As I’ve documented before on this blog, many grocery stores these days offer free in-store pickup. But unfortunately very few go the extra mile and actually bring the items out to your car. I call it curbside pickup and it’s incredibly convenient for seniors, those with a handicap, and busy folks who don’t have time to wander the aisles aimlessly looking for brown paper lunch bags. Here are all the major stores that offer this service at NO extra charge, hope this list helps.

Aldi

Aldi recently partnered with Instacart to bring you curbside pickup for $3.99 at these locations.

Just shop the Aldi website, select your pickup location and timeframe, then get notified when it’s ready.

When you get to the store, park in a designated “Curbside pickup” spot and an employee will bring out your stuff and load it into your car.

Giant Eagle

If you have a Giant Eagle in your neck of the woods you’ll be excited to know they offer a Free Grocery Pickup service.

Just visit the above linked page and choose your store and click “Shop Now”.

Once you choose your store, you’ll schedule a time slot and then add items to your online cart and checkout.

Giant Eagle has “expertly trained personal shoppers” who only select the freshest and highest quality groceries for you.

Then just head to the store at your time, park in the designated spot, and they’ll load up your groceries for you.

If you’d prefer to have items delivered to your home, it can be done for a reasonable $5.95 for next-day delivery.

See Also: When Does Walmart Restock? Start Planning Your Trip and Save Money

H-E-B Grocers

If you happen to live near a H-E-B you should consider their Curbside Grocery Service.

You just shop their website, select a pick-up time and place your order.

Similar to Kroger below, you can add specific comments to your order. For example, you can say things like “can I please have my artisan bread sliced”, which is WAY cool.

They currently have a 4-hour turn around on curbside orders and the most you can order is $600 worth of groceries.

They even discourage tipping and want you to keep the money for your next curbside order.

Kroger

Simply shop the Kroger website and fill your virtual cart with what you need, then at checkout, select your store and pickup time.

An employee will then grab all your groceries and bring them to your car when you arrive.

Be sure to park in the designated spots and you’re good to go.

You can shop online up to three days in advance, which is super convenient.

It should also be noted that only the first 3 orders are free, after that you’re subject to a fee that varies by region.

Meijer

While Meijer charges a $4.95 curbside fee I still thought I should mention them.

The main reason I wanted to mention them was their ability to customize curbside orders.

For example, want green bananas? Or maybe extra ripe avocados? Just tell them in the comments section when checking out from their website and they’ll do their best to accommodate your request.

Once you select your pickup time, just head down to the store and go the to “Curbside Lane” and they’ll load you up.

Nordstrom

I gotta admit this one came as a surprise.

While not a grocery store, if you join the free Nordy Club you’re eligible to get free curbside delivery from your local Nordstrom department store.

When shopping from the Nordstrom website, be sure to select the “Buy Online & Pick Up in Store” option.

Then use the Nordstrom app to request curbside pickup.

Publix

Publix recently introduced a curbside delivery service that takes all the hassle out of grocery shopping.

You shop online when it’s convenient, then select a time that works for you to swing by and have your groceries loaded into your car.

Win win.

Safeway

The Safeway Driveup & Go program is relatively new and lets you shop online from home, reserve a pickup time, and have an employee do your shopping for you and load up your trunk when you arrive.

When demand is high some items may be out-of-stock and replacement items may be chosen for you.

See Also: We Make Sense of a Safeway Return Policy That’s a Bit Confusing

Sam’s Club

Give the Sam’s Club Pickup program a try as well.

You just do your shopping online via their website, check-in on their app, then come pickup your stuff in the Drive Thru area (where available) or head inside and grab your pre-loaded shopping cart.

The best part? No minimum order required.

Sears

If you’re lucky enough to still have a Sears in your town, you should try their free In-Vehicle Pickup program.

Just shop online or via their app and select “In-Vehicle Pickup” at checkout. (NOTE: Have to be a “Shop Your Ways” member to qualify, sign-up for free.)

Sears will drop you an email when your order is ready. Then you’ll just head to the store, park in a reserved spot, and use the app to tell them you’ve arrived.

They guarantee they’ll have your stuff brought out to your car within 5 minutes.

Target

Many Target locations in 2019 are rolling out the Drive Up service and even Returns and it’s pretty darn cool.

You just shop the Target app and wait for notification that your order is ready.

Then you let Target know via the app when you’re on your way and park in the designated “Drive Up” spot in the front of the store.

Once you’re safely parked, you let them know via the app that you’ve arrived and they’ll quickly bring out your stuff and load it.

If your local Target doesn’t offer “Drive Up” yet, you can still order online and choose in-store pickup at checkout. Then head to Guest Services once you get a notification that it’s ready.

Walmart

When Walmart Grocery Pickup was first introduced in 2017 it was met with some skepticism.

Would it be accurate? Would it be more hassle than it’s worth?

But after ironing out a few wrinkles, the grocery pickup delivery service has grown quite popular.

You simply visit walmart.com/grocery or shop via the Walmart app.

You can shop over 50,000 items and select your exact pickup date and time.

The cool part is if you place your order by 10 a.m. it will be ready for pickup on the same day.

When you get notified via email or text that your order is ready, you just park in one of the marked “Grocery Pickup” spots and an employee will bring out your items and load them in your car.

Some Walmart’s even have drive-up lanes like the one in the picture above.

Incredibly convenient service for seniors or busy parents and it’s completely FREE.

Whole Foods

While not every Whole Foods store offers curbside pickup, a HUGE chuck of them do.

Here is a complete list of Whole Foods locations that offer the service for free.

If your location is not listed, check back often because they are expanded the service like crazy right now to keep up with demand.

From the Whole Foods website, here is exactly how the service works:

1. Visit the Prime Now app or primenow.com/wholefoods to start shopping.

2. Be sure to select “Pickup” using the dropdown in the top-left corner of your screen.

3. After filling your Whole Foods Market cart, move to checkout and choose your preferred pickup time from the available options.

Ask the Reader: What grocery stores or big-box stores am I missing? Let me know in the comments and I’ll be sure to investigate.

By Kyle James

Photo credit to Walmart.

Costco has always been known as a great place to work, especially for part-time employees. But I thought it was time to take a deep dive into exactly what employee benefits and discounts Costco offers their workers. Perks that just might sway your decision one way or another when deciding to interview or accept a job offer.

Before we break it all down, let’s get some basic questions out-of-the-way that several commenters were curious about.

How old do you have to be to work at Costco? – Their minimum age for employment is 18 years old.

Does Costco hire seniors? – Yes. Departments where Costco hires senior citizens often include the pharmacy, optical, and member services.

Is there a required retirement age? – There is NO required retirement age at Costco.

1. Solid Health & Dental Insurance

If you’ve worked for Costco for at least 180 consecutive days, and work more than 24 hours per week, you’re eligible for health benefits.

You actually get to choose your own provider and out-of-pocket costs are low compared to the competition.

Also, since there is a pharmacy inside the warehouse, you get access to a solid in-house prescription drug plan.

Co-pays are $5 for generic drugs and 5-15% for for brand name medications.

Plus, all employees get access to a low cost dental plan which covers teeth cleaning and some basic procedures like cavity fillings.

Specifics: From current employee Kai, full-time medical plans are capped at $2,500 out-of-pocket for the year. This includes a $250 deductible, $15 co-pay, $25 for specialty doc which does NOT require a referral.

Kai also told me that you get 20 appointments a year for mental health, acupuncture and chiropractic services.

See Also: Costco Dress Code: Here’s the Deal on Tattoos, Piercings, and Clothing

2. Generous 401(k) Match

Costco offers a 50% match on your 401(k) contributions up to a maximum of $500 per year.

So you’d be smart to add $1,000 a year (if you can) as you’ll maximize this benefit.

In this scenario, Costco will add $500 to your 401(k) if you’re able to add $1,000 per year. Not too shabby.

Costco will also contribute a percentage of your pay regardless of what you add to your 401(k). This kicks in after you’ve been employed for a year and starts at 3% and increases periodically.

Caution: If you quit working at Costco before year 5 you’ll lose a portion of what they contributed but you keep ALL of your contributions.

See Also: The 15 Best Employee Discounts at Fast Food Restaurants

3. Does Costco Offer an Employee Discount?

No, employees pay the same price as everyone else.

But…when I asked a Costco employee about this, she told me that one nice perk they do get is the ability to shop after hours when the store is empty saving a bunch of time.

After all, time is money, right?

4. Salary Starting at $17/Hour

According to this Today Show article the starting hourly wage at Costco has recently been raised to $17 per hour.

The $17/hour is for Service Assistants while the starting wage for Service Clerks is $18/hour.

Wanna be a meat cutter? You’ll start at $18.50/hour.

For reference this is a higher wage compared to other “big box” employers.

Factor in Sunday shifts and this wage rises significantly. More on that later.

Also, in case you were wondering, hourly Costco employees “top out” at about $26 – $28/hour and it takes 6-8 years to get there.

See Also: Does Costco Still Drug Test? We Answer All Your Questions

5. Their Paid Time Off (PTO) Policy Doesn’t Suck

Paid Time Off is a big deal and this Costco benefits is nothing to scoff at.

After you’ve been employed for 1 year and have accrued at least 2,000 paid hours, you’ll start to accumulate paid time off.

Specifically, PTO is earned based on years of employment and breaks down like this:

– 1 year of employment: 1 week PTO

– 2-4 years: 2 weeks PTO

– 5-9 years: 3 weeks PTO

– 10-14 years: 4 weeks PTO

– 15+ years: 5 weeks PTO

If you work less than 2,000 hours your PTO is pro-rated accordingly.

Also, it’s important to note that you can ONLY roll-over your PTO to the following year and it can’t be carried over from year to year.

Costco WANTS you to use your vacation hours…so use it before you lose it.

6. A Free Turkey? Um, OK.

According to this Business Insider article, employees at Costco get a free turkey at Thanksgiving.

Cool gesture but not exactly the same as a real Christmas bonus, more like a “Jelly of the Month Club” type bonus.

Apparently employees can donate the turkey to a charity if they don’t want to take it home.

7. Earn “Time and a Half” on Sunday

You can really rack up a fat paycheck if you regularly work on Sunday as you’ll earn time and a half.

So if you normally earn $15/hour that’ll get bumped to $22.50 which is a nice pay increase.

Doing some quick math, your weekly hourly rate jumps up to $16.50 per hour by working on Sunday.

See Also: Amazon Employee Discount: The Nuts & Bolts So You Can Take Advantage

8. You’ll Get 4 Free Memberships

Also, as a Costco employee you’ll get 4 free annual memberships.

One membership for you and 3 for anyone of your choosing.

Choose wisely young padawan.

9. Opportunities to Move Up

From talking to multiple Costco employees it seems unanimous that your success depends largely on your work ethic and how badly you want to move up with the company.

Work hard and you’ll move up. Heck, shoot for a supervisor position, then a store manager.

Your success with Costco is limited only by YOU and your attitude.

“Bonus Time” at Costco

I also got the skinny (kinda) on how bonuses for Costco employees work.

Here’s what I know so far…

– Bonus Every 6 Months: According to this thread on Indeed.com, an employee talked about getting a $2,500 to $3,500 bonus every 6 months depending on years with Costco.

– Annual Bonus up to $5,500: According to PayScale.com some employees get an annual bonus up to $5,500. Particularly the in-house optometrist (eye doctor).

Help me out in the comments if you have first hand knowledge of how Costco bonuses work.

Ask the Reader: Do you work for Costco Wholesale? What did I miss? Let me know in the comments, thanks.

By Kyle James

If you’re like me you’ve walked past the Costco pharmacy for years but never used it to fill a prescription. Maybe you’re unsure of how the pharmacy works or if it’ll actually save you any money on your medicine. This article will hopefully answer all of your questions so you can make an informed decision on whether the pharmacy at Costco is right for you.

Do I Have to Be a Costco Member to Use the Pharmacy?

No, anybody can walk into Costco and use their pharmacy.

Some Costco warehouses even have a separate entrance for their pharmacy.

Just tell the card-checker at the door that you’re there to use the pharmacy and they’ll direct you where to go.

PRO TIP: ALWAYS CHECK GOODRX

The free app GoodRx almost always has drug coupons for the Costco pharmacy that will bring your costs down. Get in the habit of checking the app for deals before you pay for your prescription. According to GoodRx: When using GoodRx, the average consumer saves 47% vs. Costco Pharmacy’s cash price.

See Also: 8 Cool Things You Can Do at Costco Without a Membership

Are Costco Pharmacy Prices Competitive?

The prices at the Costco pharmacy are quite competitive and is the main reason I wanted to write this article.

Consumer Reports recently put together an excellent study where they used secret shoppers to call over 150 drugstores in the United States.

They asked about the pricing on 5 of the most popular prescription drugs in the country and the results BLEW me away.

In short, Costco dominated.

Here are Consumer Reports official findings.

The only pharmacy to beat Costco on price was HealthWarehouse.com which is an online-only pharmacy and thus not a good option for those who need their prescriptions filled right away.

Does Costco Have a Discounted Drug Program?

Yes, and it’s only available to Costco members.

It’s officially called the Costco Member Prescription Program Discount Card or CMPPDC for short.

Depending on the drug, the discount card will save you anywhere from 2% to 40%.

Just show the Costco pharmacist your membership card and they’ll get you signed up for the discount card for FREE.

To give you an idea, here are some examples of the potential prescription savings.

– Dilantin 100mg Cap Qty 90 – $69.97

– Eliquis 5mg Tab Qty 60 – $471.79

– Gabapentin 100mg Cap Qty 60 – $5.99

– Levoxyl 88mcg Tab Qty 90 – $69.00

– Novolog FlexPen 100unit/ml, Qty 5 Pens – $460.02

– ProAir HFA Qty 1 Inhaler – $73.79

– Rosuvastatin 20mg Tab Qty 90 – $40.99

– Sildenafil 20mg Tab Qty 30 – $28.79

– Synthroid 100mcg Tab Qty 90 – $125.99

– Viagra 100mg Tab Qty 10 – $153.04

See Also: Considering the Amazon Pharmacy? 15 Things You Gotta Know

Does Costco Offer Immunizations Too?

Yes.

Here is a list of the immunizations that Costco currently offers along with pricing.

Hepatitis A (Havrix) – $69.38

Hepatitis B (Engerix-B) – $55.29

Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B (Twinrix) – $94.60

Human Papilloma Virus (Gardasil 9) – $235.42

Meningitis (Menactra) – $126.99

Pneumovax® 23 – $108.18

Prevnar 13® – $198.81

Seasonal 4-Strain Flu Shot (No Cost on Most Insurance) – $19.99

Shingles (Shingrix) – $154.20

Tetanus, Diphtheria, Whooping Cough (Tdap) (Boostrix) – $41.65

No appointment is necessary to get any of these shots.

But it is highly recommend that you fill out this Immunization Consent Form at home to save time once you arrive.

Also, be sure to bring your insurance card and wear loose clothing and a short sleeved t-shirt so they can stick ya easily.

Besides getting immunizations, you can also consult with a Travel Medicine Specialist at Costco who will walk you through your future travel plans and what shots you’ll need before you board the airplane.

Is There a Drug Auto-Refill Program?

Yes.

As a matter of fact, once you check the “Auto Refill” circle on the Costco website you’ll never need to request a refill again.

On the Costco website, you’ll find this option on the Refill Prescription page or the Prescription Status page.

It should be noted that a valid credit card will need to be on file in order to use this service.

Also, you CANNOT get auto-refills on controlled substance medicines or prescriptions that are considered “non-maintenance”.

See Also: Walmart Pharmacy: Your 7 Burning Questions Finally Answered

Does the Costco Pharmacy Offer Home Delivery?

YES, you can either have your meds shipped to your home or you can pick them up in the actual Costco warehouse.

The Costco website has a handy section dedicated to managing your home delivery prescriptions.

You can either fill new prescriptions, refill prescriptions, or have them transferred directly from a warehouse.

Can I Get Pet Medications at Costco Too?

Yes, and the potential savings on your pet’s prescription is significant especially when compared to the price your veterinarian charges.

You must be a Costco member and also be enrolled in Costco Member Prescription Program Discount Card (CMPPCD) to qualify.

For existing prescriptions, simply bring in the bottle on your next visit to Costco and the pharmacist will be able to tell you about availability and potential costs.

For new prescriptions, just tell your vet you’re a Costco member and they’ll call or fax your prescription order for you.

It’s also worth noting that you must pickup your pet’s drugs at Costco and you can’t have them mailed to your home.

Any Downsides to Using the Costco Pharmacy?

Let’s face it, the Costco Pharmacy probably isn’t for everyone.

Here are a few potential problems with it.

1. Location – A Costco location may not be near for some. Also, if your Costco is like mine, the parking lot SUCKS big time and is often a nightmare to get in and out of.

This is typically not an issue at most neighborhood drugstores.

2. New Prescriptions Can Be Delayed – I’ve been told that some new prescriptions won’t be available until the following day. If you need the medicine today this won’t work for many.

3. Wait Time is Often Long – Some pharmacy users complain about longer wait times at Costco compared to neighborhood pharmacies.

This is when it’s smart to get your prescription sent-in by your doctor or do it online so you’ll know your meds will be ready for you when you arrive.

Ask the Reader: Are you a Costco pharmacy user? Did I miss any important points? Let me know in the comments, thanks.

By Kyle James