Walmart announced on Tuesday that it’s planning on expanding the number of stores that offer drone-delivered packages; by the end of the year, it hopes to fly deliveries from 34 sites across Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. The company says the expansion will give up to 4 million households access to the service, which is a significant increase. When the company launched the program in November 2021, it was only available in a single town in Arkansas.
Between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Walmart customers will be able to order eligible items for delivery by air in as little as 30 minutes. For delivery of items totaling up to 10 pounds, customers can pay a delivery fee of $3.99.
The customer will place an order, the store will then get the item, package it, load it into the drone and delivered it right to their yard using a cable that gently lowers the package.
“After completing hundreds of deliveries within a matter of months across our existing DroneUp hubs, we’ve seen firsthand how drones can offer customers a practical solution for getting certain items, fast. More importantly, we’ve seen a positive response from our customers that have used the service. In fact, while we initially thought customers would use the service for emergency items, we’re finding they use it for its sheer convenience, like a quick fix for a weeknight meal. Case in point: The top-selling item at one of our current hubs is Hamburger Helper,” said David Guggina, the senior vice president of innovation and automation for Walmart U.S.
As Ars Technica points out, though, Walmart’s system does have some limitations. Currently, it’s legally required to have line-of-sight to the drones while they’re flying, meaning that it has to have control towers in its stores’ parking lots to offer drone service. This limitation also means that deliveries have to happen within a 1.5-mile radius of the store. And, of course, DroneUp has to hire more operators as more people use the service. Earlier this year, it announced plans to do so, and now it’s clear why; now, DroneUp and Walmart just have to deliver on their promises of expansion.
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