Walmart launches free grocery gathering, pickup service in Columbus

Columbus-area shoppers looking to save time now have a new convenience option for them.

Three of the Walmart stores in the city launched a grocery pickup service on Tuesday, giving customers access to about 30,000 items, including fresh meat, produce and dairy products, the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer said. Diapers and large bags of dog food also are on the list of items that are part of the service, the company said.

The participating stores are the supercenter at 5448 Whittlesey Blvd. and two Walmart Neighborhood Markets at 7400 Blackmon Road and 1042 Manchester Expressway.

The grocery service is free, the retailer said, with “highly-trained personal shoppers” gathering the items that are ordered via www.walmart.com/grocery or with a Walmart grocery app. Customers pay for their groceries online or with a smartphone, then choose a time to pick up their orders. Once arriving at the store and parking in a reserved pickup space, they call a Walmart employee on a designated number, with the staffer bringing the goods to their car and loading them.

“Our customers have told us that grocery pick up is a game changer,” Melissa Finnegan, a Walmart e-commerce market coach, said in a statement. “They are now able to complete their grocery shopping in a matter of minutes — between errands or on their way home from an after school activity — without even unbuckling their seat belts.”

Hours of service for pickup are 7 a.m.-11 p.m. daily, according to the Walmart grocery site. The web page on Tuesday indicated a $30 minimum order is required at the Columbus stores.

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 11:32 AM with the headline "Walmart launches free grocery gathering, pickup service in Columbus."