Walmart Expands Drone Delivery Ahead of Holidays

Walmart customers in the Phoenix, AZ; Dallas, TX; and Tampa and Orlando, FL, areas may spy something in the sky other than Santa’s sleigh this holiday.

Walmart announced it has expanded its drone delivery service to select customers in these areas. This follows Walmart’s announcement in May that the retailer would expand its DroneUp network to potentially reach four million additional households across 6 states by the end of the year. The retailer said it has already successfully executed thousands of same-day drone deliveries to date. Walmart began its foray into residential drone delivery in Arizona in 2021.

[See more: First Look: Walmart’s Airport Hub for Drones]

In the areas where Walmart offers drone delivery, customers living within a mile of a participating store can place orders through www.droneupdelivery.com between the hours of 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. local time. Drones can deliver more than 10,000 eligible Walmart items up to ten pounds, including fragile items like eggs, in as little as 30 minutes. There are no order minimums, but there is a delivery fee of $3.99.

Once the items are packaged and loaded into the drone, the order is then 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.

Walmart said it will offer drone delivery in partnership with DroneUp in five other states in addition to Florida by the end of the year, including: Arkansas, Arizona, Texas, Utah and Virginia. In total, there will be 34 stores making drone delivery available in 23 cities nationwide by year end.

“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,” said Vik Gopalakrishnan, vice president, innovation & automation, Walmart U.S. “Being on the forefront of that innovation at Walmart is something we’re proud of. 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.”

Drone delivery is now offered from these stores in Texas:

• Neighborhood Market #2975
  3959 Broadway Blvd, Garland, TX 75043
• Walmart Supercenter #3224
  555 W Interstate 30, Garland, TX 75043
• Walmart Supercenter #1800
  1801 Marketplace Dr, Garland, TX 75041
• Walmart Supercenter #2973
  115 West Fm 544, Murphy, TX 75094
• Neighborhood Market #5657
  3100 Custer Rd, Plano, TX 75075
• Neighborhood Market #2974
  1501 Buckingham Rd, Richardson, TX 75081
• Neighborhood Market #2976
  915 N Town East Blvd, Mesquite, TX 75150
• Neighborhood Market #3015
  2827 S Buckner Blvd, Dallas, TX 75227
• Neighborhood Market #5021
  2275 Gus Thomasson Rd, Dallas, TX 75228
• Walmart Supercenter #3225
  2501 Lakeview Pkwy, Rowlett, TX 75088
• Walmart Supercenter #426
  4691 State Highway 121, The Colony, TX 75056

Drone delivery is now offered from these stores in Florida:

• Walmart Supercenter #2695
  1450 Johns Lake Rd, Clermont, FL 34711
• Walmart Supercenter #5299
  550 Us Highway 27, Clermont, FL 34714
• Walmart Supercenter #994
  8745 State Road 54, New Port Richey, FL 34655
• Walmart Supercenter #941
  2140 Bloomingdale Avenue, Valrico, FL 33596
• Walmart Supercenter #3347
  7450 Cypress Gardens Blvd, Winter Haven, FL 33884
• Walmart Supercenter #2740
  19910 Bruce B Downs Blvd, Tampa, FL 33647
• Walmart Supercenter #3463
  1208 E Brandon Blvd, Brandon, FL 33511

Drone delivery is now offered from these stores in Arizona:

• Walmart Supercenter #3896
  21655 N Lake Pleasant Pkwy, Peoria, AZ 85382
• Walmart Supercenter #1533
  7975 W Peoria Ave, Peoria, AZ 85345
• Walmart Supercenter #3241
  18551 N 83rd Ave, Glendale, AZ 85308
• Walmart Supercenter #1532
  5845 W Bell Rd, Glendale, AZ 85308