In an April 24 letter to shareholders, released the same day as the annual report, Walmart president and CEO Doug McMillon announced a major change to how customers will receive their groceries, which is expected to be implemented by the end of 2025.
“Today’s Walmart is a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer dedicated to helping people save money and live better,” McMillon writes.
How is Walmart helping people live better?
McMillon says the company is moving with “speed.”
“By the end of this year, in the U.S., we’ll deliver to 95 percent of the population in under three hours,” he writes. He reports that in India and China, “hours have become minutes.”
“We have positioned ourselves to serve people how they want to be served
whether that’s through an eCommerce order they have delivered, curbside pick up, or a visit to a store or a Sam’s Club,” he continues. “When we say omnichannel, we just mean that we want to serve people however they choose to be served in that moment. Becoming even more convenient for our customers and members, along with our everyday low prices and a growing eCommerce assortment is driving our business.”
Walmart’s delivery windows
Delivery within three hours is typically an express option that costs $5, with added fees for non-Walmart+ members. The store also offers delivery within one hour for a $10 fee.
On July 23, 2024, Walmart expanded its regular delivery windows from one hour to two hours.
“To continue improving the quality of service, scheduled deliveries are expanding to 2-hour windows,” the company told customers.
On Reddit, a Spark driver who makes Walmart deliveries speculated the change would result in “longer wait times at the stores to pick up orders on curbside pickup.”
However, respondents said they have not seen an increase in wait times, and what actually resulted was that “curbsides barely surge now.”
What other changes have recently come to Walmart?
The Daily Dot has recently reported on two new changes coming to Walmart. The first is a $48 parking fine that will affect shoppers at the Walmart and Sam’s Club on Keeaumoku Street in Honolulu, Hawaii, who park for more than three hours.
The second is a change to the return policy that allows customers to keep their money and the item they intended to return. However, this policy does not apply to all returns.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
