Walmart is testing some new stores, but you won’t be able to shop there.
These new “dark stores” are being tested as a better way to fulfill online orders and are not open to the public. Inside, the stores – the first of which opened recently in Dallas – resemble a typical Walmart store. However, there’s no signage, as customers cannot come in, a person knowledgeable about the situation but not authorized to speak publicly told USA TODAY.
The stores do not have Walmart signage, but inside the store has many of the most popular products ordered online by customers, as a way to speed up online order fulfillment, the person told USA TODAY.
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Another “dark store” is in the works for Bentonville, Arkansas, the home of the retailer’s corporate headquarters, according to Bloomberg, which cited persons familiar with the development in its June 24 story. Walmart is experimenting with the miniature distribution centers to more quickly fill orders from customers who are paying more to get items faster, reported KFSM-TV 5 in Springdale, Arkansas.
“We regularly test new tools, features, and capabilities to better connect with and serve our customers – wherever and however they choose to shop,” Walmart said Friday, June 27, in a statement to USA TODAY. “Regardless of the channel, our goal remains the same: to deliver a fast, seamless, and engaging customer experience.”
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The retailer launched its Walmart+ subscription service in 2020 – with unlimited free delivery from stores (on orders $35 or more) – in a move to challenge Amazon Prime. The subscription is priced at $12.95 per month or $98 annually. You can get Walmart+ Assist for $6.47 monthly/$49 annually if you are getting government assistance, including SNAP, WIC and Medicaid.
Amazon Prime, which launched in 2005, had a head start on Walmart+ and has grown to an estimated 186.3 million users in the U.S., up from 171 million in 2022, according to eMarketer, a market research company. Walmart+ has an estimated 34.7 million users, up from 26.5 million in 2022, according to eMarketer.
Walmart uses AI, augmented reality and more drones
In other developments, Walmart on June 24 began rolling out a suite of artificial intelligence tools to help store associates with a real-time multilingual translation feature to help communicate with customers and an augmented reality tool to make it easier to find items within the store.
This expansion in AI and augmented reality came two weeks after Walmart announced plans to expand its drone delivery service to five more major U.S. cities beyond Dallas and Bentonville, Arkansas.
Contributing: Kasey Caminiti, Natalie Neysa Alund and Kathryn Palmer
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Walmart opens ‘dark stores’ – but not for the public. Here’s why.
