Drew Wilson
Wal-Mart announced that its online grocery ordering system will start rolling out in five Florida cities over the coming weeks.
Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Naples and Cape Coral are among the first 20 cities to get online grocery ordering from the mega retailer, which has made a major push into the grocery market over the past few years.
The three stores participating in the Tampa area are the Wal-Mart supercenters on Causeway Boulevard, Gibsonton Drive and Gunn Highway.
In the announcement, Wal-Mart said online grocery customers will not be charged any fees for the service and said there will be no annual membership fee, a stab at rival retailer Amazon, which offers a same day delivery grocery service in some markets, but requires a $99-a-year membership to its Amazon Prime service. Wal-Mart customers will have to spend at least $30 to use the online service, though.
Wal-Mart said customers who place grocery orders before 2 a.m. will be able to pickup their orders between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. the next business day, while orders placed by 10 a.m. will be ready between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. the same day. Customers will be notified by phone when the order is ready.
The company said it will add designated parking spots for curbside pickup and will set up a designated number for customers to call and have an employee bring grocery orders out to their vehicle.
