Walmart’s new grocery home delivery service gives customers unique option
Forget about asking your spouse to pick up the milk on the way home from work.
Walmart will now do it for you – along with an employee to place the groceries in your refrigerator when you’re not at home.
The nation’s largest grocer said Friday that it will be offering the service this fall for more than one million customers in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Missouri and Vero Beach, Florida.
The service, called InHome Delivery, will also accept returns for items purchased on Walmart.com.
“Now, we can serve customers not in just the last mile, but in the last 15 feet,” wrote Marc Lore, CEO of Walmart’s U.S. e-commerce division, in a corporate blog post.
Here’s how the service works: Customers place a delivery order online, then choose the InHome delivery option and a date for the order to be delivered at checkout.
Walmart workers will then use smart entry tech, along with a wearable camera, in order to enter the customer’s home. Customers will be able to view the delivery remotely.
Employees will reportedly endure a lengthy training program, which covers everything from how to pick out the best groceries to how to organize them in the fridge.
The new service is part of Walmart’s drive to expand its shopping options that include curbside pickup, online grocery and next day delivery. The move comes amid heightened competition for home delivery services.
Amazon offers a similar service in certain cities, dropping off packages inside homes, garages or car trunks but the service is not for groceries. Earlier this week, Amazon announced that its “Prime Air” would begin delivering packages via drones “within months.”
The announcement of InHome Delivery comes amid a debate over the federal minimum wage, with the spotlight on what Walmart pays its employees. On Thursday, the company said it would be giving $24 million to stores and distribution centers to invest in local community causes.
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The exact charge for Walmart’s new service was not immediately released. The company said it would share more details ahead of the planned fall launch.
Fox Business' Joe Williams and The Associated Press contributed to this report.