WALMART is rolling out a major change at its stores, promising customers an “ultra-fast experience” when receiving deliveries.
The retail giant is expanding its drone delivery service to five major cities, the company said in a statement.
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The option will now be available in Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Houston, Texas; Orlando, Florida; and Tampa, Florida.
Drone delivery has already been available in Dallas, Texas, and Bentonville, Arkansas.
“This rapid expansion reinforces Walmart’s leadership in tech-enabled retail, bringing the future of shopping to even more customers — right from the sky, faster than ever before,” Walmart said in a press release.
“This expansion underscores Walmart’s commitment to reshaping the future of fast and flexible retail,” read the release.
The drone delivery service will be expanded to a total of 100 stores through an agreement with the drone provider, Wing, read the release.
This allows Walmart to deliver goods faster and more efficiently to customers, “ensuring they get what they need, when they need it, in a way that’s both safe and sustainable.”
“This is real drone delivery at scale,” said Adam Woodworth, CEO of Wing.
“People all around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex have made drone delivery part of their normal shopping habits over the past year.
“Now we’re excited to share this ultra-fast delivery experience with millions more people across many more US cities.”
Customers wanting to use drone deliveries in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa are encouraged to sign up for Wing so they can be notified when the service will be available in their area.
Shoppers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area can check their eligibility on the Wing website.
Walmart said it had more than 150,000 drone deliveries since first launching its service in 2021.
The company said the expansion will make shopping more convenient for shoppers as orders can be delivered in 30 minutes or less.
In the release, Walmart said that customers use the drone option for “everything from groceries to health and wellness products to household essentials, all powered by drone technology.”
How to Place a Drone Delivery Order
- Log in to your Walmart.com account.
- If address is drone eligible, see the link to drone landing page in site header.
- Add items to your cart.
- Select the Cart icon to check out.
- Select Continue to checkout.
- Select Delivery from store.
- Select Drone Delivery.
- Select a day and time.
- Select Checkout.
Source: Walmart
“Customers are using drone delivery for key ingredients they may have forgotten during their weekly grocery trip or for urgent care items, such as OTC cold/flu medicine, baby formula, and COVID tests,” read the release.
Shoppers can track their drone deliveries on their phones to know when their package will come, said Walmart.
Drones will deliver orders right to their driveway or yard, but shoppers have to keep their delivery areas clean of people and pets for the drone to safely deliver their orders.
The drones use a cable to gently lower the package into the delivery area.
If there is a delay in delivery, shoppers may get a text giving them the option to change or cancel their pickup order with refunds for delivery fees and tips.
“Drone delivery is just one of the many ways Walmart is accelerating convenience by offering faster, more efficient delivery options,” said Walmart.
“This milestone marks a major leap for the retail industry and underscores our commitment to innovative, time-saving solutions that make customers’ lives easier, faster and more convenient.”
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