3 ms·

I live on the other side of the pond and frankly I've never understood the appeal of services like this. I get almost everything I need in my local supermarket.

I live on the other side of the pond and frankly I've never understood the appeal of services like this. I get almost everything I need in my local supermarket. And there are supermarkets at every corner of the city. On my way back from work, I can step into the supermarket, pick what I need, do a self-checkout and leave. Adds a total of only 10 minutes to how much time I'd have spent if I was coming straight to home. I think everyone around me does the same. So whenever I read an article about these services and the comments on HN, it leaves me very curious why local supermarkets don't work for them. Is prime somehow better than going to your local supermarket? Why? I'd like to be enlightened. I know some people may not be in a position to walk down to the local supermarket and that's fair. An online service is life-saver then. But is the proportion of this demographic so large that offers like using prime becomes the default way of shopping? It must be because no doubt it is so popular. I'd just like to understand why.

manfre 2y ago
For most of the US, there are few or no stores within walking distance.
kelnos 2y ago
> I've never understood the appeal of services like this Because it sounds like you assume everyone lives in the same sort of conditions you do, and that's just not the case. In most places in the US, you have to drive to make all of these purchases, and in many places you won't even find stores that have things you need and can find on Amazon.
chneu 2y ago
I'll go against the other comments and say that as an american on the west coast of the US, I've always lived within biking/walking distance of my grocery/goods stores. Even when I lived in Montana I could still walk to the grocery store. It's a priority to me. It isn't really difficult to do, people just make excuses. I'd wager that the vast majority of Americans think biking 1 mile each way to the store is out of the question. Im not saying everyone can/should live within a mile of their grocery store. I'm making the point that even if most Americans did live within walking/biking distance they would still drive.

manfre 2y ago

For most of the US, there are few or no stores within walking distance.

kelnos 2y ago

> I've never understood the appeal of services like this Because it sounds like you assume everyone lives in the same sort of conditions you do, and that's just not the case. In most places in the US, you have to drive to make all of these purchases, and in many places you won't even find stores that have things you need and can find on Amazon.

chneu 2y ago

I'll go against the other comments and say that as an american on the west coast of the US, I've always lived within biking/walking distance of my grocery/goods stores. Even when I lived in Montana I could still walk to the grocery store. It's a priority to me. It isn't really difficult to do, people just make excuses. I'd wager that the vast majority of Americans think biking 1 mile each way to the store is out of the question. Im not saying everyone can/should live within a mile of their grocery store. I'm making the point that even if most Americans did live within walking/biking distance they would still drive.