What Grocery Stores Have Curbside Pickup? (And How It Works)

The demand for online grocery shopping has increased significantly over the past few years and is expected to grow. Ordering groceries online and picking them up at the store is one of the most convenient ways of shopping when you’re in a time crunch.

Luckily, there are many grocery stores that offer curbside pickup, and some even provide the service for free.

Curbside pickup is my favorite way of grocery shopping because you get the benefit of ordering online and picking up in a flexible time window that doesn’t conflict with your schedule.

In this article, I will cover how curbside pickup works at the 15 most popular grocery stores and the costs associated with their service.

How Curbside Pickup Works at Grocery Stores

Most grocery stores use their employees to shop and bring curbside pickup orders to your car in designated areas. Some stores partner with third-party companies like Instacart to process pickup orders.

Here is a list of the most popular grocery stores that offer curbside pickup. I’ll further explain how pickup works at each store, but you can find a quick summary in the table below:

	Fees	Rewards	Min. Order
Albertsons	No	Yes	$30
Aldi	$1.99 $3.99	No	No
Food Lion	$1.99 $3.99	Yes	$10
Giant Eagle	No	Yes	$35
Harris Teeter	$4.95	Yes	No
H-E-B	No	Yes	No
Kroger	No	Yes	No
Meijer	$4.95	Yes	No
Publix	No	Yes	$35
Safeway	No	Yes	$30
ShopRite	$4.99	Yes	No
Target	No	Yes	No
Walmart	No	No	$30
Wegmans	No	Yes	$10
Whole Foods	No	No	$35

There are two ways you can receive your online grocery orders – curbside pickup or home delivery.

I wrote a separate article about deliveries, so if you’re interested in finding out how grocery stores handle home delivery, check out that article.

Let’s explore how curbside pickup works at each grocery store below.

How Curbside Pickup Works at Grocery Stores

1. Albertsons

Albertsons curbside pickup service is called “Drive Up & Go,” and it’s free.

If you already have a “Just for U” account with Albertsons, you can use it while placing your order online and get the savings associated with your card.

When you arrive at the designated pickup area, you need to call the number on the posted sign, and a store employee will bring the order to your car. 

My minor asthma has become more serious in recent years, so I’m looking for every way to reduce possible exposure to coronavirus. I used @Albertsons’ drive up-and-go option yesterday. Quick and easy. Order via app, reserve pickup time. Easy peasy. Good option. pic.twitter.com/1e5sjsMUYG

— Katy Moeller (@KatyMoeller) March 14, 2020

Albertsons doesn’t accept digital or paper coupons for online orders, but you get the savings associated with your “Just for U” account.

Fees	Rewards	Coupons	Min. Order
No	Yes	No	$30

2. Aldi

Aldi offers curbside pickup through Instacart. There’s a $1.99 pickup fee for orders over $35, and a $3.99 fee applies to orders under $35.

Thanks for reaching back out. ALDI delivery and pickup is powered by Instacart. Please visit our FAQ page for more details: https://t.co/tt2TMJHNCU

— ALDI USA (@AldiUSA) September 9, 2020

Aldi’s online prices are higher than in-store prices to cover Instacart’s “personal shopping” fee.

You can use the digital coupons available through Instacart, but they are limited since most Aldi products are private labels.

When you arrive at the designated pickup area, follow the instructions on the signs, and an employee will bring the order to your car.

Fees	Rewards	Coupons	Min. Order
$1.99 $3.99	No	Yes	No

3. Food Lion

Food Lion’s curbside pickup service is called “Food Lion to Go” and is offered through Instacart.

You can use your MVP Savings Card to receive the store benefits associated with your card. You get the MVP prices on all items ordered online.

You can also use the coupons available through Instacart when you shop online at Food Lion.

There’s a $1.99 pickup fee for orders over $35, and a $3.99 fee applies to orders under $35. There’s a $10 minimum order requirement.

Fees	Rewards	Coupons	Min. Order
$1.99 $3.99	Yes	Yes	$10

4. Giant Eagle

Giant Eagle offers a free curbside pickup service, and you’ll pay in-store prices for all items purchased online.

There’s a $35 minimum order requirement, and Giant Eagle allows you to use coupons for curbside pickup orders.

When you arrive at the designated area for pickup, inform the Giant Eagle pickup team of your coupons and the total dollar amount. They will make adjustments to the final price accordingly.

Fees	Rewards	Coupons	Min. Order
No	Yes	Yes	$35

5. Harris Teeter

Harris Teeter’s curbside pickup service is called “ExpressLane.” There is a $4.95 pickup fee for all orders, but the fee is waived for the first order.

You can also choose to pay a yearly subscription fee of $99.95 and get pickup service for free.

Harris Teeter allows using digital coupons for online orders. So, if you have printed coupons, you can hand them to Harris Teeter employees at the time of pickup, and they will be applied to your next ExpressLane order.

Fees	Rewards	Coupons	Min. Order
$4.95	Yes	Yes	No

6. H-E-B

H-E-B charges a $4.95 personal shopper fee for curbside pickup orders. At the time of this writing, they waived the personal shopper fee for all curbside pickup orders except for same-day and next-day orders.

Hi, Heather. We have waived the fees of our curbside pickup during this time.

— H-E-B (@HEB) March 22, 2020

H-E-B’s online prices are different than in-store prices. You can apply digital coupons when placing an online order, but H-E-B doesn’t accept manufacturer or store coupons.

Fees	Rewards	Coupons	Min. Order
No	Yes	Yes	No

7. Kroger

reasons, may not be able to wear a mask. We encourage those customers to consider an alternative option like a face shield or our ecommerce services like pickup or delivery. To continue supporting all households, our pickup service remains free (generally a $4.95 fee). 2/2

— Kroger (@kroger) August 12, 2020

Kroger offers a free curbside pickup service, and there is no minimum order requirement.

Kroger may have special sales just for pickup customers through their app. You can load digital coupons to your Shopper’s Card, and they will be applied to online orders.

If you have any printed coupons, you can hand them to Kroger associates at the time of pickup, and they will apply to your order.

Fees	Rewards	Coupons	Min. Order
No	Yes	Yes	No

8. Meijer

Meijer’s curbside pickup service is called “Meijer Pickup.” Meijer charges a $4.95 fee for curbside pickup orders, and there’s no minimum order requirement.

Most Meijer stores have a designated pickup area between the two front entrances, and there are signs posted.

Meijer offers in-store prices for curbside pickup orders. If you already have a mPerks account, you can load digital coupons to your account, and they will be applied to the order.

Meijer does not accept paper coupons for online orders.

Fees	Rewards	Coupons	Min. Order
$4.95	Yes	Yes	No

9. Publix

Publix offers curbside pickup through Instacart. There’s no fee for curbside pickup service, but there’s a $35 minimum order requirement.

Publix’s online prices are higher than in-store prices. You can use the digital coupons available through Instacart, and they will be applied automatically when you add a qualifying item to your cart.

Publix doesn’t accept printed coupons for online orders.

Fees	Rewards	Coupons	Min. Order
No	Yes	Yes	$35

10. Safeway

Safeway’s curbside pickup policies are similar to Albertsons’. The curbside pickup service is called “Drive Up & Go,” and it’s free.

If you already have a “Just for U” account, you can use it when placing an online order at Safeway, and the savings will be applied.

When you arrive at the designated pickup area, you need to call the number on the sign, and a store employee will bring the order to your car.

Safeway doesn’t accept digital or paper coupons for online orders, but you get the savings associated with your “Just for U” account.

Fees	Rewards	Coupons	Min. Order
No	Yes	No	$30

11. ShopRite

ShopRite’s curbside pickup service is called “ShopRite from Home.” There’s a $4.95 fee for the curbside pickup service, and there’s no minimum order requirement.

ShopRite has designated pickup areas in the parking lot, and you need to call the number on the sign when you arrive at the store. A store associate will bring the order and load it into your car.

You can apply digital coupons while placing your order online. If you have printed coupons, you can hand them to the store associate at the time of pickup.

Fees	Rewards	Coupons	Min. Order
$4.99	Yes	Yes	No

12. Target

Hello – Thank You for reaching out. We really appreciate your feedback on the DriveUp service.
Even as the parent of a 5 year old we use it on our way home all the time. We are continuing to work to make Target your easiest retail store to shop for all of your needs. Thank You

— Target (@Target) April 30, 2019

Target’s curbside pickup service is called “Drive up”, and there’s no fee or minimum order requirement for curbside pickup.

You can only order through the Target app, and a notification is sent when the order is ready for pickup.

Before you head to the store to pick up the order, you should notify Target that you’re on your way.

Target’s curbside pickup prices are the same as in-store prices. Target Circle’s offers apply to curbside pickup orders, but you can’t use any other coupons or promotions.

Fees	Rewards	Coupons	Min. Order
No	Yes	No	No

13. Walmart

We are so happy to hear Grocery Pickup is making shopping easier, Kim! Thanks for the shout out!

— Walmart (@Walmart) September 14, 2020

Walmart offers free curbside pickup and has a $30 minimum order requirement.

You can place your grocery order on the Walmart app, and a notification will be sent when your order is ready for pick up.

You should notify Walmart through the app that you’re on your way for the pickup. You can also call the store directly to let them know about your arrival.

When you arrive at the store, follow the orange signs to the designated pickup area, and a Walmart associate will bring the order to your car.

Walmart’s online prices are the same as in-store prices, but Walmart doesn’t accept any coupons for online orders.

Fees	Rewards	Coupons	Min. Order
No	No	No	$30

14. Wegmans

Wegmans offers a curbside pickup service through Instacart. There’s no fee for curbside pickup service, but there’s a $10 minimum order requirement.

Wegmans’ online prices are higher than in-store prices. Also, Wegmans doesn’t accept printed coupons for online orders.

You can link your Wegmans “Shopper Club Card” to your Instacart account and apply digital coupons to your order.

Fees	Rewards	Coupons	Min. Order
No	Yes	Yes	$10

15. Whole Foods

Thanks for asking about curbside pickup. Orders for in-store pick up through Prime Now are available in select areas. Visit https://t.co/bG6tZ1Uf0C for more information.

— Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) April 13, 2020

Whole Foods offers a free curbside pickup service to Amazon Prime members for orders over $35.You can order groceries through the Amazon app, and a notification will be sent when your order is ready for pickup – usually within an hour.

You should notify Whole Foods through the app that you’re on your way for pickup. When you arrive at the designated pickup area, a store associate will bring the order to your car.

Amazon Prime Members have exclusive discounts available at Whole Foods. I explained those perks in another article, so you check it out if you want to know more about how Prime membership works at Whole Foods.

Fees	Rewards	Coupons	Min. Order
No	No	No	$35

Final Thoughts

Curbside pickup is an excellent alternative to in-store shopping since it’s safe, convenient, and saves you time. Most grocery stores offer free curbside pickup, which makes it more affordable compared to home delivery.

I have used grocery pickup many times at Walmart, Stop & Shop, and ShopRite, and my experience has been pleasant most of the time.

There have been minor issues here and there with missing items, wrong items, etc., but they were not show-stoppers.  

For more grocery shopping tips, you check out the articles below.

Related Articles:

Dollar General Pickup: How It Works and How to Order on the DG App

Does Instacart Accept EBT? (Yes, Here’s Where)

When Does Target Restock? (Everything You Need to Know)

When Does Kroger Restock? (A Guide to Kroger Grocery Shopping)

When Does Walmart Restock?