Sam’s Club offers same-day delivery with Instacart

Sam’s Club, the warehouse store arm of Walmart, is teaming up with Instacart for same-day deliveries of groceries and other products in three cities: Austin, St. Louis and Dallas-Ft. Worth.

Plans are afoot to offer the service to other US markets this year. While deliveries will be free for shoppers who are members of Instacart Express, there will be fees depending on how much customers spend and how fast they want their order: $5.99 on purchases of at least $35; $9.99 for less than $35: $7.99 for one-hour delivery on purchases of at least $35; $11.99 for one-hour delivery on purchases that cost less than $35.

The announcement is a major boost for Instacart as it steps up its fight against Amazon and Whole Foods. For Sam's Club, it follows on from its decision to close or convert 63 stores, due to a shift toward more online orders, increased competition and reduced population growth in some areas.