WOODSTOCK, Ga. — Drone deliveries from Walmart have taken flight in metro Atlanta, with six stores in the area now offering the service.
One of those stores is on Highway 92 in Woodstock where Walmart executives joined local officials in a ribbon cutting Wednesday.
“As you think about our customers enjoying speed and convenience, and their ability to get what they want from Walmart fast, it’s a real game-changer for us,” Greg Cathey, the Senior Vice President of Digital Fulfillment Transformation at Walmart, told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims.
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The other five stores are located in Loganville, Conyers, Hiram, Dallas and McDonough.
Atlanta is the second metro area in the country, after Dallas-Fort Worth, where Walmart has launched the drone deliveries.
Five other cities – Houston, Tampa, Orlando and Charlotte – will get the service in the next few months.
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Each drone weighs about 11 pounds, has 16 propellers, and can carry a little under two-and-a-half pounds. It travels 60 miles an hour up to 6 miles in one direction.
The autonomous drones are designed by Wing Done Delivery. Heather Rivera, its chief business officer, said the drone delivery service will save shoppers time and effort, with deliveries expected to take about five minutes or less. She said it’s an ideal service if you need lightweight items, including eggs.
“Because our technology is so good, and we are able to precisely lower that package gently from the drone that’s hovering above your yard, you have a half dozen eggs delivered to you, no cracks,” she said.
Each store has a fenced-in area called a nest where a dozen drones are charged to await their orders.
The drones have camera sensors so they avoid hitting obstacles such as trees and lawn furniture. Shoppers download the Wing Delivery Drone app, or go onto the Walmart website, and place their orders.
Items, including over-the-counter medications, are listed as “drone ready.”
“About half of the items we sell in Walmart stores are eligible for drone delivery, so it’s a very big assortment of that customers can get,” Cathey told Channel 2 Action News. “And they can get it with speed.”
The drones are not yet able to make nighttime deliveries, but they can fly rain or shine – just not during severe weather. When weather is unsuitable for flying, shoppers will get alerts on the app.
Frequent Walmart shopper Casie Molineaux said it’s a great technology, but she’s skeptical about ordering eggs.
“What happens if you open them and they’re all broke? Are you gonna put them back in and send them back up?” Molineaux said. “I’m like no, you’ve got to drive them back to the store.”
Another shopper, Tyler Dinnall,” said he’s ready to get the app for that. “I think it’s a good push toward technology, so I’m for it. I’d use it.”
In the metro area, here’s where drone delivery is available:
- Walmart Supercenter #575, 12182 GA-92, Woodstock, GA 30188
- Walmart Supercenter #2475, 1436 Dogwood Dr SE, Conyers, GA 30013
- Walmart Supercenter #3403, 3615 Charles Hardy Pkwy, Dallas, GA 30157
- Walmart Supercenter #618, 4166 Jimmy Lee Smith Pkwy, Hiram, GA 30141
- Walmart Supercenter #3201, 135 Willow Ln, McDonough, GA 30253
- Walmart Supercenter #5252, 4221 Atlanta Hwy, Loganville, GA 30052
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