Looks like the giant retailer Walmart can learn from online retailing giant Amazon.
Walmart has begun a pilot program of having people order groceries, sundries, and cleaning supplies online and then having them having them delivered to their customers' door. Sort of a throwback to the days when the local grocer or meat market would deliver.
Walmart apparently is concerned about losing market share to Amazon which now stocks a fairly complete line of nonperishable items and can deliver them to your door in as little as overnight. Walmart is also seeing competitonm from other local discount stores and online retailers.
We'll have to see how this pilot program - currently available just in San Jose, CA - works out and if it expands. Don't know how Walmart will control its costs for fuel and delivery, but it makes the grocery wars interesting.
This is why competition and free enterprise are the best market system in the world.
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Amazon's Prime shipping service ($75 annual fee) makes it affordable to be able to order low cost commodity products online if it is done quite often.
Mel
When I was living in Chicago during the dot-com boom a number of online grocers sprung up -- I'm quite sure they're all out of business now. I personally never saw the need to order anything online when my local store was so convenient.
Steve.. I'm laughing on this end. Why? Years ago we had deliveries to our doors (which is what you mentioned) now we are moving ahead with technology.. only to go back to where we started from. We are coming full circle.
My thoughts on Wal-Mart becoming the next Amazon is that Wal-Mart Carries too much baggage where as Amazon came into the market with a clean slate…
Mel and Gretchen,
We've used it for a couple of years. Great idea.
Happy Easter. :)
Steve
SaraMana,
Sometimes the online store is cheaper - even with the shipping. Sometimes they have a brand that the local store doesn't - they have access to a larger inventory. :)
Steve
Valerie,
So true. In retail what's new was once old. Happy Easter. :)
Steve
Paul,
It sounds like Walmart is trying to compete with Amazon on a different field to achieve similar results. We'll see. :)
Steve
Very interesting, Steve.
Josh,
Don't know if it can catch on. :)
Steve