By Tom Ward, SVP of Last Mile, Walmart U.S.
Walmart is delivering a few more reasons to be merry this holiday, making it easier than ever for customers to get what they need when they need it – from turkey and trimmings to Black Friday deals and top-rated toys to put under the tree – and even the tree itself. We’ll be 1) extending store delivery hours, 2) adding additional delivery windows for customers and 3) adding more items to the list of what can be delivered from your local store.
Extended Delivery Hours:
We are extending our delivery hours by two hours, meaning drivers will be making deliveries from stores to doors until 10 p.m. local time. This allows customers to place orders up to 6 p.m. for same-day or next-day deliveries. We’re also allowing additional time for customers to amend their order after it’s placed, so if you forget to add a can of pumpkin pie filling for your Thanksgiving meal or you’re in need of a last-minute hostess gift – you’ll have more time to add it to your cart.
Additional Delivery Windows:
As more customers turn to the convenience of delivery this holiday, we’ll be ready. This year, we’re adding even more delivery time frames to place an order for local delivery. This is made possible by a new feature on the Spark Driver app. The feature, called Shopping and Delivery, gives service providers the option to shop and deliver customers’ orders. So, if existing delivery time frames are full, we can continue offering customers the delivery times they need.
As always, customers can pay $7.95 – $9.95 for a one-time delivery and an additional $10 fee to get their order in two hours or less with Express delivery. Walmart+ members will continue to have access to unlimited free deliveries all season long. For Express delivery, Walmart+ members simply pay the Express fee.
More Items Eligible for Delivery:
To put a little extra jingle in your holiday and your pocket, we’ve enabled delivery of oversized items from more than 2,800 stores to be delivered locally – all at Walmart’s everyday low prices. That means popular items like bicycles, 70-inch TVs and, yes, even artificial Christmas trees can be delivered to doors as soon as same day.
And for a little added Christmas spirit, we’ve expanded the number of stores that offer pickup and delivery on alcohol. Alcohol is enabled for pickup from 3,000 stores and delivery from 1,500 Walmart locations.
These are just a few ways Walmart will be working hard for customers this holiday. As a ‘thank you’ to our associates for their work, all U.S. store locations will close for Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25. Pickup and delivery from stores will operate as normal the day before Thanksgiving and will resume at 12 p.m. local time the day after.
Ultimately, we’re giving customers more of what they need – more time, more availability and more items – so they have more time for what they want – more celebration, more joy and more ways to live better.