What's In Your Fridge? Walmart Wants Home Access - Even If You're Out
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA/AP) — Walmart is testing a new service that lets a delivery person walk into your home when you're not there to drop off packages or put groceries in the fridge.
The retailer says the service is for busy families that don't have time to stop at a store. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based company is testing it with a small group of tech-savvy Walmart.com shoppers in California's Silicon Valley who have internet-connected locks.
The delivery person is given a one-time code to open the door. Walmart says customers will get an alert on their smartphones when someone enters.
Brick-and-mortar retailers, facing increasing competition from online retail giant Amazon, have been working to make online orders easier for shoppers. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., for example, recently teamed up with Google to offer voice-activated shopping.
A statement released by Walmart said, "These tests are a natural evolution of what Walmart is all about – an obsession in saving our customers not just money but also time, making our customers' lives easier in the process. What might seem novel today could be the standard tomorrow. This may not be for everyone – and certainly not right away – but we want to offer customers the opportunity to participate in tests today and help us shape what commerce will look like in the future."
Some were questioning just how many people would comfortable with letting a stranger into their home while they're not present.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
