Walmart.com's New "Free" 2-Day Shipping Pilot Program.

[GtrsRGr8]

Get your next ebook reader, MP3 player, or other electronic gadget from Walmart.com faster and for "free" now. Walmart.com has started a $49 per year program for "free" 2-day shipping.

They are calling this a "pilot program" (which translated means that, IMHO, "we can yank this out from under you whenever we deem it necessary").

Features include (and maybe are limited to, I dunno):
- Free unlimited 2-day shipping.
- No minimum orders.
- Free returns online or in-store.

There's an clickable ad about this at the top of the Walmart.com homepage.

[Manabi]

Good luck to them. I've tried their site-to-store free shipping a few times and wasn't impressed. One time we ordered a desk for my mom. Tracking showed they shipped it to a store in another town entirely (one an hour away), then they cancelled the order saying it had been damaged in shipping. Note I said cancelled. No "we'll reship and it'll take a few extra days", just cancelled it and bailed entirely on the process.

So if they bring that level of quality to this pilot program, it'll be dead before the year's out.

[Cinisajoy]

The last time I did Walmart to home shipping, it was horrible. They kept changing the arrival date.
And site to store: good luck finding an employee when your package arrives.

[Catlady]

Really? I have bought several items from Walmart recently that qualified for free shipping (to home) and have had no problems whatsoever. The last was just a couple of weeks ago, and the item (furniture) arrived a day earlier than the original estimated date.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Manabi

Good luck to them. I've tried their site-to-store free shipping a few times and wasn't impressed. One time we ordered a desk for my mom. Tracking showed they shipped it to a store in another town entirely (one an hour away), then they cancelled the order saying it had been damaged in shipping. Note I said cancelled. No "we'll reship and it'll take a few extra days", just cancelled it and bailed entirely on the process.

So if they bring that level of quality to this pilot program, it'll be dead before the year's out.

Yeah. I was soooooo tempted to tell peeps what I thought about it. Since you broached the subject, I am forced (ha) to share some of the thoughts now. I think that I feel about like how you do--"if they bring that level of quality to this pilot program, it'll be dead before the year's out."

Frankly, I doubt that Walmart can consistently deliver 2-day shipping. I have had to do a lot of business with Walmart.com (for reasons that I won't get into here), taking delivery at my house. The amount of time that it takes to receive items is notoriously unpredictable. Generally, however, it is very slow. Granted, I always spend over $50 so that I can get the free "Value Shipping."

The fact that Walmart stores are everywhere could be helpful to some people. I'm especially thinking about how you can return items to the store. I hate doing what it takes to return items by mail or UPS/FedEx. Personally, I can't stand going in Walmart stores, however, for a long list of reasons. I can't stand the Site-to-Store department of my local store for other reasons, that I won't enumerate here.

Walmart, IMHO, is as stale as month-old bread. The upper management seems incapable or unwilling to innovate. About all that they seem to be able to do is to imitate Amazon, like they're doing here (and remember how Walmart copied the one day super sale that Amazon had for Prime members near the end of last year?). Granted, it's an enormous company--"the world's largest retailer"--and turning it is like trying to turn an oil supertanker. But, if they don't do it, they'll end up being the next K-Mart.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Yeah. I was soooooo tempted to tell peeps what I thought about it. Since you broached the subject, I am forced (ha) to share some of the thoughts now. I think that I feel about like how you do--"if they bring that level of quality to this pilot program, it'll be dead before the year's out."

Frankly, I doubt that Walmart can consistently deliver 2-day shipping. I have had to do a lot of business with Walmart.com (for reasons that I won't get into here), taking delivery at my house. The amount of time that it takes to receive items is notoriously unpredictable. Generally, however, it is very slow. Granted, I always spend over $50 so that I can get the free "Value Shipping."

The fact that Walmart stores are everywhere could be helpful to some people. I'm especially thinking about how you can return items to the store. I hate doing what it takes to return items by mail or UPS/FedEx. Personally, I can't stand going in Walmart stores, however, for a long list of reasons. I can't stand the Site-to-Store department of my local store for other reasons, that I won't enumerate here.

Walmart, IMHO, is as stale as month-old bread. The upper management seems incapable or unwilling to innovate. About all that they seem to be able to do is to imitate Amazon, like they're doing here (and remember how Walmart copied the one day super sale that Amazon had for Prime members near the end of last year?). Granted, it's an enormous company--"the world's largest retailer"--and turning it is like trying to turn an oil supertanker. But, if they don't do it, they'll end up being the next K-Mart.

K-mart or Sears. You did know that K-mart now owns Sears.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

K-mart or Sears. You did know that K-mart now owns Sears.

Yes, I've worked with Sears four different times. The first three times--1978, 1980, and 1983--were pleasant.

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Really? I have bought several items from Walmart recently that qualified for free shipping (to home) and have had no problems whatsoever. The last was just a couple of weeks ago, and the item (furniture) arrived a day earlier than the original estimated date.

This has been our experience as well.
We've also bought several items had them shipped to local store no problems. Last item I bought was a tower speaker, opened it up right there, inspected it, and I know if it doesn't work Walmart gives me no grief, easy returns. And no danger of getting a warning about too many returns

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Conan46

This has been our experience as well.
We've also bought several items had them shipped to local store no problems. Last item I bought was a tower speaker, opened it up right there, inspected it, and I know if it doesn't work Walmart gives me no grief, easy returns. And no danger of getting a warning about too many returns

That's good.

First, let me say that I was in a working relationship with Walmart Stores, Inc. for almost ten years (no, in case you're wondering, it wasn't as a cart pusher. ha). I know the following to be true during my stint with them; I cannot say with certainty if they are the case currently.

The quality of the Site-to-Store experience is heavily dependent upon local store management. Therefore, the quality is uneven among stores. Do they allow the Site-to-Store area to be unmanned, until someone summons an employee (with it sometimes taking several minutes for someone to arrive)? Do they open it later or close it earlier than the time that your receipt says? Do they tolerate slow or unfriendly employees there? These are examples of questions that relate to items within the control of local management at Walmart stores.

As far as ease of returns is concerned, again, it depends upon the local store to a great degree. I was associated with Walmart Stores after Site-to-Store came into being. I was not involved in that area much, but I do know that most online returns were handled at Customer Service, whose day-to-day operations were under the local management's purview. Depending upon the local management, the lines to get to the desk to get service often could be long and slow.

Again, I am no longer an insider. Unless it has changed, however, the policy concerning how many times that a person could make a return is determined by local store management. Some were liberal in this regard; some were conservative in this regard. Local stores could and did keep records on how many times a person requested a return, for just such purposes. The experience that you have had in your particular store may not have been the experience that you would have had in another store.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

That's good.

First, let me say that I was in a working relationship with Walmart Stores, Inc. for almost ten years (no, in case you're wondering, it wasn't as a cart pusher. ha). I know the following to be true during my stint with them; I cannot say with certainty if they are the case currently.

The quality of the Site-to-Store experience is heavily dependent upon local store management. Therefore, the quality is uneven among stores. Do they allow the Site-to-Store area to be unmanned, until someone summons an employee (with it sometimes taking several minutes for someone to arrive)? Do they open it later or close it earlier than the time that your receipt says? Do they tolerate slow or unfriendly employees there? These are examples of questions that relate to items within the control of local management at Walmart stores.

As far as ease of returns is concerned, again, it depends upon the local store to a great degree. I was associated with Walmart Stores after Site-to-Store came into being. I was not involved in that area much, but I do know that most online returns were handled at Customer Service, whose day-to-day operations were under the local management's purview. Depending upon the local management, the lines to get to the desk to get service often could be long and slow.

Again, I am no longer an insider. Unless it has changed, however, the policy concerning how many times that a person could make a return was determined by local store management. Some were liberal in this regard; some were conservative in this regard. Local stores could and did keep records on how many times a person requested a return, for just such purposes. The experience that you have had in your particular store may not have been the experience that you would have had in another store.

I know someone that returned so many vacuum cleaners, Walmart would only give them store credit. They got a bit miffed and just kept the next vacuum cleaner.
They would buy it on a Friday night and return it either Saturday afternoon or Sunday.

[Barty]

I've bought a few things @ Walmart free ship to store without problem. I prefer Costco as the employees at Walmart seem depressed.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I know someone that returned so many vacuum cleaners, Walmart would only give them store credit. They got a bit miffed and just kept the next vacuum cleaner.
They would buy it on a Friday night and return it either Saturday afternoon or Sunday.

I called it Walmart Rent-a-Center. ha

[MGlitch]

Originally Posted by Barty

I've bought a few things @ Walmart free ship to store without problem. I prefer Costco as the employees at Walmart seem depressed.

I've known a few people who have worked for Wal-Mart, one made it within management (not sure how far). You'd be depressed too if you worked there.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I know someone that returned so many vacuum cleaners, Walmart would only give them store credit. They got a bit miffed and just kept the next vacuum cleaner.
They would buy it on a Friday night and return it either Saturday afternoon or Sunday.

No one likes a dirty house, especially on Friday night when guests are coming over.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

No one likes a dirty house, especially on Friday night when guests are coming over.