Longstanding rivals Amazon and Walmart are back with their subscription wars and some customers can get temporary gains, as a result. This week, Amazon added a new $9.95 delivery fee for deliveries from Whole Foods that were placed online using Amazon Prime. Giant retail rival Walmart said that its Walmart+ customers would get back $9.95, on Monday, according to a report by CNN.
Whole Foods became a part of Amazon in 2017 and used to give two hour free delivery to Amazon Prime customers. In September, consumers were warned of changes and the change turned to be a $9,95 delivery charge for Amazon Prime customers in October.
A Whole Foods spokesperson told CNN Business that they were charging the fee to cover delivery operating costs including equipment and technology as they did not wish to raise product prices. The spokesperson added that deliveries increased threefold in 2020 when compared with the earlier year.
The pandemic increased the number of deliveries. Some Prime perks will remain in addition to the new fee. There would be free pickup for orders over $35. Exclusive discounts would also remain.
Walmart immediately jumped in with a response that would please its subscription customers and troll its rival. The email stated that anyone who signed up for its subscription service–Walmart+, which is the big box retailer’s answer to Amazon Prime services, would get back $9.95.
The largest employer in the nation also said that they were returning the amount as they believed that customers deserved a delivery service that “won’t leave a Whole in their wallet for delivery fees” and cheekily added, “whoops, typo.”
Walmart+ subscription costs $12.95 for a monthly subscription or $98 for a yearly subscription while Amazon Prime costs $12.99 for a monthly subscription and $119 for a yearly subscription. Walmart subscribers get free grocery delivery as well as free shipping. There is no minimum order as well as contact free checkout. Amazon Prime is currently charging $9.95 for delivery from Whole Foods as of when this article was published, though deliveries above $35 would get free delivery,
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