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Walmart launches investigation after grocery order stolen from nurse sick with COVID-19

FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2020 file photo, a woman, wearing a protective face mask due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, wheels a cart with her purchases out of a Walmart store, in Derry, N.H. Shoppers on Walmart.com who pay a $98-a-year membership fee will get free shipping on orders of any size starting Friday, Dec. 4. Walmart announced the membership perk on Wednesday, Dec. 2 doing away with a previous requirement that orders amount to at least $35 to qualify for free shipping. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

MADISON COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — An Alabama nurse, sick with COVID-19 and homeschooling her children, says she ordered groceries from Walmart only to have them stolen and Walmart initially refuse to issue a refund.

“I’ve used this all year because my daughter is immunocompromised. I didn’t want to go shopping and expose her to COVID,” said Jennifer Lilly. “I had a fever of close to 103. So I was pretty much in bed all weekend.”


Lilly said she placed her $163 grocery order Tuesday. The order was supposed to arrive before 6:30 p.m. There was no indication the delivery would not arrive.

Time passed and the driver never arrived. Lilly spent about an hour being passed around Walmart’s phone system.

“The lady put me on hold again and she walked over to the grocery pick-up area and she goes, sorry, they’ve already gone for the night. I can’t do anything to help you,” said Lilly.

Shortly after that exchange Lilly says the Walmart employee offered to reorder the items for Wednesday, but Lilly still had to pay $163, again. Walmart later offered to wave the delivery fee. Still, Lilly would have to pay for the groceries, just not the delivery fee.

Lilly says the employee refused to give her any information about Walmart’s 3rd-party delivery system.

“If they’re going [to] use people to deliver, they should know who they are. Have their proper ID. I’m sure that’s not her real name,” said Lilly.

On Thursday, Walmart said it would refill the grocery order for Lilly and would launch an investigation into the delivery driver.

“We were frustrated to hear that a third-party delivery driver did not complete their delivery as assigned,” Walmart said in a statement. “This type of activity is not the norm, and we are looking into the driver’s record. We apologize for the inconvenience this caused Miss Lilly and are extremely grateful for her heroic service to her community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been in touch with Miss Lilly and are making it right.”