Walmart unveils new tools to help shoppers save time

Walmart is pushing convenience for the back-to-school shopping season as it tries to compete better with Amazon.

The world's largest retailer is making hundreds of school staples like notebooks and pens available through its online grocery shopping service that offers curbside pickup at the store. It's also doubling the number of key back-to-school items available for same-day store pickup. And it's borrowing a strategy it used for the holidays by having staffers near the registers to help customers with check-out.

Walmart has also integrated TeacherLists into a section of its website so customers can check and shop from classroom school supplies lists. Nearly 500,000 lists are available now, with that expected to double by the end of August.

Back-to-school season is retailers' second most-important season behind the winter holidays.