Not to be outdone by Amazon, Walmart is now piloting a new version of its pick-up grocery service.
The retail giant has started testing the new service with a fully automated self-serving kiosk stationed in the parking lot of its Warr Acres, Okla., store. Customers order groceries online and, after entering a special five-digit code, can pick them up at the kiosk.
While there is no extra cost to using the service, customers must purchase at least $30 worth of groceries to use the new option. More than 30,000 products are available for purchase through the self-service option, and freezers and fridges are used in the kiosk.
Walmart first began testing online grocery pick-ups at its stores in 2014. Now, the option is available at more than 750 stores across the U.S.
The company launched its first standalone pick-up facility — made only for customers to pick up online grocery orders without having to leave their cars — in Bentonville, Ark., 2014.
The new option from Walmart comes just after Amazon launched a self-serving grocery pick-up service in Seattle, called AmazonFresh Pickup. Like Walmart’s service, customers can order their groceries online then travel to a store for pickup. Amazon’s service differs from Walmart’s in that the groceries will be brought to the car (a license plate scanner identifies the vehicle).
In an effort to bolster its presence online, Walmart also recently launched a home delivery service that uses its in-store employees to deliver items to customers while on their commute home. That service, however, doesn’t include the delivery of perishable groceries.
by Jennifer Calfas
