. And I didn’t get any side-eye from any fellow shoppers for not being able to control my kids because I never even entered the store.
The caravan continues to Target. I let them know I’m on my way by checking into their app. Target has the best curbside pickup experience. They let you pick where you want your items placed (e.g., trunk, side door, etc.) and also let you pick backup items in case something goes out of stock after you place your order. Everything is usually ready within two hours of placing the order. Once I arrive, I let Target team members know via the app, and in moments, all my odds and ends are placed into the trunk, sending me off to my next stop.
On some trips, the pharmacy is the last stop. Admittedly, the drive-up at the pharmacy sometimes has a bit of a wait. But if I am not in a rush, without ever leaving my car, I can get my scripts through the drive-up window.
Why Resort to Order-for-Pickup
In case you haven’t figured it out, here’s why I love and recommend order-for-pickup to all busy and/or frugal people:
- Time savings. There was a time in my life where I enjoyed the thrill of going through all the aisles in a store, wondering what I might stumble upon. Alas, I am in a stage in my life where I have to choose between a hot meal and a shower. That also means choosing one option requires sacrifice of the other. As you can imagine with choices like these, anywhere I can recoup some time is welcome. Did I mention that most of these stores don’t charge me extra for shopping on my behalf? All I need to do is show up to the store, and everything I want is brought to me.
- Cost savings. I would say that my approach to spending money is using moderation. I try to stay away from excess, although I splurge occasionally. However, order-for-pickup allows me to put items in and take them out of my online shopping cart. I can see my order total before I officially place my order. I find that shopping this way allows me to have more self control and limit how many nice-to-have items I spend my hard-earned money on.
- Reducing hassle. My boys do love going into a store, running around in the racks, pulling items off the shelves, and sometimes threatening to throw a tantrum when they don’t get their way–all normal behavior for their age. Truth be told, sometimes my boys can be perfectly-behaved little angels, and the real issue is that it’s a warm Saturday afternoon and everyone is out. And the self checkout line is seemingly infinite when I have my groceries and tots in tow. I simply don’t have the patience for it all. This is where I retreat back to order-for-pickup.
If you want to take back your time and reduce your risk of overspending, double check whether your favorite stores offer this service. Sometimes they don’t advertise it in the store, but they do make it available within their app. Try out competing stores that do offer pickup service. The added convenience may win your patronage.
I hope these time-saving tips inspire you. Let me know of some other time- and cost-hacks you’ve discovered by commenting below.