Walmart (WMT -0.08%) has launched a new Express Delivery service that promises two-hour delivery of online orders, but it will cost an additional $10 above the existing delivery charge.
There are some 160,000 items available for purchase for the service, including groceries, everyday essentials, toys, and electronics.
Image source: Walmart.
Faster, faster
The retailer said the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated its testing of the service at 100 stores beginning in mid-April. Express Delivery will be rolled out to approximately 1,000 stores by early May. An additional 1,000 stores will get Express Delivery in the weeks that follow.
The new service expands on Walmart's other delivery options, all of which offer no-contact service for customers.
The retailer will rely upon its 74,000 personal shoppers to pull orders, and then will use its existing partners to deliver the orders to customers. For the expedited service, there will be an additional $10 cost, over the typical $7.95 or $9.95 fee.
TechCrunch, which tested the service, found deliveries actually arrived in under an hour and the fee it was actually charged was $18.90, which it notes is not exactly a $10 surcharge, though the plan is to make Express Delivery a flat fee.
Customers can check Walmart's app to determine whether the service is available in their area.
Walmart says there is no markup on the online orders and the prices customers pay are the same as found in the store.
