Why Does Walmart Pickup Take So Long – Is It Normal?

When you’re shopping online at Walmart to pick up, you are trying to be as efficient as possible. Waiting in your parking space or inside Walmart does not save you any time in the long run. Out of frustration, you might start demanding to know why Walmart pickup takes so long?

Walmart pickup may take longer than expected because you did not check in, there are staffing issues, or you arrived before your order was ready to be picked up. Wait times for pickup orders may also be longer when Walmart is experiencing high volumes of pickup orders. 

It can be frustrating when your Walmart order takes longer than you expected to get picked up. Keep reading to learn about why this is, so you know why you may be experiencing a longer wait time. 

5 Reasons Why Your Walmart Pickup Order Is Taking So Long

The following four reasons explain why your Walmart pickup order is taking longer than expected.

You Did Not Check In

You would wait longer than expected at Walmart if you did not check in when you came to pick up your order.

You must check in at Walmart if you are waiting in a designated parking spot for your order.

Associates will not know that you have arrived if you do not alert them, so you need to check in on the Walmart app or by calling the number on the sign in the designated parking spot. 

If there is a technical error when checking in, you may also need to call the store itself to tell them that you are waiting. 

There Are Cars Waiting In Front Of You

Associates can only run so many pickup orders out to cars, so you may be left waiting if you choose a popular pickup time.

A few steps go into order getting to your car, including:

• An associate getting the alert that you have arrived
• An associate going to the order holding area and finding your order
• An associate needs to load it into a cart or flatbed before running it out to your car

This sounds like a simple process until a handful of employees are swamped with running orders to cars of waiting customers. 

There Was A Problem Picking Your Order

You may be easily choosing your items online, but that does not always mean that it is easy to pick up your order in the store.

Several issues can arise when an associate is picking up your order, including:

• A delay due to staffing issues
• Struggles to find the item or color of item you ordered
• Needing to search for the item in the backroom

The item may not be removed from your order, but it may take the associate longer than expected to find your items.

The Store Is Short-Staffed

You may do everything online, but an associate at the store still needs to collect all the items for your order. This can be difficult if the store is not working with full staffing.

It is a typical story to hear about how stores are short-staffed, which can also affect how long it takes you to get your pickup order.

Associates are needed for every step of the process, from picking the order to bringing your order out to your car. 

The store may be short on pickers for your order, or the person in charge of bringing the items out to your car is on break.

Be patient and understand that it may not be a single person’s fault that your order is taking longer to be ready.

You Showed Up Before Your Order Was Ready

Being too eager for your items could mean that you will be waiting longer at pickup.

If you plan your pickup for 1:00, do not show up at 12:00 and think your order will be ready.

It could be that your order is ready for pickup if you show up before your pickup time, but there is no guarantee that this will happen. 

Keep things as efficient as possible for you and the store associates by showing up for your appointment on time – not late or early. 

3 Things To Do If Your Walmart Pickup Is Taking Too Long

Thankfully you don’t always have to waste your time when going to pick up your order. Try these three tips if your order is taking longer than you expect.

Double Check Your Pickup Time

Make sure that you showed up during the time that you chose. 

Take a moment to check that you are going to Walmart at the right time when you are going to pick up your order.

Look again at your account to see that you are supposed to pick up your product at 5:00, not 5:30. If you did this in a rush, you might have picked a time you did not plan to. 

Checking the time will only take a few seconds and can save you loads of time in the long run.

Confirm That You Checked In

We all get distracted on our phones, so make sure that you check in when you arrive at the store.

I cannot tell you how often I picked up my phone to do something and then ended up checking a text message or looking at Facebook. I will usually forget what I was doing entirely.

It can be especially easy to forget what you’re doing when you have a few kids in the back seat, too – any small distraction could prevent you from checking in like you thought you did. 

Call The Store

If you are checked in at the appropriate time, it may be time to give the store a call.

Call the store as a last resort if you think you are waiting longer than you should for your Walmart pickup to come out.

Be polite when you speak to an associate and have the following on hand if the associate needs it:

• Your order number
• Your name
• Your pickup time

The associate might be able to tell you if there was a problem while picking up your order or give you an estimate as to when it will be out for you.