• From CNBC:
"Walmart said it will hire 20,000 seasonal employees who will help pack and ship online purchases at its fulfillment centers as it anticipates more holiday shopping to shift online during the coronavirus pandemic.
"It marks the first time in five years that the big-box retailer has announced significant holiday hiring. The company is adding the seasonal workers, even after its pandemic-fueled spree. Since March, it has hired more than 500,000 employees across its U.S. stores and supply chain to keep up with demand for a wide range of items, from groceries to hair color and bicycles.
"Over the past few years, Walmart has largely given extra hours to its existing employees to keep up with the pace of holiday shopping."
• Yahoo Finance reports that Walmart will "start testing the use of drones to deliver at-home COVID-19 testing kits.
"In a move that advances the trend of contactless customer service in an era of social distancing, Walmart teamed up with Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and DroneUp to pilot drone delivery of the kits in North Las Vegas, beginning on Wednesday." Walmart also "plans to trial the COVID-19 collection kit drone delivery in Cheektowaga, New York, early next month," the story says.
"“There’s a lot we can learn from our drone delivery pilots to help determine what roles drones can play in pandemic response, health care delivery and retail,” says Tom Ward, senior vice president of customer product at Walmart. “Our hope is the drone delivery COVID-19 self-collection kit launch will shape contactless testing capabilities on a larger scale and continue to bolster the innovative ways Walmart plans to use drone delivery in the future."
