A prime advantage of shopping at the country's largest retailer is all the perks you can take advantage of. You can use augmented reality features in Walmart's app, shop for refurbished products, place orders online for curbside pickup, and even make purchases directly through your television. We grow accustomed to these amenities, so when access is removed, it can be a tough pill to swallow. Unfortunately, thanks to a terminated partnership, one option is now being axed. Read on to find out what you'll no longer have access to, starting next month.
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There are different ways to shop at Walmart, depending on your preferences.
ShutterstockGrocery shopping can sometimes be overwhelming, and if you head to your local Walmart without a list, all bets are off. The aisles are packed with so many different choices, and if you're shopping during peak hours, the crowds can make everything that much more overwhelming. That's why many of us have opted to have our groceries delivered by Walmart. From the comfort of your own home, you can select weekly groceries and have them dropped off right at your doorstep.
That's not the only advantage of Walmart's Express delivery service, of course, and if you have a Walmart+ membership, you can get same-day delivery for free. The retailer also recently announced that it'll now allow shoppers to bundle a Walmart+ membership with InHome delivery, which has Walmart associates deliver your orders to your door, your garage, or even your fridge.
But now, Walmart has confirmed that one delivery service will no longer be dropping off purchases to your home.
A multi-year partnership will come to an end.
Simone Hogan / ShutterstockOrdering takeout has gotten easier over the years, thanks to services like Uber Eats and Grubhub. But these delivery services have also expanded into groceries and joined forces with other major companies. DoorDash has maintained a longstanding partnership with Walmart, but that agreement is soon coming to an end, Insider reported.
A source "close to the situation" told the outlet that DoorDash made the call "as it was not longer mutually beneficial," adding that the company will now "focus on its long-term customer relationships." Earlier in August, DoorDash sent Walmart a 30-day notice of the termination, the source told Insider.
A spokesperson for Walmart confirmed to Best Life that the companies "agreed to part ways."
“We’d like to thank DoorDash for their partnership and support of our customers the past several years," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Best Life reached out to DoorDash, but has yet to hear back.
Walmart has its own plans for delivery services.
WalmartWalmart and DoorDash have been partners since 2018, starting out in Atlanta, Georgia and expanding across the country. But DoorDash is just one of many third-party delivery services Walmart works with, according to Insider, and the end of the partnership between the two companies coincides with Walmart's expansion of its Spark Driver delivery program.
According to an Aug. 17 blog post written by Nav Chadha, vice president of the Spark Driver Platform, the platform is the company's biggest delivery provider, employing independent contractors to fulfill delivery orders. The setup is a similar to the business models of Uber and Lyft, The Verge reported. Per Chadha, almost 75 percent of Walmart delivery orders are fulfilled by these drivers, and the platform has reached 84 percent of households in the U.S.
"We’ll continue to grow the Spark Driver platform and work with our valued delivery service providers to ensure we’re bringing the best possible experience to our customers and getting them what they need, when they need it," Chadha wrote, adding that the company is creating "even more opportunities for drivers" ahead of the holiday season.
"Until then, we welcome drivers to sign up at drive4spark.com," Chadha said. "We’d be honored to have you."
DoorDash is also making moves.
Diego Thomazini / ShutterstockDoorDash is now in the early partnership phase with Meta (Facebook's parent company) for "Dashers"—the name given to DoorDash drivers—to deliver items purchased on the popular Facebook Marketplace. As reported by TechCrunch, the service is being tested in several cities across the U.S. Insider also reported that the company's DoorDash Drive platform is expanding, which allows independent businesses to use DoorDash's network of drivers.
While the formal partnership between Walmart and DoorDash will be ending, ties might not be completely severed between the two companies. According to The Verge it remains "unclear" whether you'll be able to order items from Walmart through the DoorDash app. Currently, you cannot place orders for items from Walmart on the DoorDash app, which The Verge notes is likely in place to avoid issues with orders placed on Walmart.com.
