Eight stores in region to offer service as retailer competes with rivals Walmart launches grocery delivery
Area shoppers are getting yet more ways to have milk and eggs delivered to their door.
Walmart is launching home delivery service at eight southwestern Pennsylvania stores starting Thursday.
The world’s largest retailer is competing with e-commerce giant Amazon, as well as organic grocer Whole Foods — which was acquired by Amazon in 2017 — among others. O’Hara-based Giant Eagle has been steadily expanding its service to more neighborhoods since launching it in 2017.
Walmart plans to offer home delivery service from the following locations: North Versailles, Robinson, Frazer, West Mifflin, Beaver Falls, Economy, Washington and North Huntington.
Those stores were chosen based on population and service needs, said Carrie Nagy, Walmart’s ecommerce manager for the Pittsburgh market. Service costs between $7.95 and $9.95, depending on the time of delivery.
Home delivery isn’t the only online option for shoppers willing to have someone else select their apples and chicken. Most grocers, including Walmart, Giant Eagle and Whole Foods, have been investing in pick-up options for orders placed online (fees for the services vary).
Overall, Walmart offers grocery delivery from more than 1,500 locations and pickup at more than 2,000.
Convenience is key for grocery stores trying to hang on to market share.
“The rapid growth of online sales may become a disruptive force for grocers in the next decade,” Bloomberg Intelligence analysts wrote in December. “Though these sales currently make up a small percentage of the total, they’re expected to account for a disproportionate share of the industry’s modest growth.
“E-grocery appeals to convenience-seeking customers and creates loyalty, making a good portion of those sales incremental to instore visits. Online sales of food and beverages have grown to about 1.7 percent of sales for these stores.”
Giant Eagle offers Curbside Express pickup at 73 locations and delivery service from the majority of those stores, according to spokesman Dan Donovan. Same-day home delivery is $9.95, while nextday delivery costs $5.95.
“We have the Greater Pittsburgh area covered,” he said. The service is also offered in the chain’s other major markets, such as Erie, Cleveland and Columbus.