5 ms·

Do not underestimate the number of people who can't be bothered to (a) put on pants, (b) go outside, and/or (c) interact with others.

refurb 6y ago
Just as an aside, one of the best perks of work from home had been not wearing pants.
lotsofpulp 6y ago
Based on income/wealth statistics, very few Americans are able to afford a $25 burrito outside of a special occasion. I wonder how big the market really is.
- bluedino 6y ago
  The same people who have a $500 car lease, $900 smart phone, $65/month in subscription streaming services, blah blah blah The other thing to think about is people are probably just shifting money from eating out, to delivery. I mean you could go to Chili's and spend $50 for two people, or you could get Chipotle delivered for $30.
  - lotsofpulp 6y ago
    I would say the same thing about very few Americans being able to afford a $25 per person visit to Chili’s, outside of special occasions, but I understand what you’re saying.
    - karatinversion 6y ago
      I don’t think “very few” is the right way to look at this - the US is a very wealthy country. In 2019, something like 42 million Americans - not much below the population of Spain - had incomes over $100,000 (the 87th income percentile was $100,478). Almost all of those people are able to afford a $25pp visit to Chili’s outside of a special occasion!
      - ryandrake 6y ago
        "Few" in the relative sense compared to other Americans, but "lots" in the sense of raw numbers because America is so large. There are also the shrinking frugal demographic like me who can afford a $25 burrito, but out of principle would absolutely not pay that much for a bunch of beans wrapped in a tortilla, microwaved for 1 minute.
      - lotsofpulp 6y ago
        I prefer to use non tax advantaged savings (aka emergency fund amounts) as a more accurate metric for being able to afford luxuries. If you’re living close to paycheck to paycheck , I would say you can’t afford to pay $25 per person per meal, regardless if you earn $100k or $50k. My overarching point being that if people can barely afford the current VC subsidized food delivery prices, what is the possible market size for non VC subsidized food delivery? Edit: I don’t see a source for 42M Americans having incomes over $100k per year. This source says 15.5% of US households had incomes over $100k, and at 128M households, that is 20M households with incomes over $100k. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/p60/270/tableA2.xlsx https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/p60/270...
        rafram 6y ago
        If you’re making $100k but have no savings, maybe your money is being spend on trips to Chili’s. Of course it’s not literally that, but an individual having no savings but high income doesn’t mean that they can’t spend money - it means that they do.
        delfinom 6y ago
        Let's put it this way. I went to lunch with a girl who worked at a Bestbuy. She spent the entire time trying out figure out how the a group of current BestBuy employees nearby at the restaurant could afford the food (overpriced $20 meal) for such a causal meal. My former landlord financed everything she ever did, including her damn electronics she would throw away or break in a year. She was a widow, on social security and was cheated out of a pension. I have no idea how her monthly payments weren't thousands per month. Americans fucking suck at financial literacy and trap themselves in debt pits. Alternatively, people spend themselves silly without stepping back and realizing their savings is staying at $0 by living larger than they should if they want savings to go up.
    - jedberg 6y ago
      I'm curious as to where you live. Here in the Bay Area, pretty much every casual dining has a wait on Fri/Sat/Sun (pre-pandemic of course). Places like Chilis with an average $25pp and places like Korean BBQ, where it's closer to $40pp. Same thing in Seattle, Los Angeles, Portland, NYC, Chicago, pretty much any major city. Which is also where a lot of economic activity comes from.
      - lotsofpulp 6y ago
        Seattle. I agree that people are (or were) spending the money, but they’re stretched thin and I wonder how much more they can take.
- iaabtpbtpnn 6y ago
  Just because Americans can't afford something doesn't mean we won't buy it!
puranjay 6y ago
"Always bet on laziness"
NickGott 6y ago
d) are drunk
rabuse 6y ago
Also, parents stuck at home with babies. That convenience is immense.

refurb 6y ago

Just as an aside, one of the best perks of work from home had been not wearing pants.

lotsofpulp 6y ago

Based on income/wealth statistics, very few Americans are able to afford a $25 burrito outside of a special occasion. I wonder how big the market really is.

bluedino 6y ago
The same people who have a $500 car lease, $900 smart phone, $65/month in subscription streaming services, blah blah blah The other thing to think about is people are probably just shifting money from eating out, to delivery. I mean you could go to Chili's and spend $50 for two people, or you could get Chipotle delivered for $30.
- lotsofpulp 6y ago
  I would say the same thing about very few Americans being able to afford a $25 per person visit to Chili’s, outside of special occasions, but I understand what you’re saying.
  - karatinversion 6y ago
    I don’t think “very few” is the right way to look at this - the US is a very wealthy country. In 2019, something like 42 million Americans - not much below the population of Spain - had incomes over $100,000 (the 87th income percentile was $100,478). Almost all of those people are able to afford a $25pp visit to Chili’s outside of a special occasion!
    - ryandrake 6y ago
      "Few" in the relative sense compared to other Americans, but "lots" in the sense of raw numbers because America is so large. There are also the shrinking frugal demographic like me who can afford a $25 burrito, but out of principle would absolutely not pay that much for a bunch of beans wrapped in a tortilla, microwaved for 1 minute.
    - lotsofpulp 6y ago
      I prefer to use non tax advantaged savings (aka emergency fund amounts) as a more accurate metric for being able to afford luxuries. If you’re living close to paycheck to paycheck , I would say you can’t afford to pay $25 per person per meal, regardless if you earn $100k or $50k. My overarching point being that if people can barely afford the current VC subsidized food delivery prices, what is the possible market size for non VC subsidized food delivery? Edit: I don’t see a source for 42M Americans having incomes over $100k per year. This source says 15.5% of US households had incomes over $100k, and at 128M households, that is 20M households with incomes over $100k. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/p60/270/tableA2.xlsx https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/p60/270...
      - rafram 6y ago
        If you’re making $100k but have no savings, maybe your money is being spend on trips to Chili’s. Of course it’s not literally that, but an individual having no savings but high income doesn’t mean that they can’t spend money - it means that they do.
      - delfinom 6y ago
        Let's put it this way. I went to lunch with a girl who worked at a Bestbuy. She spent the entire time trying out figure out how the a group of current BestBuy employees nearby at the restaurant could afford the food (overpriced $20 meal) for such a causal meal. My former landlord financed everything she ever did, including her damn electronics she would throw away or break in a year. She was a widow, on social security and was cheated out of a pension. I have no idea how her monthly payments weren't thousands per month. Americans fucking suck at financial literacy and trap themselves in debt pits. Alternatively, people spend themselves silly without stepping back and realizing their savings is staying at $0 by living larger than they should if they want savings to go up.
  - jedberg 6y ago
    I'm curious as to where you live. Here in the Bay Area, pretty much every casual dining has a wait on Fri/Sat/Sun (pre-pandemic of course). Places like Chilis with an average $25pp and places like Korean BBQ, where it's closer to $40pp. Same thing in Seattle, Los Angeles, Portland, NYC, Chicago, pretty much any major city. Which is also where a lot of economic activity comes from.
    - lotsofpulp 6y ago
      Seattle. I agree that people are (or were) spending the money, but they’re stretched thin and I wonder how much more they can take.
iaabtpbtpnn 6y ago
Just because Americans can't afford something doesn't mean we won't buy it!

puranjay 6y ago

"Always bet on laziness"

NickGott 6y ago

d) are drunk

rabuse 6y ago

Also, parents stuck at home with babies. That convenience is immense.