Online shopping can be a pain when you have to throw in a few unnecessary items at the end just to reach that minimum spend for free shipping. Even worse, when you’re in dire need of just a few items, it can feel like a waste of money to fork out for a delivery fee as well.
With that in mind, Walmart+ subscribers will be pleased to know that from this Friday the $35 shopping minimum for free one- or two-day shipping will no longer apply.
It’s the retail giant’s latest move to help it compete more effectively with Amazon Prime, and comes during one of the busiest shopping months of the year.
“Customers have been clear — they want this benefit,” Walmart executive Janey Whiteside said in a statement to Digital Trends. “Being able to toss an item into your cart, regardless the total, and checkout right away lets them knock little things off their to-do list in no time.” It also means less time messing around looking for something you don’t need just to reach the minimum spend for free delivery.
The update to its Walmart+ service comes just a couple of months after the company launched the membership program, which besides free shipping also includes priority access to special deals, same-day delivery for online orders, discounted access to Walmart’s Express two-hour delivery option on select items, and fuel discounts.
Walmart+ costs $98 a year, or $13 a month if you’d prefer to pay in smaller increments. That’s $21 cheaper than Amazon Prime, which costs $119 a year or $13 a month. You can try Walmart+ for free for a period of 15 days.
For more information on the service, check out Digital Trends’ article telling you all need to know. We also tell you how Walmart+ compares with Amazon Prime so you can find out which service is best for you.
Walmart’s move to make its membership service more attractive for customers comes amid a boom in online shopping caused in part by the COVID-19 pandemic that’s prompted many people to order on the web rather than risk infection by visiting busy stores.
The recent Black Friday and Cyber Monday events saw record amounts of cash splashed online, and with the pandemic continuing, and customers increasingly comfortable with shopping online, Walmart is hoping to score more sign-ups by making further improvements to its own membership program.
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