5 ms·

$10-20 saved across dozens of product categories times 53 weeks in a year... Man, I grew up dirt poor, so my mind automatically calculates these angles, knowing

$10-20 saved across dozens of product categories times 53 weeks in a year... Man, I grew up dirt poor, so my mind automatically calculates these angles, knowing that this is how I'll pay for my next vacation. However, I can see that not everyone thinks this way.

Nition 8y ago
It does seem a little crazy/wasteful (fuel, packaging)/expensive to make an order for just paper towels, delivered.
- seanmcdirmid 8y ago
  It made sense when I was living in China, along with maybe TP and bottled water. Here on the states it seems like shipping/delivery would make it uneconomical.
  - freeone3000 8y ago
    Amazon doesn't charge for shipping - it's one of the key selling points for Prime, your free delivery being 2 days instead of 5-7.
    - seanmcdirmid 8y ago
      But in China it was like a few hours from order to delivery. And even if it is technically free with prime, it really isn’t....it just doesn’t feel sustainable.
      - garmaine 8y ago
        I think whatever basis you have for that intuition is off. You're saying it's more efficient and sustainable for everyone to drive to the store in their own personal gasoline-powered vehicle, taking time out of their own busy days, than to have a little bit of cardboard wrapped around the paper towels and dropped off by a shared delivery truck dedicated to the task and taking an optimal route?
        seanmcdirmid 8y ago
        Each point of drop off ya substantial costs, so you would get dinged fuel for the delivery of paper towels even if they had other deliveries in the truck. In China, it only works because there are no trucks, heck, it could just be a kid from the corner store with a hand truck. When you go to the store and buy stuff, you are usually getting a lot of things together going point to point with other things that need getting done, or you are walking to the corner grocery store with a shopping cart if you are lucky enough to be urban. Personally, the fuel cost for having paper towels delivered is substantially more vs me going to get them by myself (since I’m walking to the store with a stroller/cart anyways).
    - mikeash 8y ago
      They do, it’s just a subscription plan instead. And the underlying cost is still there, so if it becomes uneconomical then the subscription cost will go up or go away. You may be able to find a situation where you get someone else to subsidize your cost, but it’s certain to be temporary.
- joshvm 8y ago
  If you're not using Amazon, it depends how close you live to the store. A supermarket delivery truck should drive fewer miles making 10 deliveries than those 10 people would driving to the store. Some supermarkets here will also deliver in reusable crates rather than bags. Most have offered same or next day delivery for years. I don't know any supermarket that would let you order just paper towels though... Having moved somewhere not near a delivery point or a lot of large stores, the convenience of same-day Amazon Prime is hard to beat.
h4b4n3r0 8y ago
Same here. Grew up poor, so I prefer to be aware of prices even though I have plenty now. Fun fact: 4 bottles of great beer at home = 1 glass of beer at a bar. And snacks are healthier too.
- heavenlyblue 8y ago
  I grew up poor too. For the same reason I would always consider drinking at home a worse habit. So yes, that pint at the pub is much more pleasant than a 4 can at home.
  - neogodless 8y ago
    Hmm. I think you're conflating issues. My parents didn't drink at all. But we were poor. Also buying 4 bottles/cans doesn't mean you drink them all at once. I'm with the parent comment... I can have FOUR evenings where I sit on the deck and sip a delicious beer (alone or with my wife and dog or a friend, etc) for the same price as a single pint of beer at a pub. Of course, it's not a universal "or" - sometimes I want to sit a pub with people and try a single pint of beer I've never had before. The (great?!) grandparent point of comparing all these options is a reasonably healthy habit you can build, that often comes from experiencing poverty, and using the options available to you to avoid it in the future.
    - h4b4n3r0 8y ago
      Yes, that’s what I meant. And “sometimes” I go to bars, too. Just not very often. It’s not even about poverty, it’s about not being stupid. For the same reason I have a coffee machine at home. Paid $800 (+$200 for 2 burr grinders) once, saved thousands by now, and my coffee is better.
garmaine 8y ago
How much is your time worth?
- skgoa 8y ago
  Since I have to go to the super market for fresh food, adding 30 seconds to get paper towels doesn't make much of a difference.
  - vidarh 8y ago
    This, I guess, outlines a domino effect. I don't go to the supermarket for fresh food. It gets delivered to me by the supermarket, and if I can't be bothered to pick for myself, they'll deliver a selection based on my usual shopping pattern, and I know roughly what they'll deliver by default so e.g last week I didn't even open the app to check what they'd added to my order. I couldn't imagine having to go to the shops every week.
    - bhandziuk 8y ago
      I don't really get how this can work. Like I wanted to try those udon noodles that are next to the ones I normally buy this week. How do I tell that to Amazon? Or I didn't really like the kimchi last time so I wanted to try something new but instead of cabbage kimchi I bought radish kimchi because it was next on the shelf. But I wouldn't have known to search for that. Or the big avocados look better than the small ones. I'll get two of those instead of 3 of the large ones. Do you still have this kind of product discovery with Amazon?
      - garmaine 8y ago
        "Customers also bought..." "You might also like..." "Customers who did not buy this bought .... instead"
    - mrguyorama 8y ago
      >I couldn't imagine having to go to the shops every week. Why? Is it really so arduous to go out in public? To view a selection of products? To select your own produce? I am completely unable to comprehend how running errands is such an exhausting activity. Even when I was my most depressed, the times I would even turn down activities with friends, I still made it to the various stores I needed to live my life.

Nition 8y ago

It does seem a little crazy/wasteful (fuel, packaging)/expensive to make an order for just paper towels, delivered.

seanmcdirmid 8y ago
It made sense when I was living in China, along with maybe TP and bottled water. Here on the states it seems like shipping/delivery would make it uneconomical.
- freeone3000 8y ago
  Amazon doesn't charge for shipping - it's one of the key selling points for Prime, your free delivery being 2 days instead of 5-7.
  - seanmcdirmid 8y ago
    But in China it was like a few hours from order to delivery. And even if it is technically free with prime, it really isn’t....it just doesn’t feel sustainable.
    - garmaine 8y ago
      I think whatever basis you have for that intuition is off. You're saying it's more efficient and sustainable for everyone to drive to the store in their own personal gasoline-powered vehicle, taking time out of their own busy days, than to have a little bit of cardboard wrapped around the paper towels and dropped off by a shared delivery truck dedicated to the task and taking an optimal route?
      - seanmcdirmid 8y ago
        Each point of drop off ya substantial costs, so you would get dinged fuel for the delivery of paper towels even if they had other deliveries in the truck. In China, it only works because there are no trucks, heck, it could just be a kid from the corner store with a hand truck. When you go to the store and buy stuff, you are usually getting a lot of things together going point to point with other things that need getting done, or you are walking to the corner grocery store with a shopping cart if you are lucky enough to be urban. Personally, the fuel cost for having paper towels delivered is substantially more vs me going to get them by myself (since I’m walking to the store with a stroller/cart anyways).
  - mikeash 8y ago
    They do, it’s just a subscription plan instead. And the underlying cost is still there, so if it becomes uneconomical then the subscription cost will go up or go away. You may be able to find a situation where you get someone else to subsidize your cost, but it’s certain to be temporary.
joshvm 8y ago
If you're not using Amazon, it depends how close you live to the store. A supermarket delivery truck should drive fewer miles making 10 deliveries than those 10 people would driving to the store. Some supermarkets here will also deliver in reusable crates rather than bags. Most have offered same or next day delivery for years. I don't know any supermarket that would let you order just paper towels though... Having moved somewhere not near a delivery point or a lot of large stores, the convenience of same-day Amazon Prime is hard to beat.

h4b4n3r0 8y ago

Same here. Grew up poor, so I prefer to be aware of prices even though I have plenty now. Fun fact: 4 bottles of great beer at home = 1 glass of beer at a bar. And snacks are healthier too.

heavenlyblue 8y ago
I grew up poor too. For the same reason I would always consider drinking at home a worse habit. So yes, that pint at the pub is much more pleasant than a 4 can at home.
- neogodless 8y ago
  Hmm. I think you're conflating issues. My parents didn't drink at all. But we were poor. Also buying 4 bottles/cans doesn't mean you drink them all at once. I'm with the parent comment... I can have FOUR evenings where I sit on the deck and sip a delicious beer (alone or with my wife and dog or a friend, etc) for the same price as a single pint of beer at a pub. Of course, it's not a universal "or" - sometimes I want to sit a pub with people and try a single pint of beer I've never had before. The (great?!) grandparent point of comparing all these options is a reasonably healthy habit you can build, that often comes from experiencing poverty, and using the options available to you to avoid it in the future.
  - h4b4n3r0 8y ago
    Yes, that’s what I meant. And “sometimes” I go to bars, too. Just not very often. It’s not even about poverty, it’s about not being stupid. For the same reason I have a coffee machine at home. Paid $800 (+$200 for 2 burr grinders) once, saved thousands by now, and my coffee is better.

garmaine 8y ago

How much is your time worth?

skgoa 8y ago
Since I have to go to the super market for fresh food, adding 30 seconds to get paper towels doesn't make much of a difference.
- vidarh 8y ago
  This, I guess, outlines a domino effect. I don't go to the supermarket for fresh food. It gets delivered to me by the supermarket, and if I can't be bothered to pick for myself, they'll deliver a selection based on my usual shopping pattern, and I know roughly what they'll deliver by default so e.g last week I didn't even open the app to check what they'd added to my order. I couldn't imagine having to go to the shops every week.
  - bhandziuk 8y ago
    I don't really get how this can work. Like I wanted to try those udon noodles that are next to the ones I normally buy this week. How do I tell that to Amazon? Or I didn't really like the kimchi last time so I wanted to try something new but instead of cabbage kimchi I bought radish kimchi because it was next on the shelf. But I wouldn't have known to search for that. Or the big avocados look better than the small ones. I'll get two of those instead of 3 of the large ones. Do you still have this kind of product discovery with Amazon?
    - garmaine 8y ago
      "Customers also bought..." "You might also like..." "Customers who did not buy this bought .... instead"
  - mrguyorama 8y ago
    >I couldn't imagine having to go to the shops every week. Why? Is it really so arduous to go out in public? To view a selection of products? To select your own produce? I am completely unable to comprehend how running errands is such an exhausting activity. Even when I was my most depressed, the times I would even turn down activities with friends, I still made it to the various stores I needed to live my life.