During many hours of the day Lyft and Uber have excess capacity, and the companies want to deliver as many moneymaking opportunities to their drivers as possible, so deliveries make sense. In turn, using ride-sharing services negates the need for retailers to take on the cost of trucks, drivers, insurance, logistics, etc. This seems like a win for retailers, ride-sharing services and consumers.

Even if you are on the right track, it is very easy to get run over by runaway innovation. So kudos to Walmart for trying something new in grocery which is one of their most strategic core areas of business.

One of Walmart’s biggest assets is also one of its greatest challenges. A very large segment of Walmart’s core grocery customers pay with food stamps. You can’t use those online. This has kept those customers coming back to Walmart’s stores, but it won’t be an asset in this home delivery strategy where you book and pay online.

One of the largest competitors in the home delivery of groceries may not be Amazon. Kroger and other grocers are aggressively launching both curbside pickup and home delivery, and home delivery is often free with purchases over a minimum amount (free delivery for just $100 purchase in my market).

There are many miles to go before we see which solutions can make profitable deliveries to our doors. One thing is for sure, it’s a great time to be a customer!

This has the appearance of a win/win for Walmart, the customer and the car service. There are several buts. One of the biggest buts is, who is filling the orders? If it is a typically untrained store employee, it will never get much past the initial test markets. This is where I see the biggest problem. No one can select groceries like the customer itself. How will Walmart with untrained people make this a success? Yes, I read they are going to train them. But if you believe this is really going to happen, I have a bridge I will sell you….

Once again, as a supermarket owner that prides myself in quality foods, as many others do, how is this possible as Uber and Lyft do not have a car to safely deliver perishables? Sure they can drop off pop, chips,and staples, but I’m telling you right now, this is going to cause problems from a food safety issue. Unless the homes are very close by, for me anyway, I want my steak, shrimp, fruits, and dairy/frozen delivered intact, and cold. In very high density cities maybe, but there are health safety issues and for me, I wouldn’t let these services bring perishables to a home, as the liability would come back to me. Am I crazy? Probably, but keeping food stored at the proper temperature is the only way it can work, and it has been a concern of mine for many years. Invest heavily in the proper vehicles or risk potential backlash.

During the workday, with the exception of certain times like lunch and rush hours, I would imagine general demand for Lyft and Uber is slow. For consumers and retailers, grocery delivery during downtimes could be a great way to keep revenue up. As evident with Amazon’s recent launch of same-day delivery, a fair amount of customers enjoy (and are coming to expect) convenience. If Walmart wants to compete with Amazon, same-day delivery may be a necessity.