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<p>NEW YORK (AP) &#8212; Starting next week, Wal-Mart will offer discounts on thousands of online-only items when customers elect to have them shipped to one of the company&#8217;s stores for pickup.</p><p>The move is part of the retailer&#8217;s efforts to better compete with online leader Amazon.</p><p>Initially, the discount will be available on about 10,000 items. But the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer says it will then expand the price cuts to more than one million items by the end of June.</p><p>Among some of the offers starting April 19: An infant car seat that was priced at $148.05 will have an additional discount of $7.40. A Lego Great Vehicles Ferry priced at $23.99 will have an additional pickup discount of $2.55.</p><p>Wal-Mart is able offer the discounts by delivering the products directly to its 4,700 stores, saving on costs by avoiding shipping to individual shoppers&#8217; homes.</p><p>The offer builds on Wal-Mart&#8217;s move in late January that replaced a pilot program offering free shipping but that came with an annual fee of $49, with one with a lower free-shipping threshold, faster delivery and no membership fee.</p><p>The retailer said it will reduce free shipping time to two days on 2 million of its most popular items including essentials like diapers and pet food as well as hot toys and electronics. Wal-Mart&#8217;s average time has been three to five days. Also, at the time, it reduced the spending necessary for free shipping to $35 from $50.</p><p>These moves are being spearheaded by Walmart.com&#8217;s CEO Mark Lore, who joined the company when Wal-Mart bought Jet.com, which he founded last year.</p><p>It&#8217;s also another illustration of how Wal-Mart is trying to figure out a way to compete with Amazon and its dominant Prime plan. Amazon&#8217;s membership program costs $99 a year, but includes services like streaming music and video that have created fierce loyalty. Analysts say that Amazon Prime members buy frequently and spend more money.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re creating price transparency to empower customers to shop smarter and choose what&#8217;s best for them,&#8221; Lore wrote in a company blog post. He noted now they can either pick up an item and save even more money, or get two-day shipping for free without paying for a membership. He noted that he believes that the business is gaining momentum. Wal-Mart&#8217;s online sales increased 29 percent in the fiscal fourth quarter, up from 20.6 percent in the previous period. That marked the third straight quarter of gains.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">This Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, photo shows Wal-Mart signage at one of the company's neighborhood markets, in Hialeah, Fla. Starting April 19, 2017, Wal-Mart says it will offer discounts on thousands of online-only items when customers elect to have them shipped to one of the company's stores for pickup. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_116025526-fa4a08087e96441bbf9995c48c521b82.jpg</photo0><caption0>This Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, photo shows Wal-Mart signage at one of the company's neighborhood markets, in Hialeah, Fla. Starting April 19, 2017, Wal-Mart says it will offer discounts on thousands of online-only items when customers elect to have them shipped to one of the company's stores for pickup. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_116025526-305696749c22472d840ba590c5483225.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">This Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, photo, shoppers enter a Wal-Mart neighborhood market, in Hialeah, Fla. Starting April 19, 2017, Wal-Mart says it will offer discounts on thousands of online-only items when customers elect to have them shipped to one of the company's stores for pickup. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_116025526-305696749c22472d840ba590c5483225.jpg</photo1><caption1>This Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, photo, shoppers enter a Wal-Mart neighborhood market, in Hialeah, Fla. Starting April 19, 2017, Wal-Mart says it will offer discounts on thousands of online-only items when customers elect to have them shipped to one of the company's stores for pickup. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)</caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_116025526-1b68dd83c29c4df780411de553662c82.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">FILE - This Sept. 19, 2013, file photo, shows the sign of a Wal-Mart store in San Jose, Calif. Starting April 19, 2017, Wal-Mart says it will offer discounts on thousands of online-only items when customers elect to have them shipped to one of the company's stores for pickup. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_116025526-1b68dd83c29c4df780411de553662c82.jpg</photo2><caption2>FILE - This Sept. 19, 2013, file photo, shows the sign of a Wal-Mart store in San Jose, Calif. Starting April 19, 2017, Wal-Mart says it will offer discounts on thousands of online-only items when customers elect to have them shipped to one of the company's stores for pickup. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)</caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By ANNE D&#8217;INOCENZIO</p><p>AP Retail Writer</p></bylineMeta></div>

Wal-Mart to start discounting online-only items delivered to stores