7 Reasons I Love Walmart+

As someone who doesn’t like to shop, I’m surprised how much I enjoy my Walmart+ membership.

---

Key points

• Perks like home grocery delivery, free streaming service, and free shipping make up for the price of a Walmart+ subscription.
• A Walmart+ membership can free up valuable time.

---

Like my mother before me, I don’t like shopping. In person, that is. Everything – from crowds of people to shopping carts with wobbly wheels – gets on my nerves. And that brings me to a number of reasons why I love Walmart+.

1. Home shopping delivery

For $12.95 a month (or a reduced annual rate of $98), I can place grocery orders and have them delivered right to my doorstep. Someone else (bless him) takes care of the crowds and the wobbly cart wheels. And after using Walmart+ for over a year, I can say the orders are remarkably accurate.

If the customer finds that something I ordered is out of stock, they text me and ask if a substitution is acceptable or if I’d rather skip that item altogether. I usually go to the front door as groceries are delivered to thank the driver and was greeted with nothing but professionalism.

Score a point for Walmart+ shoppers and delivery drivers.

Quick note: I make a habit of tipping well. After all, these people are taking on a job that I hate and frankly, they’re probably doing a better job than me. I want them to feel appreciated and thank them for their purchases so I can have a few extra hours a week to work.

2. Free streaming service

I’m not ashamed to admit that my husband and I love streaming services. We have become obsessed during the pandemic. What I’m a bit embarrassed to admit is that I have a small notebook filled with series and films that we would like to see one day — 99% of which are only available for streaming.

Since we have a Walmart+ subscription, we don’t have to worry about paying a monthly fee for Paramount+. This is because membership gives us free access. It might only be worth about $6 a month, but that’s another six dollars that stays in our bank account.

3. Free Shipping

I may not like finding a parking space and walking into a crowded store, but I am passionate about shopping online. With Walmart+, I never have to pay shipping. My orders usually don’t arrive as quickly as Amazon Prime purchases, but that’s okay. I can wait a day or two more.

Another cool thing about shopping online at Walmart+ is that the company stays in close touch. It lets you know if there’s a problem with your order (because they use a lot of third-party vendors and can’t always control shipping issues). It also provides up-to-date tracking information.

A few years ago we moved to a new house and needed all new living room furniture. After all the other work we were paying for, I was stressed about how much we had to pay for the furniture. Unfortunately, I fell in love with two chairs from a high-end furniture store. I noted the maker and style and, out of curiosity, searched online to see if I could find a lower price.

I was surprised to find the same chairs at Walmart. It was the same manufacturer and exactly the same style. The only difference was that each chair cost hundreds of dollars less than chairs installed in a showroom.

4. Member Fuel Pricing

Given the current price of gas, I’m always looking at ways to save money on fill-ups. One of the easiest ways to get a rebate is to take advantage of the Walmart+ benefit which lets you pay up to $0.10 less per gallon on purchases made at Mobile, Exxon , Murphy and Walmart.

5. Scan and go

Here’s what stands between me and utter despair when I have to stop at the Walmart store less than a mile from home: Scan & Go. As long as the Walmart mobile app is on my smartphone, I can scan the UPC code of the items I want to buy as they go to my cart. Not only can I skip the (perpetually) long queues, but the app gives me a running total of how much I’ve spent.

When I’m done shopping, I proceed to the self-checkout, scan the QR code on my phone, and pay. It is possible to pay using the payment information stored in the Walmart wallet, but I haven’t tried it yet.

6. Spotify Access

One perk I didn’t take advantage of was the six-month free Spotify Premium, the ad-free version of the music streaming service. At a regular price of $10 per month, that’s $60 worth.

7. Early Access

While I’d rather enjoy a daily root canal than shop in store for the holidays, my spouse loves the rush that comes with crowds and “digging for deals”. I’m happy to leave it to him. Walmart makes it easy for Walmart+ members by providing early access to deals, including Black Friday deals.

As someone who regularly changes their monthly budget, I frequently review whether it makes sense to spend nearly $13 a month on a Walmart+ subscription. For me, the answer is yes. If membership offered nothing more than free grocery shopping and delivery, it would be worth it to me. All the other benefits are just cherries on top.