BY KELLY ROCHE
GTA residents can pay $3 to shop for groceries in their pyjamas – from the couch – after Walmart Canada announced the expansion of its online grocery pickup to 12 stores Wednesday, including Mississauga’s Heartland location.
“We know Canadians are busy – busy parents, busy professionals, and busy families – which means they are also looking for ways to save time,” senior vice-president of commerce Simon Rodrigue said in a statement.
Here’s how it works: Customers place orders at Walmart.ca then choose a pickup time and location, pulling into a dedicated parking spot. Once there, a specific phone number must be called, and the order is brought outside and loaded into their vehicle.
“And best of all, when it’s cold and wet out there, customers using this service don’t have to leave their car to pick up their order,” Rodrigue said.
Dedicated grocery shoppers have been hired at all participating locations to “ensure items are carefully hand-picked and packaged with care,” according to the retail giant.
The first Canadian rollout was at in July 2015 at 11 Ottawa locations.
The capital city was selected “because it represents a great cross-section of Canadians,” said Walmart spokeswoman Anika Malik.
“As the largest Canadian market with a strong interest in online grocery,” the Toronto-area “was a natural next step,” said Malik.
“We will continue to evaluate customer needs across the country as we look to expand the service.”
Loblaw is already offering online shopping in three provinces following its ‘click & collect’ pilot program in fall 2014 at three GTA stores.
“Over the past year, the extremely positive response from our customers have given us the confidence to expand the program to more than 35 locations,” in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, said Loblaw spokeswoman Catherine Thomas.
“We’re seeing great results, including significant repeat customers each week who value the ease of shopping online and the high quality of the products and the service.”
The cost of groceries remains the same online as in store, “including all flyer deals, promotions, et cetera. We do charge a convenience fee of $3 to $5 depending on the time of day you pick up,” said Thomas.
These are the nine Loblaw stores currently offering online shopping:
Mississauga: 5010 Glen Erin Dr. (Erin Mills Town Centre)
Toronto:
-
The East Mall & Burnhamthorpe Rd.
- 10 Lower Jarvis St.
- 11 Redway Rd.
- 50 Musgrave St.
- 17 Leslie St (at Lakeshore)
Richmond Hill: 301 High Tech Rd.
Markham: 200 Bullock Dr.
Pickering: 1792 Liverpool Rd.
Walmart customers can begin placing online orders at six locations, with pickup available Feb. 9 at the following locations:
Mississauga: 800 Matheson Blvd. (Heartland)
Brampton: 9455 Mississauga Rd. (Williams Pkwy.)
Oakville: 234 Hays Blvd. (Trafalgar Rd.)
Burlington: 4515 Dundas St. W. (Appleby Line)
Milton: 1280 Steeles Ave. E. (James Snow Pkwy. S.)
Vaughan: 8300-Hwy. 27 (south of Langstaff Rd.)
Oakville: 234 Hays Blvd. (Trafalgar Rd.)
Burlington: 4515 Dundas St. W. (Appleby Line)
Milton: 1280 Steeles Ave. E. (James Snow Pkwy. S.)
Vaughan: 8300-Hwy. 27 (south of Langstaff Rd.)
Orders can be placed up to 21 days in advance. The service will be offered at these six Toronto-area stores on Feb. 18, with pickup starting Feb. 23:
Pickering: 1899 Brock Rd. #1
Richmond Hill: 255 Silver Linden Dr.
Scarborough: 1900 Eglinton Ave. E.
Stouffville: 1050 Hoover Park Dr.
Vaughan-Maple: 1900 Major Mackenzie Dr.
Whitby: 4100 Baldwin St. S.
Richmond Hill: 255 Silver Linden Dr.
Scarborough: 1900 Eglinton Ave. E.
Stouffville: 1050 Hoover Park Dr.
Vaughan-Maple: 1900 Major Mackenzie Dr.
Whitby: 4100 Baldwin St. S.
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