Walmart expands drone delivery operations to Lewisville
LEWISVILLE – If you forget eggs at the store or just need a quick treat from the cookie aisle, you may be able to get it dropped off at your house from above.
Walmart has expanded drone delivery operations to Lewisville.
In partnership with Wing, customer can get essentials from the Walmart Supercenter located at 801 W Main St in Lewisville delivered to their homes in 30 minutes or less.
"They fly up to 65 miles per hour in the sky," said Nicole Schone, the marketing & communications leader at Wing. "What we are hoping for is if people forget an item at the store or they have a sick kid at home, they're able to order something quickly and easily through drone delivery."
Customers use the Wing delivery app to select their items. Then they get loaded onto a cable and are sent soaring into the sky.
"The package is made especially for the drone delivery," Schone said. "They're aerodynamic and really light. Carries just under 3 pounds."
The drones can deliver to homes in a six-mile radius of the store. Through the app, customers can pick from the pre-selected landing spots – either the driveway, front yard or backyard.
"So they'll lower down to about 25 feet," said Schone. "They'll release the package, and then it's on a tether that will slowly and gently lower it down."
So gently, Schone says you can even feel confident ordering fragile items like eggs.
"We're really excited about what it's going to bring to the community," said Ashley Struchtemeyer, the Walmart store manager. "We already do a lot. We do express delivery, in home, so this will be just great for those customers who forgot one or two items – it gets there in less than 30 minutes – so I'm just hoping it has a positive impact on the community."
By mid-afternoon Monday, more than 20 customers had used the free service on its first day.
"Whether you're a busy working mom or elderly, this offers an opportunity for you to get the things you need just by staying at your home," Schone said.
This is the second Walmart store in North Texas to partner with Wing for drone deliveries. The Walmart Supercenter on Preston Road in Frisco launched the service in August.
Between the two locations, they can now serve 60,000 homes.
There will eventually be a charge for drone delivery, but it hasn't been determined yet.
