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Wouldn't it be even more game changer if stuff was just delivered to you at your doorstep :). I'm not sure if other people have seen this but these days I'm abl

by sytelus 10y ago

Wouldn't it be even more game changer if stuff was just delivered to you at your doorstep :). I'm not sure if other people have seen this but these days I'm able to buy tons of stuff from Amazon delivered within 24 hours for free. And guess who is delivering these? Its not UPS or FedEx. I often see normal people in normal cars doing it. Amazon is essentially trying to turn all these people with cars in to delivery service so you don't have to stop at store and checking with mobile app and wait for Jonny to come out with box of your stuff.

digler999 10y ago
That would be wonderful. I guess for some reason I just assumed it would be a luxury. If groceries for one guy for 3 days cost $45 purchased in-store, I'd definitely be comfortable paying $5 more to have someone pick and bag it for me. But I wouldn't pay much more than $10 for doorstep delivery, even though grocery shopping is a stressful experience for me. I live in the 'burbs and I drive every day anyway. To me, the pain isn't the driving (though for some urban areas I'm sure it is), it's just the hassle of parking and shopping in a crowded, inefficient store (wasting my time), and hauling all my stuff back to the car. I think theres a deeper psychological issue at play here too: delivered to your door makes you passive, at the "mercy" or whim of the company/person making the delivery. There's a subconscious anxiety associated with waiting in anticipation. Whereas, going out and picking up makes you the active one. Sure the store could make you wait, but if they design their system properly, "ready for pickup" should mean just that. But "out for delivery" could me 5m or 3 hours from now.
- vidarh 10y ago
  In the UK most supermarket chains have delivery, with charges in the ~5 pound region ($6 or so), but most also have Prime like subscriptions. E.g. I pay about $110/year to get my shopping delivered from Ocado - this includes unlimited "free" deliveries of orders above $50. Since we take delivery once a week, it adds up to just a bit above $2/delivery. Best part is the convenience: We've set it up to deliver once a week, and so every week the day after the previous delivery they create a new order and we can edit it in their app or on their website, and optionally you can set it to auto-populate your order based on your shopping history, and they get it "close enough" that often we don't bother even checking the order (this week, for example, I didn't) and we know we'll get something that's "close enough" that worst case we'll pick up the odd thing extra when we're out anyway sometime during the week. They deliver within the same 1 hour slot every week (unless we change it; if we do, they will show us when they have a car in the area if we want to try to be more eco-friendly, but won't put any restrictions on us if they have capacity), and it's very rare or them to miss it - when they do, the driver will call and explain why and give us updates. If they're able to deliver early, they'll call and ask, and if necessary (if we're out etc.) they'll do other deliveries first if they can or worst case sit and wait to deliver within the agreed time slot. They'll carry everything into your kitchen if you wish, or wherever you want them to, and everything comes in colour-coded bags for freezer, fridge, and cabinets. The receipt list everything by minimum guaranteed use-by dates. The precision in delivery makes all the difference. I rarely go into grocery stores any more, and I don't miss it.
- djrogers 10y ago
  Amazon fresh is the bomb for groceries. $15/mo for unlimited free deliveries, and the groceries are same price or cheaper than Safeway. They package it up very well too - frozen stuff stays frozen and even eggs arrive undamaged.
SmellTheGlove 10y ago
He said rural, though. As someone living in southern Maine, which isn't even exactly rural, I have to pay extra for 1 day from Amazon - and it's not available on every item. On the other hand, I drive right past a Walmart strip mall on the way home every day. The bigger issue I have with Walmart is the quality. The only stuff I buy there is consumable.
vidarh 10y ago
Part of the challenge with this is that Amazon Logistics is the only carrier that has "lost" items I've ordered. Several times. But with respect to delivery times: In the UK they have rolled out increasing number of regional warehouses to support same day delivery for many goods (e.g. London has at least two Amazon warehouses). Being able to order in the morning and gets things delivered in the afternoon certainly stops me from going to the shops for a lot of things where even 24 hour delivery feels "too long".
helloindia 10y ago
In major Indian cities, there are already small players who provides home delivery groceries(including vegetables and fruits). The delivery charge of order of any size is rs 30-50 which is very reasonable.
bruce_one 10y ago
I actively try and avoid delivery where possible because to me it's less convenient (within reason, eg i wouldn't drive too far or pay too much more): 1. The delivery guy may assume I'm not home, and hence leave a missed delivery card without knocking (way too common...) 2. If i know i won't be home: all the " permission to leave" forms are different (or sometimes not possible; and are a hassle) 3. Sometimes there's no good place to leave the item, so leaving isn't possible ( often the postie refuses even though I gave the permission, because we disagree about what's okay) 4. If i need it now, I'm in control if i go get it. (Added perk of physically comparing in some cases.) 5. _usually_ resolution time for issues with pickups is faster than deliveries (eg i notice in store (eg wrong item or size - which i've had a few times online), or can quickly go back). 6. When i'm shopping for a delivered item i don't yet know what the full cost will be (assuming no free prime-like option) and it often varies stupidly. (At present all my deliveries actually go to a family member's house cause I know they'll be home, so no signing or leaving issues...) I feel like my life setup must be a bit different to others :-) But I find it interesting how different my perception is to the others in this thread :-)

by sytelus 10y ago

digler999 10y ago

That would be wonderful. I guess for some reason I just assumed it would be a luxury. If groceries for one guy for 3 days cost $45 purchased in-store, I'd definitely be comfortable paying $5 more to have someone pick and bag it for me. But I wouldn't pay much more than $10 for doorstep delivery, even though grocery shopping is a stressful experience for me. I live in the 'burbs and I drive every day anyway. To me, the pain isn't the driving (though for some urban areas I'm sure it is), it's just the hassle of parking and shopping in a crowded, inefficient store (wasting my time), and hauling all my stuff back to the car. I think theres a deeper psychological issue at play here too: delivered to your door makes you passive, at the "mercy" or whim of the company/person making the delivery. There's a subconscious anxiety associated with waiting in anticipation. Whereas, going out and picking up makes you the active one. Sure the store could make you wait, but if they design their system properly, "ready for pickup" should mean just that. But "out for delivery" could me 5m or 3 hours from now.

vidarh 10y ago
In the UK most supermarket chains have delivery, with charges in the ~5 pound region ($6 or so), but most also have Prime like subscriptions. E.g. I pay about $110/year to get my shopping delivered from Ocado - this includes unlimited "free" deliveries of orders above $50. Since we take delivery once a week, it adds up to just a bit above $2/delivery. Best part is the convenience: We've set it up to deliver once a week, and so every week the day after the previous delivery they create a new order and we can edit it in their app or on their website, and optionally you can set it to auto-populate your order based on your shopping history, and they get it "close enough" that often we don't bother even checking the order (this week, for example, I didn't) and we know we'll get something that's "close enough" that worst case we'll pick up the odd thing extra when we're out anyway sometime during the week. They deliver within the same 1 hour slot every week (unless we change it; if we do, they will show us when they have a car in the area if we want to try to be more eco-friendly, but won't put any restrictions on us if they have capacity), and it's very rare or them to miss it - when they do, the driver will call and explain why and give us updates. If they're able to deliver early, they'll call and ask, and if necessary (if we're out etc.) they'll do other deliveries first if they can or worst case sit and wait to deliver within the agreed time slot. They'll carry everything into your kitchen if you wish, or wherever you want them to, and everything comes in colour-coded bags for freezer, fridge, and cabinets. The receipt list everything by minimum guaranteed use-by dates. The precision in delivery makes all the difference. I rarely go into grocery stores any more, and I don't miss it.
djrogers 10y ago
Amazon fresh is the bomb for groceries. $15/mo for unlimited free deliveries, and the groceries are same price or cheaper than Safeway. They package it up very well too - frozen stuff stays frozen and even eggs arrive undamaged.

SmellTheGlove 10y ago

He said rural, though. As someone living in southern Maine, which isn't even exactly rural, I have to pay extra for 1 day from Amazon - and it's not available on every item. On the other hand, I drive right past a Walmart strip mall on the way home every day. The bigger issue I have with Walmart is the quality. The only stuff I buy there is consumable.

vidarh 10y ago

Part of the challenge with this is that Amazon Logistics is the only carrier that has "lost" items I've ordered. Several times. But with respect to delivery times: In the UK they have rolled out increasing number of regional warehouses to support same day delivery for many goods (e.g. London has at least two Amazon warehouses). Being able to order in the morning and gets things delivered in the afternoon certainly stops me from going to the shops for a lot of things where even 24 hour delivery feels "too long".

helloindia 10y ago

In major Indian cities, there are already small players who provides home delivery groceries(including vegetables and fruits). The delivery charge of order of any size is rs 30-50 which is very reasonable.

bruce_one 10y ago

I actively try and avoid delivery where possible because to me it's less convenient (within reason, eg i wouldn't drive too far or pay too much more): 1. The delivery guy may assume I'm not home, and hence leave a missed delivery card without knocking (way too common...) 2. If i know i won't be home: all the " permission to leave" forms are different (or sometimes not possible; and are a hassle) 3. Sometimes there's no good place to leave the item, so leaving isn't possible ( often the postie refuses even though I gave the permission, because we disagree about what's okay) 4. If i need it now, I'm in control if i go get it. (Added perk of physically comparing in some cases.) 5. _usually_ resolution time for issues with pickups is faster than deliveries (eg i notice in store (eg wrong item or size - which i've had a few times online), or can quickly go back). 6. When i'm shopping for a delivered item i don't yet know what the full cost will be (assuming no free prime-like option) and it often varies stupidly. (At present all my deliveries actually go to a family member's house cause I know they'll be home, so no signing or leaving issues...) I feel like my life setup must be a bit different to others :-) But I find it interesting how different my perception is to the others in this thread :-)