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Grocery delivery wars: Walmart, Target and Amazon

Posted at 3:32 PM, Jun 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-18 16:32:01-04

Who would possibly want their groceries delivered? Moms like Brittany Kramer, with a cartload of kids that makes the weekly grocery shopping trip such a challenge.

"It's not easy at all, one is wanting to look at this, one wants to look at something different," she said. "It is definitely crazy that's for sure!"

And that's why Walmart, Target, Whole Foods/Amazon and regional grocers are now launching home delivery for busy moms, workers with little time and folks who can't get to the store.

Groceries at your door in an hour or two

We were outside one Walmart store as its first delivery headed out via courier Sager Patel. 

The independent driver, who works for the delivery service Door Dash, drove off to a nearby firehouse, where 15 minutes after leaving the store, he found Chief Timothy Thomas was awaiting his $50 worth of firehouse staples.

The chief says this could be a huge time savings for his crew.

"By the time you get in the car, go shopping and get back home it would probably be about an hour," he said.

With the arrival of home delivery, you can expect to see more and more big blue carts around your local Walmart store, as personal shoppers go aisle to aisle grabbing fresh groceries to be delivered an hour or so later.

Walmart delivery is currently available in almost 20 cities nationwide, but more are being added every few weeks. In addition toDoor Dash, Postmates is handling delivery in some markets.

Brad Terry, eCommerce manager for Walmart, said: "So far the response has been great, Door Dash has been a great partner and the customers have been really receptive."

Check Walmart's grocery siteor app to see if delivery is available near you.

What will it cost? 

  • Walmart is $9.95 for delivery, with no annual fee.
  • Whole Foods is free with Amazon Prime membership, but their prices tend to be substantially higher than Walmart's.
  • Target delivery is free with a subscription toShipt Delivery, currently about $110 a year.  Small orders below $35 will also entail a $7 delivery fee.

Back at the firehouse, Chief Thomas says he cant wait to use delivery again.

Walmart hopes to have delivery in a third of its stores by the end of 2018, while Target hopes to offer it in all stores by this holiday season.

Look for discounts for first time delivery shoppers, so you don't waste your money.

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