Walmart now offers free 2-day shipping on all orders over $35, no subscription required

[Jos]

Back in 2015 Walmart unveiled a direct competitor to Amazon Prime called ShippingPass, which gave customers free, unlimited two day shipping for online purchases with a $49 annual subscription — undercutting its rival by half but without all the other extra perks for streaming video, music and more. Now, the giant retailer is shifting strategy, dropping the ShippingPass program and instead offering free two-day shipping on more than two million items for all orders over $35, no subscription required.

"In this day and age, two-day shipping is really just table stakes," Marc Lore, Walmart's new US head of e-commerce, said in a statement. "We don't think it's necessary to charge a membership fee for it."

Lore's comment might be seen as a dig at Amazon which doesn’t share information on how many Prime subscribers it has worldwide, but by some estimates the program brings in over $3 billion in revenue and tips Amazon's operating profit from the red to the black. Then there’s the fact that Prime members spend more than non-members which increases the effect Prime has on the company’s finances.

It should be noted that plenty of U.S. retailers offer free shipping past a minimum amount but deliveries usually take three to five business days. Best Buy, for example, provides free shipping for orders over $35 while Amazon has the Super Saver free shipping option for orders over $50.

Walmart's free two-day service is part admission that it got too late to the subscription game, and a move to gain a stronger following with the estimated 56 percent US households that don’t subscribe to Prime.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/67972-walmart-now-offers-free-2-day-shipping-all.html

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

"We don't think it's necessary to charge a membership fee for it."
Finally a businessman with a modicum of restraint for squeezing the hapless consumer. I thought that trait was all but extinct. Still, it's all about the money and Walmart will find other ways of making up whatever shortfall, if any at all, they may endure.

 

[p51d007]

"We don't think it's necessary to charge a membership fee for it."
Finally a businessman with a modicum of restraint for squeezing the hapless consumer. I thought that trait was all but extinct. Still, it's all about the money and Walmart will find other ways of making up whatever shortfall, if any at all, they may endure.

Walmart's "model" (living just an hour north of their corporate offices) has always been to undermine, lose money on the beginning, drive out a lot of competition, then raise the price once everyone uses them.

 

[Evernessince]

"We don't think it's necessary to charge a membership fee for it."
Finally a businessman with a modicum of restraint for squeezing the hapless consumer. I thought that trait was all but extinct. Still, it's all about the money and Walmart will find other ways of making up whatever shortfall, if any at all, they may endure.

Walmart's "model" (living just an hour north of their corporate offices) has always been to undermine, lose money on the beginning, drive out a lot of competition, then raise the price once everyone uses them.

Well they don't need to do free shipping to get that effect. All they need to do is join Ajit Pai's long list of donors that conflict with his job and he'll put Walmart on his planned internet fast lane and Amazon on the "slow lane".

 

[Kibaruk]

"We don't think it's necessary to charge a membership fee for it."
Finally a businessman with a modicum of restraint for squeezing the hapless consumer. I thought that trait was all but extinct. Still, it's all about the money and Walmart will find other ways of making up whatever shortfall, if any at all, they may endure.

There is nothing in this life for free. If there is something that is more than certain, is that you are paying for it, for sure, don't doubt it for a second.

 

[captaincranky]

Walmart offers a free ship to store option anyway, no matter how inexpensive the item may be. I very often take advantage of this service.

I mean hell, I'm always going there anyway, it would be stupid not to.

Free ship to store benefits all parties. I'm definitely going to be going to Walmart, and Walmart will definitely have truckloads of items arriving at their stores. One extra thingy to toss in the box, is certainly not a big deal.

 

[EClyde]

What I read in the e-mail Wal-Mart sent me was---ON SELECT ITEMS

 

[EClyde]

Just checked out. Didn't have to buy no plastic cups to make free shipping this time..Woo Hoo

 

[captaincranky]

What I read in the e-mail Wal-Mart sent me was---ON SELECT ITEMS

Amazon also indicates that on many items. In their case, (and in what I believe would be Walmart's as well), the disclaimer attaches to mostly items not sold by Amazon, or perhaps items which are drop shipped from a manufacturer.

 

[Teko03]

Grocery Pickup stations were already a nice plus, but this is even better for bulk purchases like paper towels, detergents, plates, cups, cutlery, tissues, etc. Boxed, Amazon & Wal Mart are all great options for quick shipping bulk purchases now. And considering my state recently started collecting sales tax from all Amazon purchases...this just gets me closer to ditching prime all together. Would be even better if Wal Mart added Amazon to it SavingsCatcher filter. If I'm not mistaking, it only compares prices to local stores.