Walmart Wants to Deliver Your Groceries and Put Them Away for You
. . . when you aren’t home
Who’s up for a Walmart delivery person in your home, putting away your groceries, when you’re not there?
That’s the latest project Walmart is working on to better compete with Amazon: “in-fridge delivery.”
Shopping for groceries can be a hassle for my busy family. We need to make the time to go to the store, make sure we find everything on our list (and a few things that likely weren’t), lug them home and then put them away. Sometimes this can be a fun trip, but more often, we’re either pressed for time or, worst of all, can’t make the trip, leaving us with an empty fridge that has us munching on unhealthy snacks, instead of our typical fresh fruit, vegetables and yogurt.
So we asked the question: what if Walmart could help busy families like mine ensure my fridge was always well-stocked? What if we created a service that not only did my grocery shopping and brought everything to my home, but even went so far as to put it directly into my fridge? And, what if it was even more convenient because this “in-fridge delivery” happened while I was at work or off doing other things?
The service will incorporate smart home admittance and security camera monitoring by the home owner.
In setting out to solve this challenge, we’re excited to be testing new delivery ideas with companies like August Home. As one of the leading providers of smart locks and smart home accessories, they’re a great partner to test these new concepts, like delivering packages inside customers’ homes and putting groceries away in their refrigerators.
Here’s how the test will work: I place an order on Walmart.com for several items, even groceries. When my order is ready, a Deliv driver will retrieve my items and bring them to my home. If no one answers the doorbell, he or she will have a one-time passcode that I’ve pre-authorized which will open my home’s smart lock. As the homeowner, I’m in control of the experience the entire time – the moment the Deliv driver rings my doorbell, I receive a smartphone notification that the delivery is occurring and, if I choose, I can watch the delivery take place in real-time.
The Deliv associate will drop off my packages in my foyer and then carry my groceries to the kitchen, unload them in my fridge and leave. I’m watching the entire process from start to finish from my home security cameras through the August app. As I watch the Deliv associate exit my front door, I even receive confirmation that my door has automatically been locked.
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Comments
Foolproof! What could possibly go wrong?
This seems like an excellent idea, if some obvious pitfalls can be overcome.
The history of modern commercial retail was made by Frank Woolworth, Richard Sears, Jeff Bezos … men with one or two good ideas about how to match up a planet of consumers with today’s vast supply of manufactured goods, and who managed to overcome the difficulties.
Walmart, for all its size and efficiency, does little Woolworth wasn’t already doing a century ago. But maybe it will come up with something mildly revolutionary.
Not in a million years will I let anyone in my fridge, let alone my house.
Um, I think you have those reversed, unless your house is inside your fridge.
Nope, written as intended.
Unless your house is inside your fridge, or your fridge is outside your house, your sentence makes no sense.