Does Wegmans charge for curbside pickup?

Wegmans will not charge you for curbside pickup. However, products on the store’s website cost more than those you’d buy in-store. But there’s a good reason for the price hike. Wegmans uses personal shoppers to fulfill customer orders. So the store will use the extra costs on online products to pay the shoppers. To learn how this works, keep reading.

Wegmans curbside pickup charges 

As aforementioned, Wegmans curbside delivery is free. But there’s a catch. You need to make a minimum order of $10, otherwise you can’t use the pickup option. You may also notice that product prices on Wegmans website are 15% higher than those inside the store. The price increase helps to pay the personal shoppers that will arrange your order before you arrive at the store.

Some Wegmans stores may charge you for bags. If they don’t have reusable bags, then you will pay an extra $0.05 per paper bag used for your curbside order. If the store’s only have reusable bags, then they will charge you $0.35 per plastic bag used for your order. Prices for shopping bags may vary across locations.

You may notice that Wegmans has charged you more than the total amount of items when you shop online. What happens is that the store will charge you extra in case you have weighted items in your cart. Weighted items are foods that are priced according to weight, usually measured in grams and ounces. For example, meat and fresh produce. 

Once your shoppers have evaluated the products and gotten the right measurements, the charge on your card will change to reflect the correct amount. 

Additionally, Wegmans curbside pickup is available everywhere in the USA, except in Brooklyn, New York.

How does Wegmans curbside pickup work?

First, you place an order on Wegmans’ website or the mobile app. After adding items to your virtual cart, you can proceed to the checkout page where you can choose ‘Curbside pickup’ as your preferred option. You will also get to choose the location where you will pick up your order, and the time. 

Once that’s settled, you must add a payment method. After that, you can place the order and Wegmans will send you a confirmation email. When your order is ready for pickup, the store will send you another email to notify you. Head to the store and wait at the special parking lot reserved for curbside pickup customers. 

Depending on the location you choose, an employee will help you load your order into your vehicle. Some stores may require you to walk into the building and pick it up yourself.

Do you tip for Wegmans curbside pickup?

Tipping is not allowed at Wegmans. Even though the store has partnered with Instacart to provide delivery and pickup services, it’s always a Wegmans employee that brings out your pickup order and loads it into your vehicle. So even though Instacart permits you to tip its shoppers, you can’t do it because they aren’t the ones that you meet in the end.

Tips are also not included in your total payment when you shop online. No amount of your money will go to the personal shoppers handling your order. Although Wegmans hasn’t released an official statement as to why employees can’t take tips, we reached out to their Twitter page. Their response confirmed that the no-tipping policy exists:

What happens if you don’t pick up your Wegmans curbside order?

The curbside pickup window at Wegmans is between 9 AM and 9 PM. You can go to the store and pick up your order at any time within that window. Your shoppers will keep your items in a refrigerator, especially if it contains perishable food items like meat and vegetables.

If the window closes and you still don’t pick up your order, Wegmans will automatically cancel it and won’t give you a refund. But if you canceled the order before the window expires, Wegmans will charge you $15 as a cancellation fee. The reason is because the shoppers have already prepared your order for pickup before you canceled.

The best time to cancel your order is one or two hours before the pickup time you chose. By then, the shoppers haven’t started assembling your order and you won’t be charged for canceling it. You can also modify your order if you forgot to add some items or you want to remove items from your list. You will find the options to do so in the ‘My Orders & Receipts’ of your Wegmans online account.

Can you return a pickup from Wegmans?

Currently, Wegmans does not accept returns for products you buy online. According to the store’s help webpage:

To ensure the quality and safety of items, we do not accept returns for online orders. You may, however, receive a credit on your next order if you are not satisfied with your order for any reason.

If your order is damaged or incorrect, you can report the issue from the ‘My Orders & Receipts’ page of your Wegmans account. 

Conclusion 

Wegmans offers convenient solutions for shopping. You can order from the comfort of your couch and Instacart drivers will deliver to your apartment. You can also pick up your order on your way back home from town within a pickup window. While Wegmans pickup option is free, you need to make a minimum order. This policy is discouraging if you don’t plan to spend up to $10 required for curbside pickup. If you need a better alternative, Target doesn’t charge for curbside pickup. Also, the store doesn’t force you to make a minimum order and the pickup window is much wider.