Update from Horacio: New services for our customers

Hi everyone,

I want to thank our customers for their trust. It remains a tremendous privilege to be providing an essential service for so many people.

Safety continues to be Walmart’s number one priority. We’ve implemented even more measures to ensure our stores, services and distribution centres are as safe as possible. For example, we’ve started associate temperature and wellness checks in our distribution centres and for our drivers and are beginning to roll out the program to associates in our stores. We’re asking stores to encourage customers to limit entry to only one adult per family, but we really need your help to do this in order to keep your fellow customers and our associates safe. We’re also distributing voluntary personal protective equipment (masks and gloves) to associates and strongly recommending they wear masks while at work.
We’re also offering new services for some of our most vulnerable customers and those on the front lines.

• Groceries by phone: Eligible seniors, people with disabilities and people with vulnerable health conditions can now order their groceries by phone and schedule a time for pickup or delivery with one of our Customer Service Representatives (1-800-328-0402). The new program exists in communities where we offer pickup or delivery. Check if the service is available for you here.
• Priority pharmacy access: Customers who are only picking up prescriptions don’t need to wait. They can call the pharmacy from outside the store and meet a pharmacy associate at the front to get further instruction.
• Priority store access: Hospital workers and first responders will be given priority access to the store starting Monday as another way to thank them.
• Groceries to hospital staff: We’ve also partnered with eleven hospitals so all their staff can have groceries delivered right to the hospital – and we’re working to expand the program.

Online grocery continues to experience very high demand both on Walmart.ca and with providers such as Cornershop and Instacart. Tens of thousands of orders a day are being fulfilled, with more stores now offering pickup and delivery, and additional timeslots opening up every day. I know the wait to respond to your inquiries is longer than we’d like, so we appreciate your patience as we work through this high demand.

We’ve also increased our investment in our charity partners and are thrilled that the Walmart Foundation will grant their $1 million (CAD) commitment to Food Banks Canada to ensure that food banks can continue their critical work. Their donation doubles the $1 million (CAD) Walmart Canada shared between Food Banks and the Canadian Red Cross. These donations are in addition to the record 17 million meals our Fight Hunger. Spark Change campaign contributed to Food Banks Canada earlier this year.

Our Walmart associates – our heroes – are continuing to step up on so many occasions and it’s because of their efforts that our business continues to serve Canadians. Our associates are making a tremendous contribution to their communities and we are continuing to provide them with workplace health and safety, financial and wellness support, including no-cost access to free online physician care. I recently had a chance to visit a store and thank the team firsthand for their fantastic work – you can watch it here.