Walmart Steps Up Rivalry With Amazon Prime

The Amazon-Walmart rivalry is about to enter its next logical phase. Walmart confirmed on Wednesday that it plans to test a new unlimited shipping service for $50 a year in a move that could rival Amazon's Prime subscription service, which costs $99 a year. According to Ravi Jariwala, a spokesperson for Walmart, the trial service is scheduled to roll out to a select group of customers by invitation only later this summer. The unlimited shipping option will apply to "more than a million" items on sale at Walmart and promises delivery in three days or less. Jariwala said, "We’ve heard from customers that they want shipping that's predictable and shipping that's affordable. We think there is an opportunity to put a price point that's affordable in front of them."