Groceries by drone? Yep, it’s happening.
Walmart just launched a drone-powered grocery delivery service in Mesquite, Texas, thanks to a partnership with San Francisco-based Zipline. And this isn’t a gimmick—it’s fast, it’s real, and it’s expanding.
The tech behind it is a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles called P2 Zips. These little flyers can cruise at 70 miles per hour and cover a 10-mile radius. So in the time it takes you to scroll TikTok for dinner ideas, your milk and eggs could be zipping through the sky.
For now, it’s only available in select areas around Dallas-Fort Worth, but Zipline, which previously teamed up with Panera and Sweetgreen, has plans to scale up quickly. Seattle-Tacoma is likely next.
Here’s how it works: You place an order through Walmart like you usually would, then eligible items (under 8 pounds) go in a special container. A drone then flies to your location with the order items. It will hover around 300 feet above your house, then it lowers your order on a tether like a snack-delivering UFO.
You don’t have to catch it or wave it in like an aircraft carrier. Just select a drop zone such as the yard, driveway, or patio, and it handles the rest – even in the rain.
The idea here is that drone deliveries can cover those last-minute purchases. Forgot cold meds? Out of milk mid-bake? Need soup and tissues before the flu really kicks in? That said, these drones are built for speed, not bulk, so no full-cart hauls yet.
Walmart has been testing drone deliveries since 2021, starting in Pea Ridge, Arkansas. Now, the move into Texas marks the company’s first major leap toward wide-scale air delivery.
Oh, and Walmart+ members get drone delivery free (for now). For everyone else, it’s $19.99 per drop.
So yeah, keep your eye on the sky. Your groceries might beat you home.