This was likely in the works for months- I worked on a similar project while there, and lining up the integrations with external partners was time consuming acr

This was likely in the works for months- I worked on a similar project while there, and lining up the integrations with external partners was time consuming across corporate boundaries. Actually a second read of the article shows that this was in pilot, and just being rolled out to more stores. The pandemic may have pushed the timelines up a bit, but the fact is that right now the supply/demand for delivery slots are out of whack because the demand far outstrips supply. If getting external services can help create more capacity at a charge, this is a win for everyone.