Retail giant doubles down on contactless shopping innovations at area locations

Signaling it believes the pandemic has perhaps permanently altered the way people shop for food and other everyday items, Walmart has made significant changes and upgrades to six of its stores in the region. 

Taking the curbside pickup trend a big step further, the Bentonville, Ark.-based retail giant has installed a 16-foot “pickup tower” at its Walmart Supercenter in North Port, south Sarasota County. These devices — essentially oversized, high-tech vending machines — allow customers to submit an order via walmart.com and then pick it up without setting foot in the store or interacting with on-site staff members.