“Deliver what? A single pack of gum?”: Walmart drones are making deliveries in 5 new cities
The retailer has completed over 150,000 deliveries since the program’s launch.
It’s not a bird. It’s not a plane. The next delivery method for your Walmart order might not be a DoorDash or Instacart driver, either.
Walmart announced June 5 via press release that its drone-powered grocery delivery service is expanding to include five more major cities in the U.S.
According to the retailer, more than 150,000 deliveries have been completed through its drone program, which first launched in November 2021, according to Retail Wire.
Read on to learn more about the increased availability of this service from Walmart.
Which cities are Walmart drone deliveries available in?
Before the announced expansion, Walmart’s drone delivery service was available at select stores in the Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas area, and in northwest Arkansas.
With the expansion, five new cities will be in the program’s service area, according to Retail Wire. These five cities are:
- Atlanta, Ga.
- Charlotte, N.C.
- Houston, Tex.
- Tampa, Fla.
- Orlando, Fla.
The program will launch at about 100 stores in these markets, according to Walmart, through an agreement with drone delivery service provider Wing.
Some casual shoppers have also noted that their local stores—already in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, like Arlington, Tex.—are being included in the rollout of the service.
One Redditor shared an image of the Wing delivery drone pads installed at an Arlington location, sparking discussion about the service.
They’re adding the drone delivery service to my local Walmart
byu/Goldmember199 inmildlyinteresting
Several users suggested that road traffic in the area might make the delivery service a worthwhile splurge if time is an issue. Others expressed frustration that the drones might take a delivery job already occupied by a human driver.
“Can’t wait for drivers to lose their jobs under the guise of ‘cutting costs’, then have prices go up,” one user wrote.
“Deliver what? A single pack of gum?” another joked.
Why is Walmart expanding this delivery service to new markets?
In the June 5 press release, Greg Cathey, senior vice president of Walmart U.S. Transformation and Innovation, said the expansion comes as Walmart is the only retailer to offer drone delivery and scale it, and doing so will make shopping there more convenient for customers.
“As we look ahead, drone delivery will remain a key part of our commitment to redefining retail. We’re pushing the boundaries of convenience to better serve our customers, making shopping faster and easier than ever before,” Cathey said in the release.
How does Walmart’s drone delivery program work?
Shoppers who live within a service area covered by the partnership between Wing and Walmart only have to choose a delivery spot on their property and place their order through participating stores.
Orders placed through the drone delivery service can have a combined weight of 2.4 pounds to 10 pounds, depending on the requirements of local regulatory authorities, according to Walmart. Typically, orders can take up to 30 minutes to arrive.