Amazon clearly wants to keep up with Walmart and is launching curbside pick-up service from two Whole Foods locations for now. They are testing the waters at Sacramento and Virginia Whole Foods locations with plans to expand this service in the coming months. Only Prime members are eligible for this service for now.

Customers can create a shopping list for an employee to assemble the groceries, select pick-up time, and stay in the car while the order is loaded.

Walmart has been doing this service since 2013 and has a long experience, so we took time to compare the veteran and the newbie to see who did better. This is what we have found:

We tested the Sacramento location of Whole Foods.

The groceries were ordered via Amazon Prime Now app, which most people use for Amazon services anyway.

Once on the app, we chose the Whole Foods zip code to receive the service from.

The next simple step was to add items to cart. Some were not available for curbside pickup, but you can choose the option of employees selecting substitutes for those unavailable products, which is what we did.

Choosing pick up time affects the price of the service. One hour pick-up is $1.99 for orders under $35. 30-minute pick up is $4.99.

All the products are stored in best temperature locations, so you can be late. You will get your groceries before the store closes. If you can’t make it by then, you will get your money back.

One of the best things about this service is that you can park in the reserved spot and not worry about busy parking lots. The spots are easily marked and close to the entrance.

Once parked, customers have to check in on the app to let employees know that they arrived. If you are really in a hurry, you can press “on my way” button and get greeted by the employee waiting outside with your order.

The employee checks your ID if alcohol is purchased, wheels the cart to the trunk, and neatly places the paper bags into the car. The service is short, courteous, and problem-free. You don’t even have to get out of the car during all this!

All the groceries were packed neatly, the refrigerated items placed in a separate bag with reminder sticker. All the veggies were in great shape, fresh, and cold. The bag with eggs even had hand writing to warn about it. A bottle of wine was packed separately and had a label.

The only problem with our experience was that one item wasn’t getting added to the grocery list, but we forgave Amazon only because the service was just launched and a bug or two could still be expected. Hopefully more items will be added in the future and all hiccups will be corrected.

Other than that, we were very pleased with our experience. The app was very user-friendly, the service was a breeze, groceries were in great shape, and packaging was immaculate. This left us very happy customers.

Walmart was our next stop. They have been doing this for a while, so we had some great expectations.

The ordering process was similar, with a few things missing, for which we allowed employees to make substitutes as well.

Walmart has $30 minimum to qualify for this service, while Amazon will do it for any size order for $1.99 fee.

Our biggest issue was with pick up times. Walmart has very few options for pick-up windows, which might not work for everybody. For example, ordering at 10 am might mean that the earliest pick-up might be at 3 pm. No short notices there.

The pick-up location was marked on one side of the building and would be hard to miss. You will see signs and ads everywhere. That being said, parking spots are still a bit confusing, so don’t be afraid to drive a bit further.

Once parked, you can text, call, or check in on the app.

Customer signature is required at Walmart, which is not a big deal, but less convenient. ID was also checked at the car window.

Packaging was visually a lot less satisfying. Plastic bags looked flimsy, even though they are marked as washable and reusable. We’ll have to see about that.

The order was in good shape and nothing was damaged. There were way too many bags though, which might irk environmentally conscious consumer. Each bag cost $.10, and Walmart definitely did not save our money on that.

New customers get a small bag of goodies as a greeting gift.

Overall, there are not many differences in both services. The main thing is in details, like packaging, signature requirement, and pick-up time flexibility. The latter can be a big deal to some people though.

Our preferences lie with Amazon after comparing both experiences. Hopefully many more Whole Foods stores will be offering this service soon.