Drone News

Walmart now delivering groceries via drones at 11 stores around Dallas

Look out look out, drones overhead.

Business Wire

The drones have landed at Walmart: Drone delivery service is now available at 11 stores in the Dallas area, including East Dallas, Garland, Mesquite, Plano, and Richardson.

This marks the entry of Walmart’s drone delivery service in Texas, part of a plan to expand its drone offering to 4 million additional households across six states.

In partnership with DroneUp, Walmart will offer drone delivery in five other states in addition to Texas by the end of the year — Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Utah, and Virginia — for a total of 34 stores making drone delivery in 23 cities nationwide by year end.

Drone delivery is now offered from these Texas stores:

Neighborhood Market #29753959 Broadway Blvd, Garland
Walmart Supercenter #3224555 W Interstate 30, Garland
Walmart Supercenter #18001801 Marketplace Dr, Garland
Walmart Supercenter #2973115 West Fm 544, Murphy
Neighborhood Market #56573100 Custer Rd, Plano
Neighborhood Market #29741501 Buckingham Rd, Richardson
Neighborhood Market #2976915 N Town East Blvd, Mesquite
Neighborhood Market #30152827 S Buckner Blvd, Dallas
Neighborhood Market #50212275 Gus Thomasson Rd, Dallas
Walmart Supercenter #32252501 Lakeview Pkwy, Rowlett
Walmart Supercenter #4264691 State Highway 121, The Colony

Customers who live within a mile of a participating store can place orders through www.droneupdelivery.com between 8 am-8 pm. Drones can deliver more than 10,000 eligible Walmart items up to 10 pounds, including fragile items like eggs, in as little as 30 minutes.

There are no order minimums and the delivery fee is $3.99. (With use of promo code FreeDeliveryTX, customers using drone delivery for the first time will have the delivery fee waived.)

Once the items are packaged and loaded into the drone, the order is delivered using a cable that gently lowers the package into the customer’s yard.

DroneUp deliveries are powered by a team of certified pilots operating within FAA guidelines to safely manage flight operations. Deliveries will be made to the safest location of the customer’s home, such as in the front or backyard or driveway. Customers can check if drone delivery is available to their homes by visiting www.droneupdelivery.com.

Founded in 2016, DroneUp is a technology company based in Virginia Beach that combines airspace solutions, software applications, and analytics platforms to help companies operate at scale with drone innovation. In 2021, DroneUp received a significant investment from Walmart, how much exactly, they do not say.

Walmart VP Vik Gopalakrishnan says they're proud to be on the forefront of innovation.

“Drone delivery makes it possible for our customers to shop those last-minute or forgotten items with ease, in a package that’s frankly really cool," Gopalakrishnan says. "It may seem like a futuristic option, but it’s giving our customers what they’ve always wanted, and that’s time back to focus on what is most important to them."

technology trends supermarkets

Supermarket News

Tom Thumb debuts 2 new supermarkets in the Dallas area

Courtesy photo

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Venerable supermarket chain Tom Thumb is celebrating the opening of two new stores in the Dallas area.

Sanger
A new Tom Thumb opened in Sanger at 1413 W Chapman Drive in Sanger on December 12. The long-awaited store spans 50,000 square feet with tens of thousands of items plus more than 1,000 local products.

The store features a bakery, deli, meat & seafood, produce, and floral, as well as an in-store Starbucks coffee kiosk, pharmacy in store plus drive-thru lane, and Drive-Up-N-Go grocery pick-up.

“We are so excited to open this Tom Thumb for the Sanger communities," says Division President Bill Neve in a statement. “Tom Thumb is excited to showcase our full-service grocery store and fresh new items that customers in Sanger will love."

Sunnyvale
On December 17, a Tom Thumb will open in Sunnyvale at 3400 N. Belt Line Rd. The first 300 shoppers will receive a bag of groceries, and all shoppers will enjoy the incredible deals and sensational offerings.

The Sunnyvale store is slightly larger, spanning 59,000 square feet, but with a similar lineup of bakery, deli, meat & seafood, produce, and floral. The store will also feature an in-store Starbucks coffee kiosk, pharmacy in store plus drive-thru lane, and Drive-Up-N-Go grocery pick-up. The Sunnyvale in-store Starbucks kiosk is the first for Tom Thumb to offer mobile ordering in addition to in-store ordering.

Division President Bill Neve says that they're "incredibly grateful to the town of Sunnyvale for their support of this new store and have been looking forward to meeting our newest customers and welcome them into their Tom Thumb!"

Store details
Store details include:

Prepared foods: Sushi made in-store, full-service salad case, hot line offerings, 400-plus cheese and charcuterie items, and what they call "the best fried chicken in town"
Bakery: Bread baked daily, deserts, five-star cake decorator on staff, in-store fried doughnuts, and exclusive items such as Christie’s cookies and Blue Bell ice cream cakes
Floral: Texas grown poinsettias for the holidays, bouquets, and arrangements, FTD service, balloon bar
Meat & Seafood: USDA choice and prime beef, organic and grass-fed, plus seafood purchases steamed at no additional charge
Wine and Beer: More than 1,000 wines and 85 local Texas craft brews

Starbucks coffee baristas are ready to make customers’ favorite beverages whether they are hot or cold, including Nitro and Cold Brew, along with Starbucks brand pastries.

supermarkets openings