Walmart Will Roll Out 2-Hour Delivery, Possibly At IL Stores

ILLINOIS — The new coronavirus remains an ever-looming threat, especially for the elderly and the immunocompromised. To eliminate the risk posed to them by shopping, Walmart is beefing up its delivery service and offering two-hour "Express Delivery" in some areas — and likely at some Illinois stores.

Walmart's speedy new delivery feature offers customers access to a variety of products from groceries to electronics, and it will be available in nearly 1,000 stores in early May, the retailer said in a news release. In the following weeks, the service will expand to nearly 2,000 stores. Nationwide, Walmart has more than 4,000 stores.

Walmart said the new coronavirus has "accelerated the development of the service" but that Express Delivery isn't an altogether brand-new idea. The Arkansas-based chain said it began piloting the new delivery service in 100 stores in mid-April.

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The service does come at a cost. To have one's groceries delivered in two hours, a customer must pay the store's regular delivery fee (usually between $7 and $9) plus an additional $10. Walmart's Delivery Unlimited customers will simply pay $10 dollars.

"We know our customers’ lives have changed during this pandemic, and so has the way they shop," Janey Whiteside, chief customer officer at Walmart, said in a statement. "We also know when we come out of this, customers will be busier than ever, and sometimes that will call for needing supplies in a hurry. COVID-19 has prompted us to launch Express Delivery even faster so that we’re here for our customers today and in the future."

Customers hoping to sign up for Express Delivery must first go to walmart.com/grocery or the Walmart App and enter their ZIP code to see if the service is available in their area.

If so, a customer simply selects "Express Delivery" upon checkout to have the items delivered in two hours or less.

The new program hasn't come without its dissenters, however. In an op-ed in Forbes, contributor Chris Walton (no relation to the company's owners) pointed out the service gives wealthier people more immediate access to products than those who can't afford the upcharge but still need grocery items, medications and in-demand cleaning products.

"Once Walmart opens the Pandora's box that is Express, customers with a higher willingness to pay will begin to take available stock of products sooner than other people," Walton wrote in Forbes.

Walmart told Tech Crunch it is taking steps to help minimize the impact Express Delivery could have on its lower-income customers.

On Thursday, Tech Crunch reported the store is removing items with a limited inventory from its online delivery service and continuing its standard delivery process, adding Express on top of existing service.

"We have an opportunity to serve our customers no matter what life calls for," Tom Ward, senior vice president of Customer Product at Walmart, said in a statement. "Whether it be a last-minute ingredient, medicine when a fever hits, or the item you didn’t know you needed when checking off your chore list, time matters. Express is a solve for that."

Meanwhile, another retailer, Kohl's, said it is now offering drive-up pickup, telling customers they can simply "drive up and pop your trunk" for "limited contact" pickup. Customers will be able to order items online and choose "drive up" or "free store pickup," then watch for an email. Once they get an email that their items are ready, they can head to the store and "check in" when they arrive by calling the number in the email.

Other coronavirus-related shopping changes include requiring masks — even as the new stay-at-home order requires face coverings in public statewide. Some stores are also implementing one-day aisles and limiting the number of customers who can be in store at one time.

Payton Potter, Patch Staff, contributed to this story