(KFSM)
Living in Walmart’s hometown, the people of Bentonville are used to new and exciting Walmarts and store concepts. Some of these spread to the rest of the country, like the mini Walmart Express stores; others didn’t really take off. That’s why they’re called test stores.
Here’s how the Pick-Up Grocery works: you have to place your order as early as three weeks and as late as two hours in advance. At the appointed time, you pull up in a drive-thru lane that looks like a gas station, and enter your last name or order number on a touchscreen.
This alerts the warehouse employees, who emerge with your order and load it in the car. “The customer would actually have the opportunity to review fresh products” before having them loaded in the car, the facility’s grocery manager explained to local TV station KFSM.
There are 10,000 items available to order online, including alcoholic beverages and some household items.
There’s a grocery chain here in SE Michigan that does something similar. You go online, order your groceries, and tell them when you want to pick them up. You go to the store, park in a special spot, and call a number on a post in front of you. They come out and fill your car with the groceries.
The big difference, of course, is the prices. The chain that does this is a higher-end store [not quite Whole Paycheck level, but closer]. Wallyworld groceries are going to be a lot cheaper, but you may pay in the quality of things like produce.
I think is great, people would need to get out of their car and check the produce which might be hard to do for some people who don’t plan on it in advance. My walmart has great produce, even a local program where they bring in local stuff. Americans are so lazy and or over worked that this may be a boost to walmart’s sales. I can’t wait for delivery to the home.