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The real issue with these services is that it is unclear what value they actually provide. If you want to cook yourself and save money, you could just get the i

The real issue with these services is that it is unclear what value they actually provide. If you want to cook yourself and save money, you could just get the ingredients yourself (or have them delivered by a service like Amazon Fresh). If you want to save time, you either go out to eat or order take-out. In contrast, Blue Apron and their like combine the worst of both worlds: high prices and no time savings. BTW, Hello Fresh is actually one of the companies funded by the infamous Samwer brothers and their Rocket Internet. They operate in several European countries, and they have been offering large discounts. I don't imagine they're not burning through a lot of cash because of that.

dkonofalski 9y ago
The value is that, for people who want a home cooked meal, it's extremely convenient to have all the grocery shopping and portioning done for you while still getting the feeling, however real it may be, that you're cooking and preparing your own food. I like knowing exactly what's in the meals that I prepare and it's worth it to me (and actually a bit of a time saver) to not have to go grocery shopping for every meal. It started off as taking a bit of time, but now that I've been cooking them regularly for a while I'm actually at the point where the time estimates are pretty accurate.
jo909 9y ago
For me personally, the value proposition is not having to think about cooking _until I start cooking_. I just come home to matching ingredients and can start cooking at any time (which I mostly enjoy doing and is relaxing). It also saves time that I would need to decide on recipes and make lists and go shopping (all of which I don't like and stresses me out). Its not about saving the maximum amount of time, but getting rid of the unpleasant parts around cooking at home. And eating out is much more expensive (where I live, maybe except the junkiest of junkfood), so this is an acceptable compromise.

dkonofalski 9y ago

The value is that, for people who want a home cooked meal, it's extremely convenient to have all the grocery shopping and portioning done for you while still getting the feeling, however real it may be, that you're cooking and preparing your own food. I like knowing exactly what's in the meals that I prepare and it's worth it to me (and actually a bit of a time saver) to not have to go grocery shopping for every meal. It started off as taking a bit of time, but now that I've been cooking them regularly for a while I'm actually at the point where the time estimates are pretty accurate.

jo909 9y ago

For me personally, the value proposition is not having to think about cooking _until I start cooking_. I just come home to matching ingredients and can start cooking at any time (which I mostly enjoy doing and is relaxing). It also saves time that I would need to decide on recipes and make lists and go shopping (all of which I don't like and stresses me out). Its not about saving the maximum amount of time, but getting rid of the unpleasant parts around cooking at home. And eating out is much more expensive (where I live, maybe except the junkiest of junkfood), so this is an acceptable compromise.