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> Pickup/delivery options are a total failure across the board at all grocery stores right now. They're all generally a week out, or you just can't get any deli

by lkbm 7y ago

> Pickup/delivery options are a total failure across the board at all grocery stores right now. They're all generally a week out, or you just can't get any delivery slot at all. That's inconvenient, but I've known for over a week that it now needs to be scheduled a week in advance, and I had all the information to determine approximately what I'd need in one week's time (how much we have now and how much we eat), so, if you can get a spot one week out, it's only a minor failure. If you try to order grocery pickup/delivery the day you run out of food, yes, it's a big problem, but the information that you have to plan at least a week ahead is widespread enough that it's an inconvenience, not a disaster.

Denzel 7y ago
No, it's not just about ordering grocery pickup/delivery the day you run out of food. The big problem is that there is no queue! For weeks now, I've seen, "We're sorry! All times are currently booked. Please continue checking back - new time slots open up throughout the day." Despite planning ahead, subscribing to the delivery service, and attempting to schedule a delivery or pickup, I get this unhelpful message and have been forced to shop in the store two times. Why can't they just queue my order with an expected delivery date like Amazon? I'm fine waiting a week to three weeks as long as I don't have to keep polling their delivery slots every hour, on the hour, just to figure out that they don't have any available. By the way, I'm not complaining. I understand the system is overwhelmed and operating outside the expected capacity. I'm just frustrated with people looking upon those shopping in-store as if it has anything to do with lack of foresight.
- dragonwriter 7y ago
  > Why can't they just queue my order with an expected delivery date like Amazon? Because grocery delivery in normal times is more time-of-day sensitive and more subject to “if not at the desired time, I will not want it or get it by a different means” than general merchandise, and so grocery delivery systems are optimized around those conditions. Now, obviously, with a mass shelter-in-place order, “as soon as possible, and I'll be here and ready to accept and store it whatever time of day that turns out to be” is a lot more common for groceries than it normally would be, but no one built their systems around a maybe once a century public health event.

by lkbm 7y ago

Denzel 7y ago

No, it's not just about ordering grocery pickup/delivery the day you run out of food. The big problem is that there is no queue! For weeks now, I've seen, "We're sorry! All times are currently booked. Please continue checking back - new time slots open up throughout the day." Despite planning ahead, subscribing to the delivery service, and attempting to schedule a delivery or pickup, I get this unhelpful message and have been forced to shop in the store two times. Why can't they just queue my order with an expected delivery date like Amazon? I'm fine waiting a week to three weeks as long as I don't have to keep polling their delivery slots every hour, on the hour, just to figure out that they don't have any available. By the way, I'm not complaining. I understand the system is overwhelmed and operating outside the expected capacity. I'm just frustrated with people looking upon those shopping in-store as if it has anything to do with lack of foresight.

dragonwriter 7y ago
> Why can't they just queue my order with an expected delivery date like Amazon? Because grocery delivery in normal times is more time-of-day sensitive and more subject to “if not at the desired time, I will not want it or get it by a different means” than general merchandise, and so grocery delivery systems are optimized around those conditions. Now, obviously, with a mass shelter-in-place order, “as soon as possible, and I'll be here and ready to accept and store it whatever time of day that turns out to be” is a lot more common for groceries than it normally would be, but no one built their systems around a maybe once a century public health event.