A drone flying over a parking lot. Photo: Courtesy of Walmart.
Two Utah Walmarts are now providing drone delivery for nearby customers.
Details: The locations — in Lindon (585 N. State St.) and Herriman (5056 W. 13400 South) — launched the delivery service in partnership with DroneUp last month.
- For a $3.99 fee, customers living within a mile of the stores can get products flown to their homes.
- Each store is equipped to handle up to 120 drone deliveries per day.
- The drones can carry packages up to 10 pounds.
Why it matters: Nearly a decade ago, commercial drone delivery was considered ambitious. Now, some Utahns can order from a list of 10,000 items like a bag of chips or toothpaste.
Zoom out: Walmart is currently operating drone delivery in seven states.
The intrigue: The most commonly flown products include cookies and cream ice cream, a 2-pound bag of lemons, rotisserie chicken, Red Bull and paper towels, per Walmart.
How it works: You can visit droneupdelivery.com to see if you're eligible for deliveries and to place orders.
- Hubs are located in Walmart parking lots and operated by Federal Aviation Administration-certified pilots.
What they're saying: "From the time the customer orders the product on the website to the delivery to their house is 30 minutes. So it's a very fast and efficient way of getting the product," Anthony Vittone, DroneUp chief operating officer, told Axios.
- Camille Dunn, director of corporate communications at Walmart, told Axios it's an option for busy adults for instances like shipping an ingredient for a recipe or a thermometer for a sick child.
Flashback: In 2021, Intermountain Healthcare announced plans to launch a drone delivery service to send prescriptions and medical equipment to patients' homes.
What's next: Vittone said DroneUp is looking to expand its delivery services to other parts of the state.
- He noted that a location's airspace, weather and geography are considered before setting up a drone delivery option.
- While items cannot currently be delivered to apartments, Vittone said they are working on a solution.
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