Walmart Canada has announced that it’s cancelling the $2.97 CAD fee the retailer previously charged for online in-store pick-up orders.
Through Walmart’s online order feature, customers are able to place orders online via walmart.ca, and then select a location and pickup time that works for them. They then park their vehicle in a dedicated grocery pickup parking spot, call a dedicated phone line, and their order is brought outside and loaded into their vehicle in minutes.
“We are thrilled to be able to cancel the pickup fee” said Daryl Porter, vice president of omnichannel operations and online grocery at Walmart Canada, in a statement sent to MobileSyrup. “Eliminating this fee is in keeping with our goal is to save customers money. While it only represents a fraction of a typical grocery order, we don’t believe customers should have to pay even a penny more than necessary when they shop with us.” Walmart’s grocery pickup service also offers price matching with other retailers, though various restrictions apply.
The company says that “trained, dedicated grocery shoppers” have been hired at all participating locations, in order to “ensure items are “carefully hand-picked and packaged with care.” Stores located in Ottawa, the Greater Toronto Area, Calgary and Edmonton are currently part of Walmart’s online grocery pickup program.
In a retail industry where Amazon same-day shipping is readily available and relatively affordable with a year-long Prime subscription, traditional retailers like Walmart are being forced to adapt their offerings to the evolving market. As someone who spends at least a few unfortunate hours every week at Walmart grocery shopping, the idea of having all my purchases delivered directly to my vehicle, without ever having to even leave my car, is a game-changing proposition.
Walmart also offers at-home grocery delivery for a $10 fee, though the service is only available in a very limited number of areas of Canada.
Source: Canada Newswire
