The world's biggest retailer rolled out its subscription delivery service in Tennessee and other states on Tuesday as the battle for shoppers shifts from brick-and-mortar stores to at-home delivery of products amid the coronavirus pandemic
Walmart launched its Walmart Plus to provide delivery of groceries and other items and discounts on fuel and other items. The subscription service is available for $98 a year, or $12.95 a month, and includes a 15-day free trial period.
During the trial period, customers will be able to test the full array of benefits, including unlimited free deliveries from stores for orders of $35 or more, fuel discounts and access to tools that make shopping faster for families. Walmart Plus is priced comparably with Amazon Prime but still a bit higher than Instacart, Shipt or DoorDash.
"We can't wait for customers to use Walmart+ as a way to keep more time on their calendars and money in their pockets," said Janey Whiteside, chief customer officer at the Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart. "We designed Walmart+ to be the ultimate life hack for customers, pulling together benefits they told us would be most helpful to them today and in the future. Its usefulness will only grow from here."
Walmart previously had a grocery service known as Delivery Unlimited - a subscription service that allows customers to place an unlimited number of grocery deliveries for a low, flat yearly or monthly fee. Current subscribers will automatically become Walmart+ members.
Walmart, which operates 30 superstores, Neighborhood Centers and other retail outlets in the Chattanooga region, is the biggest retailer in the Chattanooga area and the biggest private employer in the United States. But for all of its conventional store presence, Walmart has also been growing its online digital business and Walmart Plus is the latest measure to help the retail giant move beyond just its stores.
Walmart Plus offers fewer incentives that Amazon Prime, which has both delivery and video services for its subscribers and provides delivery from many more companies. Walmart says its new membership plan will aid both online and in-store shopping with:
* Unlimited delivery of Walmart products.
* Scan & Go: Using the Walmart app, customers can scan their items as they shop and pay using Walmart Pay for a quick, touch-free payment experience.
* Fuel discounts: Fill up and save up to 5 cents a gallon at nearly 2,000 Walmart, Murphy USA and Murphy Express fuel stations. Sam's Club fuel stations will soon be added to this lineup
USA Today compared the major delivery service options to Walmart's new service.
Amazon Prime
Cost: $119 a year or $12.99 per month. A 30-day free trial is available.
Benefits: Free two-day shipping on millions of items with no minimum purchase and other benefits, including streaming of television shows and movies, discounts at Whole Foods Market, free unlimited photo storage and more. For grocery delivery with Whole Foods, a $35 order is typically needed.
Instacart
Cost: $99 a year or $9.99 per month
Benefits: Unlimited free deliveries on orders over $35, reduced service fees, no "busy pricing fees during peak delivery hours" and the ability to shop at "a variety of stores with free delivery on the entire order."
Participating retailers: Varies by region, but includes national and regional retailers such as Albertsons, Aldi, Costco, CVS, Kroger, Publix, Sam's Club, Sprouts, Wegmans, 7-Eleven, Big Lots, Total Wine and more.
Shipt
Cost: $99 a year. Shipt offers a four-week trial when signing up through Target.com and recently added the option to purchase "Shipt passes for one, three or five Shipt shops for $10, $9 or $8 per delivery, respectively".
Benefits: Free delivery on orders $35 or more, which in some markets also includes alcohol orders. Orders under $35 as well as alcohol orders from select retailers are subject to a $7 delivery fee.
Participating retailers: Varies by region, but includes Target, Publix, Meijer, Kroger, H-E-B, Winn-Dixie, Petco, Office Depot and BC Fine Wine & Spirits.
DoorDash
Cost: $9.99 a month
Benefits: With DashPass, get unlimited free delivery fees and reduced service fees when you spend more than $12.
Participating retailers: Varies by region, but includes Casey's, 7-Eleven, Circle K, Wawa, CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, Smart & Final, Meijer and Fresh Thyme.