Walmart Has Delivery Drones! Will it Fly in Amarillo?

Technology is a great thing and it seems that the world is getting more and more technologically advanced.  So much so, that drone delivery is becoming more mainstream.

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Walmart announced in June of 2021 that they were teaming up with DroneUp to start offering drone delivery from their stores.   They rolled out delivery drones to specific places in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. They currently offer drone delivery in North Texas.  Garland, Murphy, Plano Richardson, Mesquite, Dallas, Rowlett, and the Colonies all currently have drone delivery available to customers.

How does drone delivery work?

• The user places their order at DroneUpDelivery.com.
• You will have to verify your address before allowing you to add items to your shopping cart.
• There are more than 10,000 items that can be delivered.
• You can expect your deliveries in as early as  30 minutes between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
• You must be within one mile of a participating Walmart.

The delivery fee is $3.99 and it will only deliver up to 10 pounds.  They will let you know when your delivery is arriving. You can go outside and watch its approach but they as you to stay at least 10 feet away.

According to Walmart, participating stores will house a DroneUp delivery hub inclusive of a team of certified pilots, operating within FAA guidelines, that safely manage flight operations for deliveries. Once a customer places an order, the item is fulfilled from the store, packaged, loaded into the drone, and delivered right to their yard using a cable that gently lowers the package.

This is a great idea, however, I can't help but wonder

How will Amarillo citizens handle this new technology?

Keep in mind this technology is at least a few years away from Amarillo.  Probably 10 years.

Here's how I see it going.  Mary down the road didn't want to leave the house and needed some bread so she orders from Walmart's drone delivery.  Chad next door doesn't know anything about the drone delivery and sees this miniature helicopter-looking thing flying into his area.  "We're under attack"  Out comes the shotgun and the drone is blown to smithereens.

Now, you cannot fire a weapon in the city limits all willy-nilly like that, it's illegal.  Some might argue that he felt his life was in danger, but truth be told it was Mary's delivery and was being delivered to Mary's house.

See, this is a scenario that very well could happen here.

Don't get me wrong, I will totally use this system if and when it comes to Bomb City.