Walmart and Amazon Bet on Medication Delivery

Walmart announced on Tuesday that it’s introducing a new same-day delivery service for prescription medication.

Photo of Walmart Pharmacy
Photo by Mike Mozart via CC BY 2.0

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You’ll miss out on a cheery hello from a Walmart greeter, but then again, that’s pretty status quo when you’re lying in bed with the flu. 

Walmart announced on Tuesday that it’s introducing a new same-day delivery service for prescription medication. This comes two weeks after Amazon announced it’s expanding its pharmacy operation and same-day medication delivery to 20 new US cities, bringing about 50% of the US population within Amazon’s delivery radius.

First: Do No Harm to Your Bottom Line

Amazon has been trying to break into healthcare for a while now, with mixed success. It acquired healthcare clinic chain One Medical for $3.9 billion in February 2023, and one year later, per reporting from Business Insider’s Eugene Kim, its integration into Amazon’s larger business was still experiencing serious growing pains. Walmart opened its first pharmacy in 1978, so it’s been in the business longer, but it hasn’t been able to expand into actual doctoring. Back in April, Walmart shuttered its Walmart Health operation, closing 51 health clinics in the process. 

Both retail giants have struggled with the clinical side of healthcare. But if Amazon knows one thing, it’s absurdly fast delivery, and Walmart — which is slowly but steadily waking up to the wonderful world of e-commerce — is falling in lockstep:

Race to the Bottom: Elsewhere in e-commerce-land, The Information reports that Amazon has started setting prices for its planned rival to super-cheap Chinese e-commerce companies Temu and Shein. Per The Information’s reporting, Amazon is setting upper limits for items on the new service, including $8 for jewelry and $20 for sofas. If those sofas have any quarters stuck between the cushions, it’s practically a net gain.