Waymart?
Walmart revealed Wednesday that their location in Chandler, Arizona will feature self-driving cars that lead customers to and from the store.
When customers buy groceries online, a Waymo self-driving car will be sent to pick them up and then take them to the Chandler Walmart. Then, an employee will bring their groceries to the car, which will take them back to their home.
Vice President of e-commerce operations Tom Ward explained, “The purpose of all of this: to learn. While giving customers a unique experience with amazing technology, we’re learning how we can make Walmart online grocery pickup even more convenient.”
The partnership also exemplifies the continued effort of Google and Walmart trying to take down Amazon. Walmart did not comment on the length of the trial, but it will certainly be limited – only 400 consumers will be able to participate.
Other companies have also adopted self-driving cars from Waymo. A shopping center in Phoenix will start using Waymo to take customers between stores, and a Phoenix AutoNation allows people waiting for their cars to ride around in a Waymo van.
Walmart’s stock fell roughly 0.66 percent on Wednesday, likely because this isn’t really affecting their company too much. The single location doesn’t provide much substance yet, but if the trial succeeds, it could be a quid pro quo relationship between Google and Walmart.
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