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Extending the potential to service “last-minute needs,” Walmart is now offering late-night Express Delivery until 10 p.m. for orders placed by 9:30 p.m. Previously, the retailer provided delivery until 8 p.m.
“We’ve all been there,” said Tom Ward, EVP and chief e-commerce officer for Walmart U.S., in the announcement. “The workday is finally finished, dinner and the dishes are done, when suddenly it hits you: You don’t have a gift for tomorrow’s party, cookies for the school fundraiser, or, the ultimate nightmare, you’ve run out of your favorite coffee pods. And the clock won’t quit ticking.”
The blog entry offered several other examples where home delivery by 10 p.m. would be welcome, including running low on diapers or replacing a kid’s broken game controller. For morning planning, late-night emergency purchases may include “your kids’ favorite brand of gummy vitamins they grab on their way to the bus, or a broken hairdryer,” wrote Ward. On a trip, a forgotten phone charger might be a desperate evening purchase.
Ward highlighted, “This is about more than just staying up late – it's about building a suite of Pickup and Delivery options that prioritize convenience, speed and putting the customer at the very center.”
Walmart’s late-night delivery doesn’t come cheap. For Express Deliveries (guaranteed between 30 minutes to 90 minutes), Walmart charges $10 plus standard delivery fees (ranging from $7.95 to $9.95.) I waive standard delivery fees for Walmart+ members.
Walmart’s late-night competition includes Instacart, which reportedly delivers until 7 or 8 p.m. for most grocery partners but has offered 24/7 delivery since 2021 from stores open all the time, such as 7-Eleven, Walgreens, and CVS.
Other retailers offering same-day delivery generally require consumers to order by early afternoon, although the fees tend to be less. Macy’s, for instance, requires orders to be placed by noon for delivery between 3 and 6 p.m. Best Buy requires orders by 3 p.m. for orders delivered by 9 p.m.
Amazon promises “ultrafast 2-hour grocery delivery” from Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods in select regions for a fee as well as free Prime delivery in “as fast as 5 hours” from Amazon.com.
In late July, Amazon announced plans to double the number of U.S. regions offering same-day delivery from Amazon.com in “coming years” while disclosing that more than half of all orders placed by Prime subscribers in the 60 largest metropolitan areas during the first quarter arrived the same or next day.