Walmart will deliver live trees, light up customers’ homes for the holidays

Walmart is getting very “hands-on” for the 2020 holiday season in the services and products it provides.

The discount giant is upping its Christmas offerings with deliveries of live Christmas trees. It also is partnering with home services provider Handy to install outdoor Christmas lights, at a cost of $129 for single-story homes and $199 in two-story homes.

Customers can order a Christmas tree for delivery via Walmart’s e-commerce site, where they can select from a variety of tree and potted plant options ranging from three to nine feet tall, and set delivery time. (Lowe’s is also delivering fresh local Christmas trees and decorative items, while Nordstrom is selling realistic artificial Christmas trees in partnership with Balsam Hill.)

For the outdoor lights, customers can add “Christmas lights installation service” to their online lights order. After checkout, Handy will reach out via email to schedule an installation appointment. Customers need to supply the lights, clips or anchors and extension cords — a professional will complete the installation.

Having the lights taken down will cost an additional $99 for a single-story home and $159 for two-story homes. Walmart has previously partnered with Handy to offer in-home installation and assembly services for merchandise, including furniture and electronics, since August 2018.

In other efforts to streamline holiday shopping, Walmart has more than doubled the number of personal shoppers it employs, to 157,000. The added employees will support what Walmart expects to be a surge in customers using its omnichannel pickup and delivery services for the holiday season.

“We understand the holiday season could look different this year,” T.J. Stallbaumer, Walmart corporate affairs, said in a corporate blog post. "It may include staying home more than usual or never having to leave your neighborhood to see lit up homes. Whatever the case this holiday season, Walmart is committed to making our customers’ lives easier by increasing convenience and access to the things that make the holiday season bright and cheerful.”