Walmart’s Delivery Jab: Amazon’s Real Rival?

Walmart’s turning its 4,700 stores into a fist aimed at Amazon’s e-commerce crown—same-day delivery to 93% of the US, five billion items last year, doubled from 2023. Amazon’s got the cash—$638B to Walmart’s $681B—but Walmart e-commerce 2025’s got the jab: fast, cheap groceries from stores, not warehouses. Is this the threat Amazon’s been dodging?

A decade back, Walmart’s brick sprawl looked like a relic—Amazon was the online king, 41% of e-commerce sales to Walmart’s 9%. Now? Those stores are gold—hubs for Spark, Walmart’s driver army, slinging meat, eggs, socks in hours. CEO John Furner’s grinning—“stores people laughed at? They’re our edge.” Five billion same-day hauls—Amazon’s mum on exact reach, but Walmart’s nipping at heels in spots.

Amazon’s not choking—two billion “essentials” flew out same-day or next-day last year, and it’s cramming milk into fulfillment dens. But groceries? Amazon’s Achilles—Whole Foods and Fresh flail, no store net to match Walmart’s. Spark’s the twist—tens of thousands of gig drivers, not staff, grab orders from supercenters, paid $10 a pop plus tips. Samantha Atkinson, Idaho Spark driver, hauls Bud Light at dawn—$100 a day, no desk, pure hustle.

Walmart’s game’s old-school flipped—groceries (50% of sales) lure punters, then higher-margin gear like jeans or toasters seal the deal. Online? Same play—cheap eats pull clicks, Spark delivers the rest. Doug McMillon saw it in 2014—“we’ve got stores, they don’t”—and built pickup, then Spark. By 2018, it hit 40% of households; now 93%. Amazon same-day delivery’s slick, but Walmart’s store sprawl’s a brute edge.

Profit’s the rub—Walmart’s e-commerce, 18% of revenue, bleeds red. Execs swear it’s closing in, banking on ads to juice cash, tech-startup style—Amazon bled for years too. Investors don’t care—stock’s doubled, $737B market cap. Amazon’s $2.1T laughs, but Walmart’s not playing catch-up—it’s carving a lane. Furner’s bet: Wagyu beef, cheap, fast—shoppers bite.

Amazon’s scrambling—Fresh flops, Whole Foods ain’t enough. Andy Jassy’s mulling more stores, testing grocery add-ons in Phoenix, Orlando. Walmart’s Spark network’s leaner—drivers dodge robots clogging aisles, tech tweaks delivery radii—93% reach, no spoilage. Amazon’s got 1,000+ hubs, 200M Prime subs—Walmart+ is smaller, but $35 free delivery’s clawing high rollers—Amex Platinum’s a perk.

Our Take

Walmart e-commerce 2025’s a brawler—stores Amazon can’t clone, Spark drivers it can’t match. Five billion same-day hits? That’s a gut punch—Amazon’s two billion’s broad, but groceries trip it up. Merchants, clock this: Walmart’s not topping Amazon’s pile—it’s gouging a niche, fast and cheap. Spark’s a scrappy beast—gig hustle beats warehouse bloat. Amazon same-day delivery’s king, but Walmart’s store jab’s got teeth—93% reach ain’t a fluke. Profit’s shaky, but this ain’t a sprint—Walmart’s in the ring, and Amazon’s blinking.

References

• Sarah Nassauer (2025, 7-Mar). How Walmart Built the Biggest Threat Amazon Has Faced. The Wall Street Journal. Available online. Accessed 12 March 2025.