Wal-Mart's New Delivery System.....Would You Try This?

Cool or creepy? Walmart to deliver food and put it in fridge

by Paul R. La Monica @lamonicabuzz
September 22, 2017: 12:44 PM ET

http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/22/technology/future/walmart-home-delivery-groceries/index.html

Getting groceries delivered to your home is not new. But what about having someone that you don't know come into your house to put away the food?

Walmart is doing just that. It announced Friday that it's testing a so-called straight into your fridge service -- and you can watch it happen on your phone thanks to cameras installed in your house.

Here's how it works.

Walmart spokesperson Ravi Jariwala said the retailer partnered with smart security company August, which makes locks that you can monitor on your phone. August reached out to customers in Silicon Valley to find people to sign up for the delivery service.
The customers taking part in the trial can buy products from Walmart.com, including groceries. Once the order is placed, a driver from the crowdsourced, same-day delivery startup Deliv goes to pick up the items.

If you aren't home when the driver rings the doorbell, the Deliv driver will receive a one-time passcode for the August smart lock that was already authorized by the customer.

The Walmart (WMT)customer will also be notified when the doorbell rings so they can watch on the August doorbell cam.
The August app also links to other cameras that may be installed in the house, like those from Google/Alphabet-owned Nest, so that consumer can watch the driver drop off packages and even put the food away in the kitchen.

Once the driver leaves, the door locks automatically.

Walmart's Jariwala noted that the Deliv drivers know they can be monitored by the customer and that any reported incidents will be addressed.

Now some harried consumers who are too busy (or lazy) to go to a store -- let alone put the groceries away -- might find this to be really cool and convenient.

Others, especially those concerned about their personal privacy, may scoff at the notion of letting a stranger enter their home to put away milk and ice cream in their refrigerator and freezer. (Maybe there needs to be an August smart lock on the fridge too?)
Deliv CEO Daphne Carmeli said in an email to CNNMoney that all drivers "undergo a comprehensive screen process" as well as "regular audits, ratings and checks." She added that drivers taking part in the Walmart delivery trial all agreed to being videotaped.

And August CEO Jason Johnson said he's confident that customers will really like the delivery service, even if they have some initial reservations.

"We are going to have to build trust with consumers. At first you might be a little nervous. But after you do it once or twice, you absolutely will do it again," Johnson said. "Everyone who has tried it so far is really satisfied."
Walmart's Jariwala conceded that this might be not for everyone though and the company has no plans to launch the service nationwide yet.

A service like this would have been unheard of for any retailer, let alone one as large and traditional as Walmart, to consider doing this just a few years ago. Some may still draw the line at letting a driver in their home while they are away.
But Jariwala added we now live in an age where consumers don't think twice about getting rides from strangers on Uber, asking people on TaskRabbit to do mundane things like their laundry and letting someone they've never met stay in their home through Airbnb.

It may seem surprising that Walmart is doing something this innovative. It sounds like it's more up Amazon's (AMZN, Tech30) alley, especially since Amazon sells the Alexa-powered Echo smart speaker and now owns Whole Foods as well.

But this is just another example of how traditional retailers realize that they must reach out more to tech-savvy consumers. Just this week, grocery chain Albertsons, which also owns Safeway, bought meal kit delivery service Plated, a rival to Blue Apron (APRN).
And Walmart has aggressively built up its own online retailing operations through the purchase of Jet.com and smaller e-commerce specialty sites like Modcloth, Bonobos, Moosejaw and Shoebuy.

In fact, Jet already has a deal with another smart lock company, New York-based Latch, that allows urban consumers get deliveries when they are not home. That's particularly useful for urbanites who live in a building without a doorman.

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No I'm not into it. Many years ago I worked with some people who used such services though (it wasn't from Wally World though)

 

Just no Absolutely Not.

People are getting too fucking lazy.

 

Nope. Even though they're monitored it's a matter of time before somebody tries to beat the system and steal from peeps homes they can't help themselves.I'll take the Amazon drone service over this

 

Hard pass.

It's been my experience that delivery drivers come in two varieties, professional or deranged.


For every one of these, You risk getting one of these

 

Its not just that they can steal when they visit on official business. Its that letting someone in your house gives them a good chance to scope out the place for a robbery. Most houses don't have kitchen near the front door.

 

This. What's the point of working out when you're too lazy to get your own damn groceries?

 

actually...the people I knew who had shoppers, etc were far from lazy. They were definitely the opposite, overly busy with no time to do basic things.

 

If you have time to sleep you have time to go grocery shopping. In and near major cities there are literally stores everywhere wally world included.

 

There are all sorts of reasons why people do not do their own grocery shopping. I really could care less if people want to do these things. I'm not going to do it. I like to pick out my own items. I have to wonder how well this will really go over. They have the online thing here where they can just pull up and they run the grocery order out and I've only seen one person use it....they were disabled.

Clearly you have never had to drag little kids through the store with you or been incapacitated and have to rely on someone else to do basic things (such as grocery shopping) for you. I can see where there may be a need for something like this. I just wouldn't think it would be something that the majority of people would do. But then there are many things we depend on these days that I would have not thought to be something that would become so popular. I would bet designers are already working out some sort of design that will become standard that allows for delivery of such things without access to the home. Many people have a fridge in the garage now.

 

If they're not handicap, still make time for tv and cant go grocery shopping then something is off. If there is no time to grocery shop there should be no time for "friends" or the "bachelor" either. I'm sure kids factor in when you try to watch TV too.

 

Those that I have known who used shopping services were not watching tv. They were running businesses (as in several) and extremely busy. The only thing they may have done for "down time" was to work out (which isn't a down time thing but a necessity). They traveled a lot and had assistants and staff to do things they simply didn't have time to do.

I suppose it would be lazy to hire a gardener? pool service? and such too? Different people value their time differently. It may be well worth it for some to have their kitchen stocked.

 

Were they from America? How long did they go with absolutely no downtime?

 

Yes they were American. They didn't do down time and they went on like that for many years. Did they socialize or whatever? Kindof, but it was always business related. I'm sure you are well aware of the type...where every moment is focused on some sort of outcome.

My point is that for some, things like grocery shopping is a very low priority and it's worth it to pay for a service because they feel their time is more valuable than wasting it in line at walmart.

When I lived in BFE I would have paid for a service for things like that rather than to spend my day going into town for groceries. But of course those services aren't available in rural areas.

 

My guess would be, given that they are implementing this service, there is a high enough demand to warrant it. Whether that has to do with people who are overly busy (which there are many these days!), overly lazy, or whatever. Tons of people do the Blue Apron and other meal services. Many use pizza delivery, etc. What's the difference really?

 

I bet Walmart's marketing manager was targeting lazy people. There aren't nearly enough people like you describe to develop a business idea based on it and expect it to be profitable and worthwhile.

 

Pizza delivery isn't a substitute for grocery shopping unless you're a teen with only beer in the fridge.

 

Probably. I think it was more about the whole thing with Amazon going for the grocery market and offering delivery

 

IDK though - supposedly the millenials out here are glad to pay for delivery of all sorts of things. They don't want to be bothered with having to go get things. Then there is also that group of folks who feel the more they spend the better. But I wouldn't think they would be looking to shop at Wal Mart...it's not like they are out there looking for the best deals, many of them take pride in overspending.

 

They are targeting well off people which will make it affordable. If a doctor is stuck in surgery all day and he is making 100/hour, he will not take off to stock his pantry and lose that money.