Walmart reserves pickup time for those at high coronavirus risk and first responders
Walmart says it will reserve a pickup time for those at a high risk of the coronavirus.
Each day, 7 through 8 a.m. will be set aside for shoppers over the age of 60, first responders, customers who have disabilities and anyone considered to be at a high risk of COVID-19 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to get their groceries through Walmart’s pickup services, the retailer said in a blog post Tuesday.
The CDC says older adults and those with underlying conditions, such as lung or heart diseases, diabetes, kidney and liver disease, and those who are immunocompromised are at a higher risk.
Walmart’s grocery pickup is “contact free,” it says.
Customers just need to open their trunk so a worker can put their groceries in, Walmart says. They don’t need to sign for their order.
A new prompt on Walmart’s site will allow those who qualify as “at risk only” to opt in to the special pickup time, the retailer says. All other customers can still pickup their items outside of the reserved hour.
Walmart, along with many other major retailers, has already set aside special in-store shopping times for seniors. Stores open an hour early on Tuesday for those ages 60 and older to shop.
Retailers across the country have also put social distancing measures in place, put limits on the number of customers allowed in stores at once and ramped-up cleaning procedures.
Walmart has also made similar adjustments for in-store shoppers, but Tom Ward, senior vice president of customer product, said in the blog post that families are relying on pickup more than ever.
“These are extraordinary times, and we are constantly looking for ways we can help deliver that same peace of mind to all our customers, particularly those who are most at-risk,” Ward said.
This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 2:23 PM with the headline "Walmart reserves pickup time for those at high coronavirus risk and first responders."
