5 ms·

The first paragraph is one of the most SF things I've read in a while. Most Americans have to check their bank balance (if they have a bank) to see if they can

The first paragraph is one of the most SF things I've read in a while. Most Americans have to check their bank balance (if they have a bank) to see if they can afford to get more essential things like toilet paper and laundry detergent - it's absolutely not a micro-moment for them. Only a small subset of the population can hit "re-order" without thinking about it. I love the way European grocery stores are set up, especially the ones I've been to in Munich, where most people stop by on their way back from work to get food just for that night's dinner and tomorrow's breakfast. Super fresh produce every day without needing to make it a multi-hour chore one day a week.

cphoover 8y ago
Agree 100% with this comment.
justaguyhere 8y ago
Agreed. I feel we are spending enormous resources optimizing things that don't need optimization at all, like ordering laundry detergent. It would be nice if we spent a fraction of these resources optimizing more important/irritating items, like waiting times at government offices for example - I've been to a handful in my lifetime, and every single time it has been a terrible experience. Meaningless paperwork, paper based systems, clueless/disinterested employees... And the one place worse than gov offices are the hospitals :( It is hilarious that we save a few minutes here and there using fancy stuff like dash buttons, only to waste all that time at the doctor's office, DMV, immigration, permits...
jamesrcole 8y ago
> Most Americans have to check their bank balance (if they have a bank) to see if they can afford to get more essential things like toilet paper and laundry detergent Is that really true? I am not American and have never been there, and I don't know, but I wouldn't have imagined things were like that. I'm interested to know.
- PascLeRasc 8y ago
  There are a bunch of excellent articles exploring the concept of "it's expensive to be poor" but here's my favorite: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/01/25/why-it-costs-so-much-to-be-poor-in-america/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c3b3c4998724 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/0...
  - jamesrcole 8y ago
    I'm aware of that. I'm asking whether the "Most Americans..." claim (in relation to essentials like toilet paper) is true. The closest that article gets to that is "More than 40 percent of Americans say they struggle even to make ends meet each month and would be unable to cover an unexpected $400 expense without real hardship" but to me that's not really answering the question

cphoover 8y ago

Agree 100% with this comment.

justaguyhere 8y ago

Agreed. I feel we are spending enormous resources optimizing things that don't need optimization at all, like ordering laundry detergent. It would be nice if we spent a fraction of these resources optimizing more important/irritating items, like waiting times at government offices for example - I've been to a handful in my lifetime, and every single time it has been a terrible experience. Meaningless paperwork, paper based systems, clueless/disinterested employees... And the one place worse than gov offices are the hospitals :( It is hilarious that we save a few minutes here and there using fancy stuff like dash buttons, only to waste all that time at the doctor's office, DMV, immigration, permits...

jamesrcole 8y ago

> Most Americans have to check their bank balance (if they have a bank) to see if they can afford to get more essential things like toilet paper and laundry detergent Is that really true? I am not American and have never been there, and I don't know, but I wouldn't have imagined things were like that. I'm interested to know.

PascLeRasc 8y ago
There are a bunch of excellent articles exploring the concept of "it's expensive to be poor" but here's my favorite: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/01/25/why-it-costs-so-much-to-be-poor-in-america/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c3b3c4998724 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/0...
- jamesrcole 8y ago
  I'm aware of that. I'm asking whether the "Most Americans..." claim (in relation to essentials like toilet paper) is true. The closest that article gets to that is "More than 40 percent of Americans say they struggle even to make ends meet each month and would be unable to cover an unexpected $400 expense without real hardship" but to me that's not really answering the question