Walmart rolls out next-day delivery, slapping back at Amazon's plans
Weeks following Amazon’s big push to invest $800 million for one-day delivery for its Prime members, Walmart is firing back with next-day delivery plans of its own.
On Tuesday, the retailer announced it will now offer online shoppers –without any memberships—the option to get free next-day delivery.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMT | WALMART INC. | 60.22 | +0.36 | +0.60% |
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 173.67 | -2.92 | -1.65% |
The new program will first be available on a “wide range” of merchandise from Walmart.com in a few markets, including Phoenix and Las Vegas, with plans to expand to Southern California in coming days.
“It will roll out gradually over the coming months, with a plan to reach approximately 75% of the U.S. population this year, which includes 40 of the top 50 major U.S. metro areas,” Walmart said in its release.
The only caveat is that customers will need to purchase items of $35 or more to be eligible.
Walmart said the move is actually “good for business” as it costs them less – not more – to deliver orders the next day.
The news comes a day after Amazon announced a new program that will pay employees to quit and start their own delivery business to help the e-commerce giant meets its one-day delivery goals.
The new incentive is an expansion of its Delivery Service Partner Program that allows current Amazon employees a chance to start their own small business delivery company with its backing.
The company said it now plans to fund startup costs, up to $10,000, as well as supplement three months of the former employee’s last gross salary to get the delivery business of the ground.
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Last month, Amazon announced its plans to spend $800 million for one-day delivery for all Amazon Prime Members. It previously had only offered same-day and two-hour delivery for Prime members in certain markets. However, it did not reveal a detailed timeline on when the rollout will be nationwide.
