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As far as delivery goes I'm pretty sure it does. To compete with amazon/walmart you need billions of dollars of capital to invest in logistics. Small companies

As far as delivery goes I'm pretty sure it does. To compete with amazon/walmart you need billions of dollars of capital to invest in logistics. Small companies just aren't efficient enough.

kube-system 6y ago
I find that smaller sellers (or the manufacturer themselves) on eBay can be competitive with Amazon/Walmart on price. Shipping is usually a day slower, but for most things, I don't find it to be an inconvenience.
garciasn 6y ago
Unlike Amazon, which uses its own logistics and/or a homegrown gig-style delivery system, Walmart uses Doordash to deliver groceries @7.95+/delivery. Plenty of other grocers/retailers could go the Doordash route and be competitive.
- colinmhayes 6y ago
  Seems like that might be why walmart has the minimum and amazon doesn't. I've tried services like instacart and found the experience to be horrible and expensive. Amazon works much better because they've created strict guidelines so I always get what I expect. Doordash food is consistently cold. Instacart buys the wrong stuff half the time. I don't really trust people to make good decisions most of the time.
lotsofpulp 6y ago
Yes, there was a discussion a few days or week ago about trade offs between efficiency and security. Consumers will generally choose efficiency (manifested as lower prices) over security (local stores with local owners resulting in redundant supply chains).
mdoms 6y ago
Why do you need absolutely everything delivered? Have you ever stopped to consider the environmental effects of having everything you purchase delivered in its own individual package?
- jakearmitage 6y ago
  Have you considered that he might have a disability? Or people that live with him are in a risk group for COVID?
- zalkota 6y ago
  Because it’s easy?
- colinmhayes 6y ago
  Well this is a thread about the delivery business. I actually almost never use delivery services.
- Spivak 6y ago
  Look, I agree with you in principal but at scale it's not really that big a deal. In my neighborhood the USPS and UPS make one run a day to our apt complex of a few hundred people. On average that's doing waaaay better than if we all went to the store one day a week. Throw the cardboard into the recycling bin and call it a day.

As far as delivery goes I'm pretty sure it does. To compete with amazon/walmart you need billions of dollars of capital to invest in logistics. Small companies just aren't efficient enough.

kube-system 6y ago

I find that smaller sellers (or the manufacturer themselves) on eBay can be competitive with Amazon/Walmart on price. Shipping is usually a day slower, but for most things, I don't find it to be an inconvenience.

garciasn 6y ago

Unlike Amazon, which uses its own logistics and/or a homegrown gig-style delivery system, Walmart uses Doordash to deliver groceries @7.95+/delivery. Plenty of other grocers/retailers could go the Doordash route and be competitive.

colinmhayes 6y ago
Seems like that might be why walmart has the minimum and amazon doesn't. I've tried services like instacart and found the experience to be horrible and expensive. Amazon works much better because they've created strict guidelines so I always get what I expect. Doordash food is consistently cold. Instacart buys the wrong stuff half the time. I don't really trust people to make good decisions most of the time.

lotsofpulp 6y ago

Yes, there was a discussion a few days or week ago about trade offs between efficiency and security. Consumers will generally choose efficiency (manifested as lower prices) over security (local stores with local owners resulting in redundant supply chains).

mdoms 6y ago

Why do you need absolutely everything delivered? Have you ever stopped to consider the environmental effects of having everything you purchase delivered in its own individual package?

jakearmitage 6y ago
Have you considered that he might have a disability? Or people that live with him are in a risk group for COVID?
zalkota 6y ago
Because it’s easy?
colinmhayes 6y ago
Well this is a thread about the delivery business. I actually almost never use delivery services.
Spivak 6y ago
Look, I agree with you in principal but at scale it's not really that big a deal. In my neighborhood the USPS and UPS make one run a day to our apt complex of a few hundred people. On average that's doing waaaay better than if we all went to the store one day a week. Throw the cardboard into the recycling bin and call it a day.