For $98 A Year, Walmart Will Same-Day Deliver Groceries, Marine Lube, Literally Anything

Keeping up with competitors like Amazon and Target, Walmart is at last rolling out a convenient, subscription-based delivery service. For an annual fee of $98, Supermarket News reports, customers can receive unlimited same-day delivery of close to 100,000 items, like fresh produce, motor oil, Dementor hands, wooden toilet seats, camouflage soap dispensers, marine lube, and baby's first Walmart shopping cart.

Walmart began successfully piloting the program earlier this year in Houston, Salt Lake City, Miami, and Tampa. It now intends to expand the program to 1,600 stores in 200 metropolitan areas by the end of the year, which will be able to service half of all Americans. To quickly fulfill the orders, Walmart will deploy their fleet of 45,000 personal shoppers, whom currently gather orders for next day delivery or same day pickup. To qualify for same-day delivery, orders need to be $30 or more and be placed by 11am.

As a working mom with zero free time that's raising two kids on a tight budget, I understand why people shop at Walmart. In some parts of the country, it's become the only option. There's plenty of valid reasons why someone would need this service; perhaps they have no access to reliable transportation, or have a physical ailment that makes it difficult to do their own shopping. Or they just like the idea of ordering groceries from their pajamas and never having to leave the house. Just remember to order from Walmart responsibly: Try not to buy too much crap you don't need, and spend the money you've saved at the local small business that make your community great.