SAN JOSE, Calif. — Customers of Walmart.com asked, and the world’s largest retailer delivered.

But only in San Jose.

On Saturday, the company began testing home grocery service here, as it tries to compete with similar offerings from online retailer Amazon.com and Safeway.

With the new “Walmart To Go,” customers can go online to order groceries and other items, including fresh produce, meat and seafood, baked goods, over-the-counter drugs, household supplies and health and beauty products. A minimum order of $49 is required, and the prices are the same as in the store.

Walmart will then drive the goods to customers’ homes as soon as the next day at whatever time customers choose, with a one-, two- or four-hour window — even up to three weeks in advance. Delivery charges range from $5 to $10, depending on the urgency. No tipping is allowed.

Ravi Jariwala, a spokesman for Walmart.com, said San Jose is a logical choice for the limited test because it’s a large population close to its online headquarters in Brisbane, Calif., near San Francisco.

“Our focus at this point is listening and learning from our customers,” he said, adding that he doesn’t know how long the test will run.

Jariwala said the idea follows a natural evolution. Before many of the retailer’s customers head out to a local Walmart, he said, they check its online site to see if the products they want are in stock.

Over time, the customers began asking about delivery.

In San Jose, the Wal-Mart store at 777 Story Road will provide a central distribution point for online orders.

“It happens to offer a full assortment of groceries, and that is where the products will be pulled from,” Jariwala said.

For busy families and others, he said, the service saves time and offers convenience.

But ordering as much as three weeks ahead?

“We have a couple of kids at home, and one is still in diapers,” Jariwala said. “It’s very convenient for us to know that if we need another batch of diapers in two weeks’ time, it will be there.”

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DELIVERY AREA:

According to Walmart.com spokesman Ravi Jariwala, delivery service will be available to a limited number of San Jose neighborhoods in the following ZIP codes: 95053, 95124, 95008, 95118,95130, 95125, 95117,95129, 95051,95128, 95126, 95110, 95050, 94087 and 94086.

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