Walmart stores launch online grocery pick-up service

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - Three area Walmart locations launched an online grocery pick-up service on Tuesday.

The service allows customers to order their groceries online and select a time slot for curbside pick up.

The locations with the service are the Wetumpka Walmart Supercenter, Millbrook Walmart Supercenter and Montgomery Walmart Neighborhood Market on Federal Drive.

Customers are able to purchase any item in the store except for cigarettes, alcohol and clothing.

Jamie Holley, assistant manager at the Wetumpka location, is overseeing the online service. She said the store had to hire more team members to be personal shoppers. The shoppers start selecting items for customers at 4 a.m. to make sure they can fulfill orders on time.

Manager Travis Wilson said the shoppers were trained on a method of maneuvering through the store in the most efficient way possible. Personal shoppers who have to select frozen and chilled items are given a 15-minute timer to indicate how long they have to get the items from the shelves and into a designated freezer until the shopper comes to retrieve their items.

According to Holley, the main demographics using the program are busy parents and senior citizens.

"Our first customer had just d ropped her children off at school," Holley said. "She came, and she was loving it. We have had some elderly that have come who are homebound or have restrictive walking."

Wilson said this is one of the many ways the superstore brand is moving forward into the digital age.

"Walmart has put a lot of money on technology and bringing us into the future," Wilson said. "With each year passing, there's so much more emphasis on the Internet and shopping on the Internet."

Holley said that when customers select their items online, they have the option to accept free substitutions. For example, a customer who chooses to have substitutions and orders a bottle of mayonnaise in a certain size will receive the bottle in the next size up without an additional fee.

The service itself does not cost anything, but customers' purchases must be at least $30 for them to be eligible for the service.

Wilson said he believes this is the future of grocery shopping, but he doesn't expect to see a decrease in store traffic as the service becomes more popular.

"This is just a way for the brick-and-mortar and the online world to come together," Wilson said. "People will enjoy this service but also know that they have this physical store to come into."

Wilson and Holley said they are excited for the program and have only received positive feedback from customers who have used it. So far, Holley said nearly 100 customers have used it.

For now, the Wetumpka location has six parking spots on the side of the store that are designated for customers who are coming to pick up their online order. Wilson said the next step is to get rid of those spots and build a drive-thru window and line for customers to use instead.

Customers have until 10 a.m. to submit an order for same-day pick-up, and they have the option to order up to three weeks in advance.

To utilize the service, find your local participating store at Walmart.com/grocery.

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