Wal-Mart expands free curbside grocery pickup service

NEW YORK (AP) — The online grocery wars are getting fiercer.

Wal-Mart said today it's expanding its service that allows customers to order groceries online and then pick them up in the parking lot of their local store.

The nation's largest food retailer said it is adding eight new markets this month to its free curbside grocery pickup service. They include Kansas City, Mo.; Austin, Texas; and Charleston, S.C.

Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, Ark., has been offering the service in roughly 150 stores in 22 markets. By the end of April, it will offer it in roughly 200 stores in 30 markets. Wal-Mart operates more than 4,500 namesake stores in the U.S.