Why You Should Always Follow My “No Go” Rule When Grocery Shopping at Target

Meleyna Nomura
Meleyna Nomura
Meleyna is a recipe developer, food photographer, and champion of home cooking. She is likely to be found on the sidelines of the Little League field (with a full dinner for four packed in a cooler) or waiting in line for a Trader Joe’s sample.
published Feb 3, 2025
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HOMEWOOD, IL. USA DECEMBER 21, 2021: A BUSY TARGET STORE ON A BEAUTIFUL WINTER DAY.
Credit: Lonnie H. Chambers Jr/Shutterstock

My list of things that I love about Target isn’t short. The free drive-up grocery service is probably my favorite thing about them. While I’m known to take long strolls through the aisles like basically every other elder millennial, I’m also a busy mom. More often than not, my schedule calls for drive up and go.

Ordering groceries online typically comes with a trade-off — a lesser grocery experience for a savings on time. I still prefer to walk into stores or farmers markets to choose my own produce and meats, but for pantry staples and snacks, Target’s tight selection of well-priced items fits perfectly into my grocery needs. For everyday items like milk and canned beans and brown sugar, it’s Target all the time.

Credit: Meleyna Nomura

Why Target Is My Favorite Place for Drive-Up Ordering

I think I’ve done pretty much every grocery ordering option available since 2020 — online only grocery stores, in-store services, mail-order farm boxes, third-party shoppers, and more. I’ve moved away from pretty much every service except for Target’s drive-up system. It’s just good

  • There’s no order minimum. The two grocery stores nearest me have minimums of $50 and $100 to use their drive-up services without a fee. Target will bring a single apple to your car if you want. (This is not something I’ve ever done, but it’s nice to have the flexibility to do a midweek restock.)
  • Target’s app is very easy to navigate. I can easily add regularly ordered items to my cart from the home screen. When I run out of something during the week, I just add it directly to my cart instead of a grocery list. When it’s time to pick up, I alert Target I’ve arrived easily with a few taps on my phone. 
  • The online inventory is the most up-to-date of any other store I’ve purchased from. It often helps me decide between placing an order that day, or waiting until later in the week. If something is out of stock, I can see where it’s in stock nearby and easily switch my pickup location. And if one of the shelf-stable items does happen to run out of stock between the time I place my order and pick it up, Target offers to ship it to me for free. 
  • The turnaround time between ordering and picking up is two hours — or less. This is so helpful for me during the week. I can place an order on my lunch break and pick it up on my way home. 
  • Stores will hold my order for a while. As a busy mom, stuff happens. Needing to select a one-hour window in which to pick up my order is anxiety-inducing for me. Totally unnecessary with Target. The exact length depends on the store and what you’ve ordered, but typically I can place an order and wait up to 48 hours to pick it up. I do try to pick it up as soon as possible, but having the flexibility if I need it is so helpful.
  • I can now opt out of bags. This is a new feature I’m in love with. I’m good about using reusable bags, but it previously wasn’t an option with drive-up ordering. I was always stuck with a bunch of plastic bags I had to make an extra trip to recycle. Now Target employees just load the groceries directly into my trunk.
  • Someone will even bring Starbucks to my car window. When I alert the app that I’m on my way to pick up, it will ask if I want to add anything from Starbucks to your order. (Savvy!) I’ve opted out every single time — except once. While our house was down with a bug, I placed an order for Gatorade and saltines and had a friend pick it up for us. I was easily able to treat her to a coffee with zero extra work on my end.
  • I save so much money. I love wandering the aisles of Target. My wallet does not. Ordering online means I keep my order focused. I can see exactly what my total is going to be before I check out. No surprises at the register when “all I came for was shampoo!” It’s also much easier to see any coupons being offered in the app — not something I typically check for when I’m shopping in store.

Before Ordering Groceries from Target, a Few Tips

  • Make sure everything in your cart is set for pickup. More than once I’ve been in a hurry and accidentally had a few items in my cart shipped to my home instead.
  • Open the app when you leave your house and alert the store you’re on your way. It will make things so much faster.

Got a tip that makes grocery shopping so much easier (or saves you money)? Tell us about it in the comments below.