In a casual conversation with a friend recently, I learned a new secret to saving. I was surprised, as I’m usually pretty savvy about deals and ways to save money.
I was also a little bit skeptical because many times what others see as good deals aren’t good deals to me (I’m that frugal). I had to go check it out to see if it was too good to be true or not.
My friend said that she used to order from Amazon Prime Pantry, but she switched to Walmart instead.
Maybe I’m the last one to the party and you all know this secret already, but in case you’re in the dark too, I want to let you know!
Did you know that Walmart offers free 2-day shipping on orders over $35?
Now that might not seem too earth-shattering to you, as many companies and online stores offer free shipping after reaching a certain minimum.
But this is different.
Let me tell you why!
1- Incredible Inventory
Most online stores don’t carry everything their brick and mortar counterparts carry. For example, you’re not going to find the One Spot items, Target’s version of the dollar store, on their website.
While walmart.com doesn’t carry everything their store does, they don’t cut out all of the inexpensive products like other stores would.
For example, I can still get the simple fold-top sandwich bags (150 of them for $1) even though they’re very inexpensive. You can even get their back-to-school deals online for the same price (think $.50 Crayola crayons)!
2-Super Low Prices
On Amazon you can buy all sorts of toiletries, food products and everyday essentials, but you’re going to pay a pretty penny for them. For a frugal girl like me, in most cases it’s not worth the price hike even if I can have Amazon Prime ship it to me for free.
I expected to see inflated prices like this at Walmart online too, but was pleasantly surprised (even shocked!)! Walmart tends to offer the same prices online that they do in store, which is pretty incredible! You don’t have to pay extra for the convenience of staying home.
For example, I just stocked up on peanut butter for even cheaper than I get it at Winco, my least expensive grocery store! Or the toilet paper we usually buy at the same low in-store price.
3-Location doesn’t matter
I have friends who live in upscale communities that don’t allow Walmart stores. With 2-day shipping, it doesn’t matter if you have a Walmart near you or not. You can still order and get free shipping regardless of where you live in the country.
I wish this would have existed when I lived in the boonies, 45 minutes away from the nearest Walmart (or any store, for that matter)!
4-Convenience that isn’t costly
Because I’m super frugal, in most cases I would rather be slightly inconvenienced and save more money than pay for the convenience factor. With my new discovery of Walmart.com, I don’t have to choose between convenience and saving money.
With so many staples– products we regularly buy at normal, uninflated prices– getting to the $35 minimum is not hard at all. I don’t have to put random extras in my cart and try to justify that it’s worth it to spend more to get free shipping.
5-Clearance clothes
I don’t usually do regualr clothes shopping at Walmart, but I have a hard time resisting their clearance kids clothes. Getting new clothes for thrift store prices is a win in my book! And now, being able to browse and buy them onlilne without having to factor in the cost of shipping, is fabulous!
What’s even better is that the clearance selection online is even better than in the store and your don’t have to go sifting through messy clearance racks either! Score!
What you need to know about Walmart’s Free 2-Day Shipping
There is no membership fee to participate.
I’m a big fan of Amazon Prime. We use our Prime membership for free shipping on lots of purchases throughout the year. We don’t use Prime Pantry though, because for us, the prices aren’t worth it.
Walmart’s Free 2-Day Shipping program doesn’t require any sort of membership.
There is a $35 minimum purchase
Reaching a $35 cart total is really easy when all of your everyday purchase items are available at normal store prices. If I need to get my total up, I can add in a couple of jars of peanut butter, for example, or stock up on toilet paper.
To make it even simpler, you can easily look through past orders and click re-order on the items you need.
You can get further discounts
When you have all your items in your cart and go to check out, you will sometimes see additional discounts on your items if you allow for a day or two longer shipping. If you’re not in a hurry, this is a great way to save a little extra.
For example, for our recent family reunion, I ordered a 5-Gallon Igloo Water Cooler priced at the time at $19.10. If I was cool with waiting an extra day (so 3-day shipping instead of 2) they would knock off $.80. That’s what I did. Funny thing is, it still came in two days!
As you can probably tell (and my mailman already knows), I’m a big fan of Walmart’s new free 2-day shipping.
And if you think I’m a fan NOW, wait a couple weeks until I have a newborn (along with my 4 other littles) at home. Then I’m REALLY going to appreciate the convenience of Walmart’s free 2-day shipping!
If you haven’t tried it out yet, head on over to Walmart.com and browse for your normal household purchase list, grab school supplies, or check out the clearance section!
How about you?
- Did you know about Walmart’s free 2-day shipping? (Am I really the last one to know?)
- What sorts of staples do you have delivered (by Walmart, Amazon, etc)?
This post was NOT sponsored by Walmart. After I fell in love with their free 2-day shipping program, though, I figured out how to sign up to be an affiliate. That means if you make a purchase through one of my links then I get a small percentage as a thank you for sending you their way. But honestly I would have told you about it anyway because I’m so stinking excited about it (but don’t tell them that!)! 🙂
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We tried it out earlier this year and I like it. We were able to buy a bunch of hard white wheat berries and 2 days later they were here. Another thing with WalMart is if you find the price lower at Amazon you can contact Walmart.com Customer Care and they will price match the item for you.
Ooo! That’s good to know about the online price matching! Thanks Amy!
I had seen something about it, but like you, I figured the prices wouldn’t make it worth it. Looks like they do, though. I have a Walmart in town, but would I like to avoid the crowding and the mess during big sales? Yes, I would. I wonder how this works for Black Friday? Has anyone heard? I refuse to shop there on Black Friday because it’s crazy, and I refuse even more to shop anywhere on Thursday, because I think employees shouldn’t have to work on Thanksgiving Day, but if I could get it online at the same price when ordering on Friday….. hmmm.
Yes! I haven’t gone out for Black Friday shopping in ages, but I love staying home and grabbing online deals!
Do you know if the Savings Catcher applies with online orders?
Hmmm… not sure about that one Rachel. I hear they will match prices, but I’m not sure if the Savings Catcher app works or not.
I hate Wal-Mart’s website. It is so poorly designed, and the search feature is terrible. For example, it shows products that are out of stock on the same page as those you can order. Also, many products are not eligible for free shipping. The few times I’ve gone to their site to try to order, I’ve become so frustrated, I left.
Now, I haven’t tried shopping for pantry staples on their website. I go to a discount club for those. My experience has been for my husband’s work clothes, and kid socks and underwear.
I had the same problem with Target’s website this week. I was using a gift card to get some nursing bras and after finally deciding which one I would purchase (color, size, everything) and tried to add it to my cart, it said “Currently Unavailable.” That happened twice in a row! It was super frustrating.
If you hAve a Walmart close by, try their Walmart pick up. You place the order and you can pick it up that night or next morning usually. It’s great because you can also get fresh, frozen and refrigerated items. You just pull up and wot for them to bring out your order and they load your trunk. You never have to get out of your car, it’s amazing. I usually arrange it so I can pick up on my way to pick up our children from school. Save so much time. Only a minimum of $30 I think and you can also find office supplies, baby products, hangers etc through Walmart pick up
That’s so convenient!
I have used Walmart for delivery, free site to store, and grocery curbside service. It’s pretty good. I’ve been using Jet.com more though because they tend to beat the prices and also have free shipping over $35.00. The best of all, the Customer Service is second to none. Also I use IBotta to get rebates on my orders. I’m not sure if you can use IBotta for online Walmart orders.
I cannot bring myself to shop at either Walmart or Amazon as I have serious concern regarding their labor practices.
LOL! They’re lucky they even have jobs. It’s only a matter of time until they’re replaced by automation! But hey by then the goods will be even cheaper! Woot!
I LOVE Walmart’s online website! I typically do their “Site to Store” if I don’t have a $35 minimum order and don’t want to pay shipping, but my hubby works nearby and it’s a quick 15 minutes in and out to pick it up. I actually did the “Site to Store” with a HUGE order of moving supplies we needed and it was well worth it to save a good chunk of money for the “pickup in store discount.” I was hoping our Walmart would offer the free grocery pickup but they don’t 🙁
I find the prices and selection at Walmart.com to be incredible. Recently I bought a swivel wall mount for my TV. I was about to pay over $100 for it off the shelf at Target, but then I searched and found it on Walmart for $50.00. I have no idea why it was so much less than they even have it in the store, but it was so nice to have it delivered right to my house. I’m kind of a shopping addict, so every trip to the store I don’t make is like money in the bank!
Shopping online has made my life so much easier. Don’t forget to go through ebates for cash back!
I use their Walmart Pick Up for groceries. Not only is it convenient to call and have them walk my groceries to me when I am already out and about, but it helps me stick to my budget! When my total keeps climbing, I can see at a glance which things to cut out first. Needs versus wants, with an easy price to look at right next to it.
I have used Wal-Mart’s online service and I really like it. I use my savings catcher and Ibotta for extra savings also. But I must share my heart is bursting that Aldi’s will soon be delivering to my front door. What a sweet dream that will be.
… and… There always seem to be good deals on diapers!
Now that I started to stock pile for my little babe (coming in January)
I just placed an order yesterday. There were a few things I couldn’t find (equate witch hazel, small mesh laundry bags), but several of the other items were offered at better prices than I found in the store. It’s easy to hit the $35 level, so that’s really not a problem. We buy lots of Adam’s natural peanut butter from there, so now I can stock up without looking like too much of a weirdo.