Why go to Walmart when Walmart can come to you?
The world's biggest retailer is testing a new grocery delivery service that would use popular ride-sharing services to drive food directly to its customers, saving them a trip to the store.
In an online announcement Friday, Walmart unveiled its plan to try delivering groceries by using Uber and Lyft "in the next two weeks." The pilot program will be tested in Denver, Colorado and Phoenix, Arizona, according to Bloomberg.
The company already offers grocery delivery in Denver and San Jose, California, but this new iteration sees Walmart tapping into a large network of ride-sharing drivers through Uber, Lyft and Deliv.
In the new system, Walmart customers would place a grocery order online. The order would be assembled by a Walmart employee before it was given to a driver who was ordered by the store. The customer pays a $7-to-$10 delivery charge online and does not pay the driver.
"We’re thrilled about the possibility of delivering new convenient options to our customers, and about working with some transformative companies in this test," the announcement from Walmart read. "We’ll start small and let our customers guide us."
Clint Davis is a reporter for the Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @MrClintDavis.
