Walmart Now Delivering Alcohol

Walmart’s grocery delivery service is now offering alcohol in select locations, and before long it could extend to more, depending on how it works out. Some customers are already used to the store’s Walmart Grocery Pickup and Delivery, which will bring food right to their doorsteps. Now, you can add beer, wine and spirits to the list as well.

Three Walmart locations in northwest Florida are already delivering alcohol, according to a report by local CBS News affiliate WKRG. The outlet notes that the Floridian stores are located in Navarre, Pensacola and Destin.

For those already using the service, the new items can be added through the familiar interface. For those that will be trying it out for the first time, they will need to join up on the Walmart Grocery website. There, they can create an order list, searching by item name or department on the site.

Users in the participating areas will see that alcoholic beverages are now available on the site. They simply need to find what they want and add it to their cart. In the store, Walmart’s “personal shoppers” will pull it off the shelf and set it aside for them.

As with other grocery lists, this online order can either be picked up at the store or delivered to the home, depending on where the customer lives. Many are now relying on the convenient pick up option, where they can pull up to the store, have their things loaded into the car and take off all without ever getting out of the driver’s seat.

In the case of a delivery, a Walmart driver will bring everything right to the customer’s home — including alcohol. The order will be delivered within a designated window of one hour, so it is not exactly an on-demand drink service, but it may be more convenient or safer than driving out to the store for some.

Upon arrival, the delivery drivers will reportedly be checking customer IDs, ensuring that no underage people are able to skirt the drinking laws.

Of course, these three stores have had to jump through hoops to get this process approved in their local and state governments. So far, there is no word on plans to expand the service, but obviously many customers in other areas would like to give it a try. Some states already allow delivery orders from liquor stores, including New Jersey.