Walmart Partners with Major Food Chain to Offer Free Food

By: David Donovan | Published: Aug 23, 2024

As part of its new partnership with a major fast-food chain, Walmart will provide free burgers to customers of its subscription program.

Because of a new agreement with Burger King, Walmart+, the grocery store chain’s $98-a-year subscription service, will provide its customers with a 25% discount on all orders and free Whoppers every three months.

Walmart+ Service

Four years ago, the retailer began offering a subscription service in an effort to compete with Amazon Prime, which costs $139 per year, at a more competitive rate which is $41 cheaper.

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Walmart in Onalaska, Wisconsin, the aerial view shows the roof of the Walmart along with the car park with cars parked and hills with trees in the background.

Source: Wikideas1/Wikimedia Commons

Similar benefits available to Amazon Prime customers, like free shipping and same-day grocery delivery, are available through Walmart+.

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“Save Members Time and Money”

Burger King will try to use the partnership to entice customers who have been put off by fast food price increases over the past few years. 

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Burger King's former headquarters in unincorporated area Miami-Dade County, the brown building has the Burger King logo and name on it, there are palm trees in front of the building and a car driving down the street.

Source: Coolcaesar/English Wikipedia

“This unique benefit is designed to save members time and money, catering to their fast-paced lifestyles where grocery shopping, meal planning, and cooking may not always be feasible,” Walmart said of the offer on Thursday.

“Practical, Cost-Effective”

The organization went on to say that the Burger King partnership “serves as a practical, cost-effective solution to accommodate dining preferences and busy schedules.”

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Interior of a Burger King with red seating and Burger King iconography including the sign and crowns.

Source: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen/Wikimedia Commons

To get a free Whopper Walmart+ individuals should connect their account with a free Burger King Royal Perks profile. The Burger King app must then be used to place orders.

Challenging Amazon

The 25% discount is available right away, but the free Whopper promotion will start in September.

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Amazon delivery station in La Crosse by the La Crosse airport, the aerial photo shows delivery trucks at a warehouse along with cars parked in parking spaces

Source: Wikideas1/Wikimedia Commons

The partnership is a direct threat to Amazon, which has partnered with GrubHub to provide its members with a free subscription to the food delivery app. Walmart still lags behind Amazon in terms of subscriber numbers, despite its efforts.

Membership Figures

Although neither company provides specific breakdowns of their memberships, a recent third-party analysis indicates that Walmart has approximately 29 million members, which is significantly less than Amazon’s staggering 184 million.

Amazon.es fulfillment center in San Fernando de Henares, Spain, there are rows of packing stations that extend through the whole warehouse with boxes

Source: Álvaro Ibáñez/Flickr

Fears about the state of the economy as a whole have been allayed by Walmart’s recent strong earnings results for the second quarter.

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Sales Increase

The grocery store chain, which is frequently regarded as an indicator of the state of the economy as a whole, reported that sales in the United States increased by 4.2% during the three months that ended in June.

Doug McMillon speaks from the White House Rose Garden on the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020. He has his arm raised as he is mid speech in front of a podium with four American flags in the background.

Source: The White House/Flickr

CEO Doug McMillon told analysts on the earnings call last week that the company was “not seeing a weaker consumer overall” based on the strong profit and sales numbers.

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Fast-Food’s Problem Area

Walmart’s stock is up in excess of 30% year to date. The deal for fast food comes at a time when major fast-food chains are trying to attract customers who are tired of paying more for their food.

McDonald's New Hamburger University, the sign and logo for McDonald’s is visible above the building which is glass fronted and has some bruck accents further up

Source: Dirk Tussing/Flickr

For the first time since 2020, when the pandemic forced millions of people to stay home, McDonald’s reported a surprise drop in sales in the most recent quarter. 

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Keeping up with Customers

Additionally, profits decreased by 12% for McDonald’s. In most cases, chains are struggling to keep up with the number of customers they have, so they have been offering cheap deals over the past few months.

An American McDonald's in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, in June 2008; this is an example of the "new" look of American McDonald's restaurants. There are cars parked in front of the restaurant and signage on the building.

Source: nnecapa/Flickr

The $5 Your Way Meal from Burger King was the first to arrive in restaurants in June.

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Value Wars

Additionally, McDonald’s offered a $5 deal that has been extended until the end of the summer at most locations in order to boost figures for the third quarter. 

A curbside pickup at a McDonald's drive-thru during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a sign for curbside pickup and a car driving past the yellow parking spaces.

Source: Raysonho/Wikimedia Commons

Furthermore, Starbucks surprised everyone by launching a $5 breakfast combo that included food and coffee, a move that seeks to make an impression on the value war.

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Burger King Value Meal

Burger King’s $5 value meal which is available over the summer comprises of one of three sandwiches (a Whopper Jr, a Bacon Cheeseburger, or Chicken Jr) along with chicken nuggets, fries, and a soft drink.

Burger King restaurant in Bulacan, Philippines, the restaurant has a sign and logo above it, the sun is shining on the ground.

Source: Obandoeño12345/Wikimedia Commons

While McDonald’s meal was only set to last for the month of July, it was extended in order to compete with other chains.

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Walmart Self-Checkout Scam

Walmart will be looking to improve its image following the self-checkout scam that went unnoticed for 18 days.

Walmart Supercenter in Grundy, Virginia, the store is set against a steep hill, there are cars and trucks parked outside.

Source: Aaron F. Stone/Flickr

Scammers had placed a card-skimming device in the self-service aisle of several stores in Cromwell, Connecticut.

Card skimmers can be used to steal information like card numbers and pins from debit and credit cards.

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