Walmart offers free pickup

Photo: The Canadian Press

Walmart Canada is rolling out a free pickup service for general merchandise and apparel at all of its Canadian stores.

The company’s vice-president of omnichannel and online grocery Daryl Porter says the service will be available across the country by the end of the week.

It allows customers to save on delivery fees by grabbing their orders at the nearest store.

Porter said it will be handy for customers who avoid home delivery over concerns about unattended packages left on their doorstep, or for people who want to make sure a gift is not accidentally intercepted by the intended recipient.

The new service comes after the company started offering grocery pickup in select markets, and on the heels of a spending spree that included the acquisitions of Indian e-commerce company Flipkart, activewear retailer Moosejaw and apparel brand Bonobos.