Walmart has introduced a creative approach to home delivery: The big-box store is now enlisting its employees to deliver packages to customers using their own cars, dropping them off on their way home from work.
The retailer announced the news on Thursday through its website. Employees will have the option of opting into the program and earn extra bucks while doing it.
"Not only can this cut shipping costs and get packages to their final destinations faster and more efficiently, it creates a special win-win-win for customers, associates, and the business," Marc Lore, the president and CEO of Walmart's U.S. e-commerce program, said on Walmart's blog.
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According to Time, this is Walmart's most recent attempt to keep up with Amazon Prime's robust next-day delivery service, as well as with stores like Target, another newbie to the fast-delivery scene. Most of the packages will be delivered the next day.
Just like Target's program, which is being tested in Minneapolis this summer, Walmart is dipping its toes into the water with a pilot. The program is currently being tested at two stores in New Jersey and one in Arkansas.
Lore said that since 90% of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a Walmart, this program promises to have a big impact.
"Now imagine all the routes our associates drive to and from work and the houses they pass along the way," he said in the blog post. "It's easy to see why this test could be a game-changer."
Time notes that this isn't Walmart's first attempt to grab a slice of Amazon's pie: In January, the company introduced a free two-day delivery service for orders $35 and over to compete with Amazon Prime's free two-day shipping program (offered through its $99 annual membership). In turn, Amazon lowered its free-shipping minimum for non-Prime members to $25.
The next-day delivery battle continues.
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