Google Cars Self-Drive To Walmart Supermarket in Trial (bbc.com)

Google's sister-company Waymo has announced a trial in which its self-driving cars will ferry shoppers to and from a nearby Walmart store to pick up their groceries. From a report: For now, the pilot is being restricted to 400-plus members of its early rider programme in Phoenix, Arizona. However, it indicates how the tech giant thinks the autonomous vehicles could be deployed if and when they exit the experimental stage. One expert said cost would be key. The only word on pricing so far is a promise to offer participants discounts when they order goods via Walmart's Online Grocery Pickup service as part of the deal. "If this is rolled out properly you would expect there to be a reasonably high threshold in terms of the price and spend commitment to justify the service," commented Julie Palmer, a retail expert at the consultancy Begbies Traynor. "You'd expect it to be limited to shoppers buying higher value items."

Comments

additional project goals

[nimbius]

Walmart is all well and good, but the full simulation and execution of the experience is also well within the scope of this project. Including:
1. Driving to a walmart at 4 AM and buying 10lbs of bubba burgers because thats just what dinner counts as now that you're married.
2. careening through 40 acres of empty parking lot at twice the posted speed limit because this is private property and any lane marking is merely a suggestion
3. Furiously trying to work a full size trampoline, basket ball hoop, or swing set into your car on a scorching august day because we cant do Disney this year and this will shut the goddamn kids up for a few weeks.
4. Swinging around the back of a walmart at 5 PM at four times the speed limit, dodging loading bays and trucks, to pick up a little caesar hot and ready because walmarts frozen pizzas take too long.
5. Mindlessly idling a large SUV in the fire lane over a period of hours because your wife had to get some last minute bullshit for the pasta salad tomorrow and you didnt want to get dressed.
6. Trying to avoid rolling over some weird noodle-chicken-cream whats-it in the parking spot you picked thats easily been there for 3 days, but inevitably just slowly rolling through it, grinding it into your tires where the smell will linger for a month.