Walmart Introduces a Helpful Change for Saavy Shoppers

Walmart has introduced a new service primed to help shoppers with trouble assembling the furniture, TV mounts and other products they can buy at the store themselves. The company announced a partnership with Angi recently to connect shoppers with assembly services for all relevant products. This kind of hands-on service may also help brick-and-mortar retailers like Walmart keep up in today's market.

Angi — formerly known as Angie's List — is a website that connects users with professionals for repairs, maintenance and odd jobs around the house, allowing them to shop by comparison and read others' recommendations. Walmart is now taking advantage of that resource to arrange assembly for customers, and it sounds like a well-thought-out match. Customers will eventually be able to add Angi services onto purchase they make in the store, on Walmart.com and on the Walmart app. 

"Angi brings experience and highly-rated pros to our customers to help them get jobs done around the home," said Walmart's senior director of retail services, Darryl Spinks in the Jan. 31 press release. "We're thrilled to bring the convenience and ease of Angi's services to our customers."

The service launched in mid-February and should soon be available at nearly all of Walmart's 4,000 stores in the U.S. Walmart has locations in all 50 states, and it believes Angi can connect it with relevant professionals everywhere.

"Since the start of the pandemic, the home is in focus and people across the U.S. are doing more home improvement, maintenance and repair work and they are often turning to Walmart to find the tools and materials needed to start those projects," said Angi CEO Oisin Hanrahan. "Things like sprucing up an entertaining space by installing a new smart TV, painting a nursery for a family addition, and transforming an outdoor space and adding a patio are now projects that Walmart customers can get done seamlessly with the help of an Angi pro as part of the Walmart shopping experience."

At the time of the announcement, Walmart and Angi were reportedly still finalizing the details of how this partnership would work between the two of them. Their negotiations must have gone smoothly, as services were available starting in mid-February. The prices generally start around $49 for furniture assembly and $79 for TV mounting, with more details to come down the line. At the time of this writing, Angi services appear on the Walmart website for select items in select locations.

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