BUCKHANNON – The long-awaited grocery pickup service is coming to Buckhannon Walmart in July.

During a recent Buckhannon City Council meeting, Buckhannon Mayor David McCauley shared some welcome news, saying the Buckhannon Walmart would soon be offering curbside pickup service for its grocery items.

My Buckhannon called Vonda Cable, store manager for Buckhannon Walmart, to learn what new services the store is currently offering — and the amenities the store plans to add in the future.

As far as offering curbside grocery pickup, Cable said that long-awaited offering is in the works.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic, we got delayed on our project to offer curbside pickup,” Cable shared. “We just received our new date and will be onboard with that offering the end of July.”

Cable said the grand opening for the curbside pickup is planned for July 29.

“This service is called ‘online grocery,’” Cable said. “Once it begins, the customer will go onto the Walmart App and the first thing it will ask the customer to do is put in their store number – which Buckhannon Walmart is store number 2809. Then, it will ask what time you want to pick up your order and offer different times for pickup.”

Cable said once the ‘online grocery’ shopping is available, typically, customers will place their order a day in advance for pickup the following day.

“Then you go and start picking out and adding items to your cart,” Cable said. “Once customers are finished picking out their groceries, they will hit the cart button and go to check out. After that, you enter in your payment information and submit your order.”

When customers pull in the following day at the designated time to pick up their order, they let Buckhannon Walmart know they are there to pick up their order through the Walmart App.

“We will then have someone bring out your order and load it into your vehicle,” Cable said, “and off you go!”

However, Buckhannon Walmart offers pickup service for prescriptions right now, she said.

“Currently, Buckhannon Walmart offers the pickup feature at their pharmacy,” Cable said. “The customer calls or goes online and places their order for their pharmacy refills. If they have a new prescription which we have not had before, the customer will need to pull up to the front of the store – then call into the pharmacy. The Walmart associate will go out to the car to gather the needed information for filling that prescription. But it is easier if the person comes into the pharmacy in person for those first-time prescriptions.”

Cable said those who have current prescriptions at Buckhannon Walmart can simply pull into the designated spot.

“There is a phone number listed there, and they can tell the representative they are outside and need to pick up their prescription,” Cable said. “Then, someone will bring it out to them.”

Paying for the prescriptions can occur online, or Cable said the representative has a hand-held scanner, called ‘Check Out with Me’ and can use it for payment by credit or debit card. She said this service is available while Buckhannon Walmart is open – currently 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Cable said the area for pharmacy pickup is close to the lawn and garden area.

Speaking of the lawn and garden area of Buckhannon Walmart, Cable said ‘Check Out with Me’ using the hand-held scanner is available for items through the lawn and garden area, too.

“You can pull up to the lawn and garden area, and say you want to purchase 10 bags of potting soil,” she said. “The associate can scan the 10 bags of potting soil; you can pay for it on the ‘Check Out with Me,’ and the associate will load the potting soil into your vehicle. This service is also available most of the time during the hours we are open.”

Cable also shared some good news about its associates during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have not had to let any of our associates go due to the current pandemic,” Cable said. “The only reason [some of] the associates are no longer working is because it was voluntary by the associates choosing due to COVID -19. We have not furloughed anyone due to the current situation.”

She said Buckhannon Walmart is currently limited to having 240 customers in the building, and the aisles have been marked to allow one-way traffic. Otherwise, Cable said there are very few differences in the store.

“Buckhannon Walmart has shorter hours and our associates and team members are wearing masks to help protect our associates and our customers,” Cable said. “We are asking our customers to practice six-foot distancing in the store, and we have the aisles set up and marked to be one-way. We are just trying to combat any spread of the illness in our building as much as we can and still help our customers get their essential needs.”

To learn more about Walmart’s Grocery Pickup service, click here.