Online Grocery Shopping in Bend with ClickList!

Hello Bend!  Did you know that online grocery shopping is now available in Bend? Yes, that’s right…you can order your groceries online and pick them up at Fred Meyer without leaving your car! Just think about the endless hours saved wandering the aisles or standing in line at checkout. For me it is often with bored kids that entertain themselves at the sake of my sanity. Now I shop stress-free in the comfort of my own home thanks to Fred Meyer’s ClickList!

I’m not gonna lie, I was skeptical at first. I am so picky about my produce, how would they know how to select fruits and veggies to my liking? I was sure they would send me home with products that were the soonest to expire, or if they didn’t have an item in stock, they would substitute another item at a higher cost and I would end up paying more. I was so skeptical that I procrastinated and almost didn’t do it. However, if I didn’t try it, how could I share my experience with you? It has been a great experience, and I am excited to share a few tips with you to make your online ClickList shopping experience a success. So far, I’ve used ClickList three times and just placed my fourth order…I couldn’t have picked better produce myself!

This link will take you directly to the sign in page. While you are in the process of creating your account, be sure to have your Fred Meyer rewards number handy as this will make your online ClickList shopping experience a breeze.

Once your account is set up, you are ready to shop. If you entered your rewards number, most of your recently purchased items will show up on your screen making it easy for you to add them to your cart.

I love that it shows a running total for the items in your cart, making me more aware of what I’m spending at the grocery store. For your convenience, you can also keep your shopping cart open and add items as needed up until the day you process your order. It is important to note that you must place your order by 11:59pm the day before your pick up. At this time, they do not offer the option for same day order/pickup.  Allow yourself some time for the order to process. If it is complete at 12:01am, your pickup will get moved to the next day, and they have no way of retrieving your order from the system if you call and ask them to make an exception.

Once you place your order, you get to select your one-hour pickup window, anytime between 8am-8pm the following day.  When it is time to pick up your order, go to the designated parking spots, which are located at the front of the store near Baskin Robins. There is a phone number to call located on the sign to let them know you are ready to pick up your order.

They will ask you if you have any paper coupons to use and if so, come out and get them. Your grocery order is then brought out on a cart and the bags are divided into different crates-dry goods and frozen or refrigerated items. They usually start shopping early in the day regardless of your pickup time, but you can rest assured that your items will be stored at the proper temperature.

At your car, they will go over any substitutions with you to make sure you are okay with the replacement item, and if not they will remove it from your order.

I bring my reusable shopping bags with me and just quickly switch out the items so I’m not bringing home a bunch of plastic bags. Fred Meyer will reuse the bags for other shopping trips. Once everything is loaded in your car, they swipe your card on their iPad and you are good to go. For the safety of both their employees and the customers, Fred Meyer does not accept cash for this service.

There is a $4.95 service fee, which is waived for your first three visits. I’ve found that I actually save more money than I spend on the service fee by not adding random stuff to my shopping cart while in the store and by being more aware of what I’m spending. Plus, you just can’t put a price tag on your time!

Anxious to give ClickList a try? Here are a couple things I wish I had know before I placed my first order:

Use the “Special Instructions” Box

This is your way of communicating with your shopper. If you want your produce a certain way-4 bananas, slightly green or brown spots ok…

Let them know how you like your deli meat sliced, and how much you want….

This is your way to communicate every detail to them. I talked to the manager of the ClickList program shortly after my first order and he told me the more special instructions they have, the better. The only downside is the special instructions do not save, so you must enter them every time you shop.

Also, not all products are listed in their national database, especially local products, but there is a way to get exactly what you want through ClickList. If you cannot find a product you know Fred Meyer carries, you can use the “Special Instructions” box to communicate the product you would like. For example, we love O’Hana Salsa, but it does not show up in the system. In order to get what you want, simply pick any salsa (or any item) and in the Special Instructions box add “I do not want this product. I want _____”.

 Allow for Substitutions

When you add an item to your cart the “Allow Substitutions” button is automatically checked. One thing I learned about allowing substitutions is that if Fred Meyer is out of a product you selected, they will substitute with an item of higher quality and price match the item you selected. For example, if you add Kraft Mac & Cheese to your cart, and they are out of it, they will not substitute it with a Kroger brand, instead, they will give you a higher quality like Annie’s.

If you allow for substitutions, be sure to also use the Special Instructions to make sure you get what you want.  When I ordered my Natural Bliss coffee creamer, I checked “Allow Substitutions” but did not leave any Special Instructions.  They substituted regular Coffee-Mate creamer in the flavor I listed.  I would rather have the Natural Bliss Creamer, in any flavor, over the regular Coffee Mate creamer with the extra additives.  I sent the regular creamer back, and this is how I order my coffee creamer from now on…

Do you only want organic or is traditional okay?

Be sure to uncheck the “allow substitutions” box if you only want a certain item. This is the only coffee I like and since I’m not running critically low, I unchecked the allow substitutions box.  In the special instructions I might add that a smaller quantity box would be okay…

Some organic items may not be in the system, but you know Fred Meyer carries them. The special instructions will get you what you want if they have it in stock.  Also, since I checked the “allow substitutions” box, I am letting them know I am okay with traditional green beans if they do not have organic in stock.

So there is the run down of the ClickList online grocery shopping available through Fred Meyer. Have specific questions, tips to share or feedback on your ClickList experience? Comment below and I will add them to this post. This new program is a complete game changer for me!  I haven’t stepped foot in Fred Meyer in a month, and I’m enjoying all the extra time I have for the things our family enjoys.