Wal-Mart (WMT) Expands Pickup Program, Building Smaller Stores

Two major moves Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) is rolling out to combat stagnation at their supercenter stores are the beginning of their strategy to build out small stores and also to expand its online order pickup program.

Wal-Mart announced they're about to start building their smaller stores, beginning in Arkansas, with a goal of having 40 operational by the end of 2011.

Battling convenience and quicker delivery, Wal-Mart has also expanded a program offering the experience of shopping online along with same-day pickup.

Online customers will now be able to pick up online orders at every one of Wal-Mart's stores in the U.S., as Wal-Mart battles Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) and others in that retail segment.

This will cut back on waiting time as well as shipping costs.

Approximately 40,000 products will be offered for the service, far beyond the minuscule 2,000 items Wal-Mart offered pickup on at about 25 percent of its stores.

Wal-Mart closed at $52.65, down $0.02, or 0.04 percent.