Walmart Expands Grocery Delivery via Uber

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has unveiled plans to expand its grocery delivery partnership via San Francisco-based rideshare service Uber to two new markets: Orlando, Fla., and Dallas.

Residents in the two metropolitan areas may shop online or through a mobile browser at Walmart.com/grocery to build an online basket and place an order, selecting the most convenient time for the order to be delivered. Afterward, the retailer’s personal shoppers will, based on the delivery time, pick and scan items, then request an Uber delivery partner to pick up the order and take it directly to the customer’s location.

“Last year, we began testing grocery delivery through crowd-sourced services like Uber,” Walmart said on its blog. “Here’s what we’ve learned: Customers like you love the convenience of a delivery option.”

The Bentonville, Ark.-based mega-retailer launched a test last June for grocery delivery with Uber in the Phoenix metropolitan area, as well as with  Uber rival Lyft in the Denver region. The tests were unveiled following a “very quiet” pilot partnership between Sam’s Club and same-day delivery startup Deliv that began a few months prior, involving delivery of general merchandise and groceries for business members in Miami.

Additionally, since July, Walmart has been testing delivery via its own associates, who are given the option of making some extra cash by dropping orders off at residences on their way home from work.