Accessibility to grocery delivery programs is on the rise in the USA, with new initiatives launching for residents in Los Angeles and North Carolina.
Walmart and Postmates have joined forces to expand the retailer’s online grocery delivery option to more than 40% of US households. Charlotte, North Carolina, is the first launch city, with further expansion planned in coming months.
Groceries can be delivered to customers as soon as the same day. The offering carries a US$9.95 fee and a US$30 minimum order, with no subscription.
Mark Ibbotson, executive vice president, central operations, at Walmart US, said, “Customers are busy, they are managing jobs, soccer practice, dance lessons and social schedules, so we are on a mission to do more than keep a little extra money in their pockets.
“With the help of Postmates, we’re making grocery shopping even easier by bringing the everyday low prices of Walmart right to the front door of customers in Charlotte, with more areas to be added soon.”
Dan Mosher, senior vice president, merchant lead, at Postmates, added, “Both Walmart and Postmates strive to make the lives of our customers easier. With our growing fleet of 160,000 couriers, we are confident that we’ll be providing Walmart customers with the ultimate convenience.”
Over on the west coast, Amazon has added free two-hour delivery Whole Foods to its Prime Now service in Los Angeles and Orange County. Prime members can request one-hour delivery for US$7.99 on orders of US$35 or more, available daily from 8:00am to 10:00pm. The service has expanded to seven cities since launching in February 2018.
Christina Minardi, Whole Foods Market’s executive vice president of operations, said, “We’ve been delighted with the customer response to free two-hour delivery through Prime Now, and we’re excited to bring the service to our Los Angeles area customers.
“Today’s announcement is another way that we are continuing to expand access to our high-quality products and locally sourced favorites.”
April 10, 2018