Have you ever heard of a dark store?  It's a store, but you can't go inside.

The Rise of Delivery Services

When my son was first born, I was recovering from a C-section while being a first-time mom, and the thought of having to navigate a grocery store with a newborn and while recovering from surgery was kind of intimidating.  Not to mention when you have a new baby, you're sleep deprived and completely exhausted.  During these early postpartum days, I used grocery delivery services for the first time. These small conveniences were helpful. I don't utilize grocery delivery as often anymore because it can get expensive, but occasionally if I'm in a pinch, they can be a lifesaver!

And I'm not the only one who feels this way.  Over the last decade, delivery services have exploded in popularity.  In today's world of nonstop running, the convenience of a delivery service is sometimes worth the price we pay for it. From getting dinner dropped off at your door, to having groceries delivered, these small conveniences can help make your day go a bit smoother.

Walmart is now working to make delivery from their store to your door even smoother, with the concept of "dark stores."

What are Dark Stores?

Yahoo! Finance describes dark stores as store locations that aren't open to the public.  These stores often don't have any signage, and are for employees only.  Now this isn't a Walmart store for employees to shop at; this is a Walmart store that is essentially just a place to house inventory for online orders and deliveries. Think of these types of stores as small-scale distribution centers.

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Walmart Dark Stores Will Soon Open

According to All Recipes, the concept of a dark store isn't new, and places like Kroger and Whole Foods already utilize dark stores in some locations.  They say that Walmart will soon have dark stores "popping up" and plan to start in a couple of marketslike Dallas and Bentonville, Arkansas (where headquarters is located).

Yahoo! Finance says that in addition to these new stores, Walmart has recently revamped 42 distribution centers and is expanding its drone delivery service.   Recently, the CEO of Walmart said that the goal is to have delivery access for Walmart reach 95% of the U.S. population within 3 hours of ordering.