During the holiday season in 2024, consumers across the country made it clear that Walmart (WMT) had better deals.
In Walmart’s fourth-quarter earnings report for 2024, the retail giant revealed that its net sales in the U.S. increased by 5% year-over-year during the quarter. The average amount of money shoppers spent per purchase in the region also increased by 1.8%.
Walmart claimed in the report that the increase in U.S. sales was partially due to it having “expedited delivery channels resonating with customers desiring speed of delivery.”
Related: Walmart makes unexpected move to minimize threat of tariffs
During an earnings call on Feb. 20, Walmart Chief Financial Officer John Rainey said that the company’s recent expansion of same-day delivery is “helping to drive” growth.
“During the quarter, we expanded our store-fulfilled delivery catchment areas to now reach 93% of U.S. households with same-day delivery,” said Rainey. “The popularity of expedited delivery has resulted in more than 30% of orders coming from customers and members that elected to pay a convenience fee to receive their scheduled delivery in less than one hour or less than three hours.”
Walmart makes a drastic move to combat a startling issue
As Walmart’s delivery service becomes more popular, the retailer has decided to further crack down on the identities of its Spark delivery drivers, who are tasked with delivering orders to customers, according to a new report from Business Insider.
Walmart has recently been sending its drivers a new in-app message instructing them to bring their driver’s license to a local Walmart store to confirm their identity by the end of this week, which is required in order for them to continue using the Spark app.
Kennesaw, GA / USA – Walmart line outside the store.
JD and Kyle Shoot Stock/Getty Images
Walmart is even offering Spark drivers a one-time $15 payment to complete the task.
“All drivers in your area will need to complete an in-person identity verification,” reads the in-app message.
The move from Walmart comes during a time when it has recently been increasing its efforts to verify the identity of its Spark delivery drivers to cut down on the number of identity fraud incidents. For example, in 2023, the retailer launched a facial recognition tool in the Spark app to help verify drivers’ identities.
Related: Walmart issues stern warning about unexpected customer behavior
Despite the recent effort, Walmart revealed last year that its Spark app suffered a phishing attack that accessed the personal information of over 200 Spark driver accounts.
Walmart’s Spark drivers found a sneaky way to hide their identities
Walmart’s increased efforts to verify the identities of its delivery drivers also come during a time when Spark accounts are being put for sale on social media.
These accounts appeal to people who either don’t want to go through the lengthy application process of becoming a delivery driver or just want to have multiple delivery accounts to make more money.
Some of these accounts are even being advertised to people who are not authorized to work in the U.S.
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The Trump administration has recently been cracking down on undocumented workers in the U.S.
President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order reinstituting “enhanced vetting” of visa applicants. This policy was enforced during Trump’s first term but was paused under the Biden administration.
This includes increased workplace raids and I-9 audits conducted by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security investigations.
The move is part of Trump’s yearslong promise to crackdown on illegal immigration and secure the U.S. borders.
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