By Charisse Jones, USA TODAY
In its continuing battle with Amazon, Walmart is testing a new type of delivery service: Employees dropping off packages on their way home.
The service, which has been tested since April but was just announced Thursday, pays employees extra to deliver online orders headed to destinations along their normal route home. It’s the latest example of how the world’s biggest retailer is leveraging its large network of stores and 1 million employees to go head to head with e-commerce giant Amazon.
“Our stores put us within 10 miles of 90% of the U.S. population,” Marc Lore, president and CEO of Walmart eCommerce U.S.. said in a blog post announcing the pilot. “Now imagine all the routes our associates drive to and from work and the houses they pass along the way. It’s easy to see why this test could be a game-changer..”
The new service is currently underway at two stores in New Jersey and one in Arkansas. Packages are ferried from Walmart fulfillment centers to the stores, where employees can volunteer to deliver them.
