In the ongoing battle for brick-and-mortar chains to hold on to and grow their relevance, there is no more promising tool than buy-online-pick-up-in-store, especially when it also leverages mobile. Although this is certainly a wonderful technological achievement, it’s a tactic that relies on, and can be done in by, store associates.

Having used the service many times, I have been a fan of how Walmart has delivered. But a few days ago, the world’s largest retailer showed how bad bad can get when just one associate drops the ball. 

It may have been an anomaly. And yet — isolated experiences often lead to consumers making choices for the future. They can be prejudicial. If I didn’t quite decide never to try this sort of thing again, it did make me think that it’s a more delicate process than is generally thought.

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