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I love the idea but I'm skeptical about the ability to scale. I do think grocery shopping is definitely in need of a large dose of increased efficiency. It da
by timjahn 14y ago
I love the idea but I'm skeptical about the ability to scale.
I do think grocery shopping is definitely in need of a large dose of increased efficiency. It dawned on me last time I went grocery shopping with my wife and son just how much time and effort can be wasted grocery shopping.
1. We drove to the store.
2. Walked around the store getting everything.
3. Checked out and put all our stuff in bags.
4. Put the bags in the car, drove home.
5. Took the bags from the car into the house.
6. Emptied the bags and put everything away where it belongs.
Steps 1-5 should be eliminated by some sort of automation. Services like Peapod are starting to do this, but they're quite a bit more expensive.
When you think about it, you have a large number of people within a certain radius of a local grocery store all buying items from that store on a regular basis, but usually driving there themselves over and over.
Seems like it would be more efficient (in an ideal world) to have the store make regular rounds (like the mailman does) to the houses with their orders.
- Avenger42 14y agoDon't forget to use driverless vehicles to make deliveries (this is an ideal world, after all).
- TillE 14y agoHm, probably not. That might work in a suburban setting, but imagine someone in an apartment a couple floors up who orders a significant load of groceries. It'd be much quicker for a person to cart the whole load to their door, rather than waiting for the customer to unload everything in a few trips. Driverless vehicles are feasible in the next decade or so, but delivery-robots not so much.
- gmrple 14y agoI'm not so sure. I could see delivery robots in a decade.
- Firehed 14y agoI see delivery robots being significantly easier to create than driverless cars. All you need is a shopping cart stuck on top of a set of stair-capable movement system, it's not like the thing needs to be dressed up as a butler.
- ConstantineXVI 14y agoStairs are only a requirement for humans; drones can be far more flexible. Attach hoists to the side of the building, let them in through windows (or cut doors for them). Easier on both parties: no additional stairwell traffic, less chance of the drone tipping over and hitting someone.
- Firehed 14y agoExcellent point. Not necessarily practical everywhere, but a much better outside-the-box solution where it works.
- SonicSoul 14y agoin metropolitan areas, major markets such as whole foods already deliver for ~$5. If anything, this type of business streamlines the process making it cheaper. Lot's of things can be done to make this process more efficient (i.e. good algos for who should deliver what where when).. After these processes mature and delivery gets cheaper, this service can be extended to more retailers. There is your (simple example of) strategy to scale.