Walmart expands curbside grocery pickup in eight metro markets

Walmart.com executive Michael Bender said retail giant is expanding its curbside grocery pickup to eight markets this month adding to the more than 20 markets where he said it’s already winning favor with consumers.

“We’ve seen more and more customers using it across the country each week. This month, we’ll expand the service to 8 new markets, and we’ll add more locations throughout the year. This month we’re launching free grocery pickup in Kansas City; Boise, Idaho; Richmond and Virginia Beach, Virginia; Austin, Texas; Provo, Utah; Daphne, Ala.; and Charleston, S.C. We’re also doubling the number of store pickup locations in markets like Dallas, Houston and Atlanta, where this convenient service is already offered,” Bender noted in recent blog post the Walmart Today site.

Bender said 90% of Walmart grocery pickup users are repeat customers and more than 90% of their online baskets include fresh grocery items such as dairy, produce and meat. He said Walmart has provided training for personal shoppers who have been carefully instructed on how to pick the fresh foods customers expect.

He said customers have said they use online grocery because it puts the time savings back into meaningful parts of their lives like spending time helping their kids doing homework or having a date-night with their spouse.

Walmart has tested online grocery with free pickup and/or delivery in the following markets:  San Jose, Calif.; Denver, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Northwest Arkansas;  Phoenix, Az.; Huntsville, Ala.; Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, Texas; Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Naples and Cape Coral, Fla.; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla.; Atlanta; Charlotte and Fayetteville, N.C.;Salt Lake City, Ogden, Utah;  Nashville; and Tucson, Ariz.