Walmart begins testing associate delivery service

The Bentonville, Ark.-based retail giant started testing the delivery service, which will utilize in-store employees as drivers, at three stores in the United States.    Walmart has started testing an associate delivery service, in which trucks move orders from fulfillment centers to stores for pickup, but instead of being picked up at the store by the customers, the orders are delivered to the customers’ homes by a Walmart employee.
   The service can cut shipping costs and get packages to their final destinations faster and more efficiently, Walmart U.S. eCommerce President and CEO Marc Lore explained.
   Walmart started testing the service at three stores in the U.S. – two in New Jersey and one in northwest Arkansas.
   Associates are in full control of their experience, according to the retail giant. The new service allows the associates to earn extra income on their existing drive home, but they are not obligated to participate.
   The associates can choose how many packages they can deliver, the size and weight limits of those packages, and which days they can make deliveries after work.
   Based out of Bentonville, Ark., Walmart has 4,700 stores across the United States, putting it within 10 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population.