One of the things I was most surprised by as a wife and mom is just how much of my energy goes towards planning what to eat, grocery shopping, and preparing meals. These people are always hungry…and I’m the one who has to feed them!

In an effort to make the process more efficient, I used to literally plan out my meals for the entire month, make a massive grocery list of all the items needed (minus the perishables for the end of the month), and spend at least three hours of my weekend shopping to carry out my plan. While there were benefits to knowing what we’re eating for the next 30 days, the planning and buying process ate up a huge chunk of my free time.

In full disclosure, sometimes I didn’t completely hate all that time by myself in the store…but there just had to be a better way.

Then, one glorious day, Kroger rolled out ClickList in Lexington. If you aren’t familiar, this means that you order your groceries online, select a pickup time, then cruise over to the store and let someone else load your items into the trunk. You don’t even have to get out! This means you can shop and pickup in your underwear, pajamas, favorite sweatpants without worry of running into that judgmental-always-put-together-PTA mom in aisle five.

Since Meijer is closer to my house, it had been my store of choice for years. I was sort of shopping blind from the Kroger website, but I signed up for my account (including digital coupons) and began shopping from my couch. But being able to build my cart from home and then pick up my order from Kroger for $5 was worth every penny. Plus, I could still use paper coupons, meaning I usually offset the service fee.

Not to be outdone, the Walmart Super Center down the street introduced their Walmart Grocery pickup service. It had the same premise as Kroger but with a $30 minimum purchase and no service fee. Yet again, I wasn’t super familiar with this store’s shelves, but I found their app easier to navigate as a new user. Walmart’s variety of items, especially organic produce options, is more limited. But I was able to get some variation of everything on my list.

Walmart doesn’t let me use paper coupons and they don’t have their own digital coupons to clip like Kroger. Also, your receipt is emailed to you at Walmart, meaning no paper receipt for grocery rebate apps like Ibotta. On the surface, it seems like Kroger would be cheaper.

More than six months ago, I tested them out with a typical weekly grocery order added to both online carts (because I know how to party when the kids are in bed). Walmart was cheaper by more than $20, even with my coupons figured in. Plus, I could use Walmart’s Savings Catcher for them to price match their competitors for me. I’ve been using Walmart Grocery exclusively for grocery pickup since then.

However, I decided to try it again to see if there is still a price difference, this time documenting it for you. I chose some items that I, or any family, might buy for a weekly grocery trip. For both stores, I was able to select pickup the same day that I ordered. I did not shop based on advertised sales, but chose items that were available at both stores. Items were a variety of name brand, store brand, organic, and conventional. I applied Kroger’s digital coupons when available.

The Grocery List

• 7 bananas
• 18 eggs
• 1 package of Oreos (in case anyone likes cookies)
• 30 oz whole grain Goldfish crackers (because the whole grain balances out the Oreos, right?)
• 12 oz Oscar Meyer Naturals uncured bacon
• 16 oz Unsalted butter (store brand)
• 16 oz Jif peanut butter
• 1 lb organic baby carrots
• 8 oz Sargento cheddar cheese slices
• 5 lb bag Idaho potatoes
• About 8 thin cut boneless pork chops
• 1 lb store brand 80/20 ground beef
• Lay’s Family Size Classic potato chips
• 8 oz Oscar Meyer Naturals turkey breast lunchmeat
• 16 oz store brand garlic bread
• 24 oz Ragu pasta sauce
• 16 oz Barilla whole grain penne
• Family Size Honey Nut Cheerios
• 18 oz Montgomery Inn barbeque sauce
• 12 oz Eat Smart Sweet Kale salad kit (kale makes me look super healthy)
• Gallon store brand organic whole milk
• 1 lb strawberries
• Nature’s Own 100% whole wheat bread
• 3 lb frozen Tyson boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 8 oz frozen Birds Eye Steamfresh premium broccoli florets (who likes the stalks?)
• 23 oz Windex
• 6-pack XL Brawny paper towels
• 6 oz Secret deodorant
• 6 oz Colgate Total toothpaste

Results

Kroger ClickList - $109.54
Walmart Grocery - $95.81

Walmart Grocery was again cheaper. The difference was about $8 with food only, and grew to $13.73 after adding a few toiletries and cleaning products. With paper coupons, I may have been able to lower Kroger’s price some more. But cost isn’t the only determining factor when making a decision. Keep in mind that for me, both stores are 2.2 miles from my house, so location could be a much bigger factor for you. Below I’ve listed some other pros and cons for both.

Kroger ClickList

Pros:

• You can make notes to aid in selection of your items (i.e. green bananas, thickness of sliced meat, etc.)
• Take advantage of digital and paper coupons
• Use your Kroger Plus card for fuel points, etc.
• Good variety of produce, deli, and organic items
• Get a paper receipt for grocery rebate apps like Ibotta, etc.
• No minimum purchase
• Covered pickup area

Cons:

• More expensive
• Charges a service fee (varies by location, but $4.95 in Lexington)
• Clipping paper and digital coupons takes extra time
• iPhone app is less user friendly
• Have to notify them when you arrive and wait for groceries to be brought out

Walmart Grocery

Pros:

• Less expensive
• No service fee
• No coupon clipping needed, saving time
• iPhone app is user friendly
• Can check in on mobile app so that groceries are ready to load when you arrive
• Can use Walmart Savings Catcher for automatic price comparison/adjustment to competitors’ advertised prices

Cons:

• Can’t use paper coupons
• Don’t get a paper receipt for grocery rebate apps like Ibotta, etc.
• Minimum purchase of $30
• Can’t make notes to help choose your items
• Less variety of products
• Pickup area seems to be an afterthought on the side of the store with no coverage (at least at my store)

It’s important to note that both places will substitute items that are out of stock (if you want them to), charging you for the lower price regardless of the price of the new item. I’ve received name brand items at the generic price or larger quantities for the cost of the smaller one. Both stores will give you periodic bonus bags of free items to try (I included a photo of my Walmart spring bag of freebies). Who doesn’t love samples?

I should note a huge added bonus for both stores – I don’t impulse shop random dish towels, cookies, crafts I’ll never do, nail polish I’ll later regret, or whatever else catches my eye when I’m actually in the store. This means I automatically save money on groceries by not entering the store!

The Verdict

For me, Walmart Grocery is the winner! Price is important to me and my budget, so getting the same things for less money is worth it.

I buy a lot of things at Costco, so often times my grocery list only consists of pantry staples and toiletries. I’ve heard that people prefer the quality of meat and produce at Kroger, but for the items I buy, I haven’t had any issues.

Now I don’t have to plan out meals for the month because going to the grocery is much more convenient. I can add items to my cart throughout the week, place an order, not deal with coupons, save money, check Facebook on my phone while someone else loads groceries in my car, and then I get money back if the price was cheaper somewhere else. It is a GAME CHANGER!

If you haven’t tried Walmart Grocery yet, click here for $10 off your first order. I’ll get $10 off my next one, too! I tried to find a similar coupon for Kroger with no luck. However, they waive the pickup fee for your first three orders. You can try them here.

Have you tried grocery pickup? Have you found Kroger to be cheaper? I’d love to hear your experience! Leave me a comment below.

Below you can see the items and prices from my carts at each store.

For more ways to save money shopping, check out:

Four Easy Ways to Save Money Now

(Produce Photo Credit NeONBRAND on Unsplash)

(Aisle Photo Credit Oleg Magni on Pexels)

(Produce Photo Credit NeONBRAND on Unsplash)