Part of the idea behind the @WalmartLabs "idea incubator" is to take Walmart in directions that the retailer's management may not have thought of on their own. The latest brainstorm is Goodies Co., a monthly service that delivers to subscribers five to eight small samples of upscale food items not typically found on shelves in Walmart stores.
Each month, items are grouped by a theme such as "Easy Entertaining" in November. Items included in this month's Goodies box include "wine biscuits, pumpkin soufflé mix, dark chocolate infused Quinoa bars, and white cheddar popcorn."
Being Walmart, price remains important. Members pay $7 a month including shipping and tax. The company is rolling the service out after beginning a test in July.
"We continue to experiment with new offerings to delight our customers and leave them with a smile," said Ravi Raj, vice president of products @WalmartLabs, in a statement. "With Goodies Co., subscribers have the pleasure of opening a box filled with delicious treats every month that they like or may never have tried before. Great value combined with a community of food lovers and the sheer surprise of what a box might hold makes Goodies Co. a compelling offering."
Expectations for the Goodies service were largely negative when RetailWire first wrote about it back in June. In fact, 69 percent of respondents to a poll on the site expected the service to be somewhat or very unsuccessful.
