Will Wal-Mart customers deliver the goods?
First we heard of Wal-Mart weddings, now the latest buzz from the world's largest retailer is that it is considering having its in-store customers deliver packages to its online customers.
With millions of customers across the globe, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is hoping that this growing trend called "crowd-sourcing" will create speedier delivery services for its online buyers.
The idea is still, well -- just an idea, and all the details have yet to be worked out. For instance, an in-store customer would receive perhaps a store discount for dropping off a package on the way home to an online customer.
And I suspect not just any customer would be able to take advantage of being a delivery person. I would think that a pleasant customer-service demeanour, clean and neat attire and maybe even a police reference check would be in order for the stranger standing at your doorstep with a package.
According to the report from Reuters, the delivery plan comes as Wal-Mart moves to ship orders directly from retail locations, therefore lowering transportation costs and gaining an edge on other online retailers with no physical store location.
And according to the most recent figures from Statistics Canada, Canadians alone placed nearly 114 million orders shopping online totaling $15.3 billion in 2010.
And those goods need to be delivered.
It's definitely an off-the-wall, radical idea. But you never know -- it just might work.
By Donna Donaldson, MSN Money
What do you think of this crowd-sourcing idea? Would you consider delivering packages to online customers on your way home from Wal-Mart? Would you want to have other customers coming to your home to deliver your online Wal-Mart purchases?
Posted by: Sam | Apr 5, 2021 11:49:08 AM
Fantastic idea.... How well it works in practice though will have to be seen.
There is the privacy, safety & liability issue. Are the delivery packages going to be tamper proof sealed?
What happens if an accident happens enroute? Is Walmart responsible for injuries as 'technically' the person is doing Walmart's work for them. Would the person delivering be considered employed from the perspective of Welfare, disability insurance, EI receipt...
.
Like I said earlier a fantastic idea in theory that is sure to end in tears when the no-win/no-fee lawyers and insurance adjusters/government benefits handlers get done with it.
Posted by: diabolicx | Apr 7, 2021 6:51:53 AM
Walmart is asking people to cheat the governments of taxes.
Put the burden of insurances on their customers.
Same goes as the vehicule licence since you need a commercial one.
In case of an accident who will be responsible for the damage goods?
If someone temper with the goods who will take the responsability to replace it/them?
There is not one good thing coming out of this idea and it shows how irresponsible big companies can be.All this in the name of the mighty dollars nothing else.
Posted by: Jay | Apr 7, 2021 2:21:39 PM
Just another example of Wal Mart strongarming..lowering the cost of deliveries they pay, elminating jobs for fed ex, ups etc..
Maybe we need to wake up. Stop the importing goods produced from child and unpaid labour. Stop letting these massive companies take advantage of society, boycott them and all that they stand for. As difficult as that sounds in this impulse driven world we must.
Posted by: Thintheherd | Apr 7, 2021 2:35:08 PM
Getting the customer to pay just for the privilege of shopping there as well as to do a job that's theirs,.........Nice......Sociopaths, all of them.