Purchasing goods online has become the shopping method many people prefer these days as making a trip down to a store seems to be more of a hassle than what it’s worth. I know my UPS and FedEx drivers extremely well since I receive packages on a regular basis, but Walmart is considering having its customers deliver packages to its online shoppers.
The process, which is a form of “crowd-sourcing,” is being considered as a way for Walmart to better compete with Amazon’s shipping methods. Chief executive of Walmart.com Joel Anderson believes in a crowd-sourced future for its online shipping orders, which is currently carried out by either FedEx or its own deliver trucks.
Walmart in-store shoppers, who we would assume visit on a frequent basis, would sign up to drop off packages for the company’s online shoppers by telling the retailer where they live. Walmart would then release the package to the shopper, to then drop it off on the doorstep of the online shopper. The incentive for the in-store shopper would be a discount on their shopping bill.
The program would face numerous legal, regulatory and privacy obstacles, but Walmart executives claim this program is still in its early stages.
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