5 ms·

Google offering same-day delivery from retailers in the Bay Area

100 points by gasull 13y ago

gasull 13y ago
A lot of people in SF don't know they can use Safeway online for groceries: https://shop.safeway.com/ecom/home https://shop.safeway.com/ecom/home
- epoxyhockey 13y ago
  Thanks for the link, I didn't realize that Safeway offered a 1-hour delivery window. One note is that a $49 minimum order is required for delivery service and a $12.95 shipping fee on purchases under $150. Google Shopping has no minimum order amount and for this 6-month trial period has no delivery fees. Though, their site eludes to a $5 delivery fee per store you order items from once the trial period ends. Of course, Safeway offers delivery of perishable foods, while Google shopping does not.
- gmatty 13y ago
  Similarly Walmart also offers delivery : http://delivery.walmart.com/ http://delivery.walmart.com/
jonny_eh 13y ago
I wonder if the same day delivery is just a way to get people in, but the real value is being able to shop at a bunch of local retailers from one place.
dewitt 13y ago
This was announced publicly back in March, if I recall correctly: http://googlecommerce.blogspot.com/2013/03/calling-all-sf-bay-area-residents-help.html http://googlecommerce.blogspot.com/2013/03/calling-all-sf-ba... I'm a fan. We use it several times a week.
- austenallred 13y ago
  We also use it several times a week. It's easier now with no delivery fee (will eventually be $5), but you order a case of root beer online and it's on your doorstep the next day. Simple. I'm not sure how the economics will work out or how prices may change once it will reach scale.
helper 13y ago
I've been using this for a few months. It's super convenient for buying common items sold from places like Target and Staples. If it wasn't free shipping I don't think I would use it over amazon prime though. There is no comparing the selection from Amazon to what is currently available from express shopping.
- cbhl 13y ago
  I notice that they added "* Some restrictions may apply" to the landing page -- do they ever state the restrictions anywhere?
zoba 13y ago
I've used this service for a couple weeks now, and it is an astonishing time saver. Same day delivery opens up very a different way of thinking about things. I have a couple thoughts though: 1) I currently feel guilty because its so easy to just buy one thing at a time, and theres nothing stopping me from doing it, that I end up making micropurchases. I wish Google would either prevent this or say "Oh its fine we use all electric vehicles any way." 2) I'm curious what their pricing plan is going to be like. I've compared the service to instacart which has minimum delivery amounts to avoid delivery fees. Google Express looks to be going more along the lines of an Amazon Prime type membership, where one price gets you unlimited deliveries. I don't know if they'll end up with this though. 3) Groceries! I would love to be able to buy produce, dairy, etc from Google Express. 4) I wish the delivery windows could be tighter... Maybe it sounds picky but Instacart has very nice delivery windows compared to Google Express.
- notloggedin 13y ago
  I currently feel guilty because its so easy to just buy one thing at a time, and theres nothing stopping me from doing it, that I end up making micropurchases. Google can absorb some losses for now as they ramp up adding even more ads on search to subsidize this service (and others) but you know where this is heading. The math has to be there, either prices have to be sky-high or /and a delivery fee. See Kozmo, Webvan...
- dave5104 13y ago
  I've been doing the same thing with micropurchases. I have no hesitation in thinking "Oh, I could use one of those..." and having it show up later that night or the next day. But, it looks like they are planning on charging a yearly/monthly whatever subscription fee, plus $4.99 per delivery per store. Whenever I order, I have my $4.99 (or $9.98 if it's from 2 stores) waived, and I'm currently on the 6 month free trial that claims to be waiving my subscription fee. My behavior will definitely change if this is the structure they go with. I sure won't be paying $4.99 for each impulse buy I make.
- tracker1 13y ago
  Given the variations of already bagged produce, I'm not sure I'd go that route for it.. I'm pretty picky and usually go to get my own. I also find that some chain stores are better than others.
rogerbinns 13y ago
If only they worked with Fry's and Costco ...
- signed0 13y ago
  Instacart works with Costco.
cbhl 13y ago
Previous Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5454677 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5454677 (41 points, 46 comments, 122 days ago)
TheMakeA 13y ago
I've used it a couple of times but it still has some flaws. For instance, you can only buy things that are listed on the website. I decided to give it a shot to get a new PS3 game delivered. The item would be located no more than 3 feet away from other items listed, but Google would not pick it up for you. In another case, I just wanted a new filtered water pitcher. It ended up taking three days to get something delivered because the item I had selected would be out of stock, and there was no way to select an alternative. Getting any product on day one would have outweighed any marginal price differences between selections. Compare this to Instacart which gives a lot of freedom in what the shoppers pick up for you. That being said, when the service did work, it was a good experience.
- matchu 13y ago
  Stores tend to keep the new PS3 games locked up these days, so the shopper would have to find an employee to get the item, and then probably ring it up as a separate purchase in the entertainment section in addition to the final checkout—and then might get extra guff for the already-purchased game and have to show the receipt. I'm not sure what their general policy is, but, for a delivery service with a decent emphasis on speed, it makes sense to me to exclude items that could significantly slow down the shopper with extra employee interaction, especially since they'd probably only have one video game order per trip, tops.
  - TheMakeA 13y ago
    You make very good points but I got the impression that Shopping Express may work a little differently. It seems like Google might actually call the store and have the store employees prepare the order, or at least confirm that some items are in stock. One clue was an extremely quick turn around time for out of stock items: my order would be canceled less than an hour after being placed and hours before the intended delivery time for being out of stock. Of course, this doesn't rule out the possibility that the shopper happened to be at my Target at the time and was just buying every item for the day. That being said, you do bring up good points and that may well be the reason.
stevewilhelm 13y ago
Been using it for a couple of weeks for deliveries to my Palo Alto based office. Orders made by 11am generally arrive before 2pm. Interestingly, it has not impacted my Amazon Prime purchases.
murtali 13y ago
I can already envision it: Google self-driving cars making deliveries.
- greeneggs 13y ago
  Just curious, how do you actually see this? Maybe: A self-driving car pulls up and double-parks in front of your building. It texts you to come outside and gives a four-digit pin. You go to the car, type the pin in, and a small door opens with your package sitting there. I guess the car has some weird conveyor system for moving packages into the pickup area. Is this what you are thinking? I'm not sure how well double-parking by a self-driving car would work (delivery people do it, but they also can use their judgement). The conveyor system also seems like it would create problems.
  - sliverstorm 13y ago
    Is this what you are thinking? I'm thinking murtali just didn't think that far.
  - gasull 13y ago
    That the car is self-driving doesn't mean there isn't anyone inside.
  - akgerber 13y ago
    Put one of these on wheels: http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/3/4180118/google-owned-bufferbox-bringing-delivery-lockers-to-san-francisco http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/3/4180118/google-owned-buffer...
  - ippisl 13y ago
    When self driving cars become popular, the double parking issue could be solved, by many ways from parking automation , to regulation(even by the people living in the building), to the problem not being there at all, since nobody would own cars. And conveyors are pretty reliable in industry.
  - jfoster 13y ago
    The car could launch a quadcopter to handle the driveway-to-door part. The car wouldn't even need to stop. By the time it's turned itself around, the quadcopter would have probably made the delivery. Security of the package and picking an appropriate drop point seem the most difficult parts to me.
greesil 13y ago
Oh sweet, we finally get the matternet.
seanmcdirmid 13y ago
We have services in Beijing that provide same day or next day deliveries. My wife uses them a lot to great effect.
dedosk 13y ago
You can try it through early access, here is some free code https://plus.google.com/107119125214160307479/posts/RTLxcUZX6Pe https://plus.google.com/107119125214160307479/posts/RTLxcUZX...
zengr 13y ago
Have been using http://ebay.com/now http://ebay.com/now from the last few months and it delivers stuff within 40minutes. They offer the same set of retailers which Google has to offer. Why wait a day when you can get it within 1hr?
RyanZAG 13y ago
How was Google Reader not part of Google's business, but being a delivery service is?
- bouk 13y ago
  Because there's more money to be made in a delivery service
  - davidw 13y ago
    There's money to be made cleaning toilets, too, but that doesn't mean it's a very good fit for Google.
    - robryan 13y ago
      Give it some time.
      - TheLegace 13y ago
        Ya maybe with robots and such.
- pavs 13y ago
  I don't understand why people are so buttburt about Google Reader. Google's business is to make money, directly or in-directly. G-Reader didn't make much money, they tried advertising, it didn't work. Turns out people who use RSS, also tends to be tech savvy (a very small portion of overall internet users), people who are tech savvy are less likely to click on ads. So they don't make any money from it directly, and I can't think of many indirect ways they could make a sizeable amount of money from tech-savvy users. They could start charging small amount per month, and as much as everyone said AFTER google decided to shut it down that they would be willing to pay for a paid service; I suspect in reality most would have just moved to another free service. Another reason why it makes sense that google decided to shut it down, because now they have Social Site, Google+, from a business point of view it makes more sense for them if rss readers just subscribe to those site on G+. Less fragmentation and all that. I don't necessarily like it, but it makes sense from their point of view. As to their delivery service. IF it actually turns out to be a serious business venture beyond testing the waters. I suspect, this would start making them money from very early days, if it really picks up that is. It has also the added bonus of knowing name, address, shopping habits of individuals. I would suspect, even if they don't make much money from delivery, those alone would be immensely valuable for Google and their advertisers. Compare to that, an RSS reader seems like minor inconvenience for google. There is no comparison at all.
northwest 13y ago
So now they can add your "physical consumption" behavior to your online behavior profile. (Obviously that information will not be withheld from the NSA.)
dschiptsov 13y ago
With driver-less cars, I suppose.)) Jokes aside, automatic delivery is what they making them for.

100 points by gasull 13y ago

A lot of people in SF don't know they can use Safeway online for groceries: https://shop.safeway.com/ecom/home https://shop.safeway.com/ecom/home

epoxyhockey 13y ago
Thanks for the link, I didn't realize that Safeway offered a 1-hour delivery window. One note is that a $49 minimum order is required for delivery service and a $12.95 shipping fee on purchases under $150. Google Shopping has no minimum order amount and for this 6-month trial period has no delivery fees. Though, their site eludes to a $5 delivery fee per store you order items from once the trial period ends. Of course, Safeway offers delivery of perishable foods, while Google shopping does not.
gmatty 13y ago
Similarly Walmart also offers delivery : http://delivery.walmart.com/ http://delivery.walmart.com/

jonny_eh 13y ago

I wonder if the same day delivery is just a way to get people in, but the real value is being able to shop at a bunch of local retailers from one place.

dewitt 13y ago

This was announced publicly back in March, if I recall correctly: http://googlecommerce.blogspot.com/2013/03/calling-all-sf-bay-area-residents-help.html http://googlecommerce.blogspot.com/2013/03/calling-all-sf-ba... I'm a fan. We use it several times a week.

austenallred 13y ago
We also use it several times a week. It's easier now with no delivery fee (will eventually be $5), but you order a case of root beer online and it's on your doorstep the next day. Simple. I'm not sure how the economics will work out or how prices may change once it will reach scale.

helper 13y ago

I've been using this for a few months. It's super convenient for buying common items sold from places like Target and Staples. If it wasn't free shipping I don't think I would use it over amazon prime though. There is no comparing the selection from Amazon to what is currently available from express shopping.

cbhl 13y ago
I notice that they added "* Some restrictions may apply" to the landing page -- do they ever state the restrictions anywhere?

zoba 13y ago

I've used this service for a couple weeks now, and it is an astonishing time saver. Same day delivery opens up very a different way of thinking about things. I have a couple thoughts though: 1) I currently feel guilty because its so easy to just buy one thing at a time, and theres nothing stopping me from doing it, that I end up making micropurchases. I wish Google would either prevent this or say "Oh its fine we use all electric vehicles any way." 2) I'm curious what their pricing plan is going to be like. I've compared the service to instacart which has minimum delivery amounts to avoid delivery fees. Google Express looks to be going more along the lines of an Amazon Prime type membership, where one price gets you unlimited deliveries. I don't know if they'll end up with this though. 3) Groceries! I would love to be able to buy produce, dairy, etc from Google Express. 4) I wish the delivery windows could be tighter... Maybe it sounds picky but Instacart has very nice delivery windows compared to Google Express.

notloggedin 13y ago
I currently feel guilty because its so easy to just buy one thing at a time, and theres nothing stopping me from doing it, that I end up making micropurchases. Google can absorb some losses for now as they ramp up adding even more ads on search to subsidize this service (and others) but you know where this is heading. The math has to be there, either prices have to be sky-high or /and a delivery fee. See Kozmo, Webvan...
dave5104 13y ago
I've been doing the same thing with micropurchases. I have no hesitation in thinking "Oh, I could use one of those..." and having it show up later that night or the next day. But, it looks like they are planning on charging a yearly/monthly whatever subscription fee, plus $4.99 per delivery per store. Whenever I order, I have my $4.99 (or $9.98 if it's from 2 stores) waived, and I'm currently on the 6 month free trial that claims to be waiving my subscription fee. My behavior will definitely change if this is the structure they go with. I sure won't be paying $4.99 for each impulse buy I make.
tracker1 13y ago
Given the variations of already bagged produce, I'm not sure I'd go that route for it.. I'm pretty picky and usually go to get my own. I also find that some chain stores are better than others.

rogerbinns 13y ago

If only they worked with Fry's and Costco ...

signed0 13y ago
Instacart works with Costco.

cbhl 13y ago

Previous Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5454677 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5454677 (41 points, 46 comments, 122 days ago)

TheMakeA 13y ago

I've used it a couple of times but it still has some flaws. For instance, you can only buy things that are listed on the website. I decided to give it a shot to get a new PS3 game delivered. The item would be located no more than 3 feet away from other items listed, but Google would not pick it up for you. In another case, I just wanted a new filtered water pitcher. It ended up taking three days to get something delivered because the item I had selected would be out of stock, and there was no way to select an alternative. Getting any product on day one would have outweighed any marginal price differences between selections. Compare this to Instacart which gives a lot of freedom in what the shoppers pick up for you. That being said, when the service did work, it was a good experience.

matchu 13y ago
Stores tend to keep the new PS3 games locked up these days, so the shopper would have to find an employee to get the item, and then probably ring it up as a separate purchase in the entertainment section in addition to the final checkout—and then might get extra guff for the already-purchased game and have to show the receipt. I'm not sure what their general policy is, but, for a delivery service with a decent emphasis on speed, it makes sense to me to exclude items that could significantly slow down the shopper with extra employee interaction, especially since they'd probably only have one video game order per trip, tops.
- TheMakeA 13y ago
  You make very good points but I got the impression that Shopping Express may work a little differently. It seems like Google might actually call the store and have the store employees prepare the order, or at least confirm that some items are in stock. One clue was an extremely quick turn around time for out of stock items: my order would be canceled less than an hour after being placed and hours before the intended delivery time for being out of stock. Of course, this doesn't rule out the possibility that the shopper happened to be at my Target at the time and was just buying every item for the day. That being said, you do bring up good points and that may well be the reason.

stevewilhelm 13y ago

Been using it for a couple of weeks for deliveries to my Palo Alto based office. Orders made by 11am generally arrive before 2pm. Interestingly, it has not impacted my Amazon Prime purchases.

murtali 13y ago

I can already envision it: Google self-driving cars making deliveries.

greeneggs 13y ago
Just curious, how do you actually see this? Maybe: A self-driving car pulls up and double-parks in front of your building. It texts you to come outside and gives a four-digit pin. You go to the car, type the pin in, and a small door opens with your package sitting there. I guess the car has some weird conveyor system for moving packages into the pickup area. Is this what you are thinking? I'm not sure how well double-parking by a self-driving car would work (delivery people do it, but they also can use their judgement). The conveyor system also seems like it would create problems.
- sliverstorm 13y ago
  Is this what you are thinking? I'm thinking murtali just didn't think that far.
- gasull 13y ago
  That the car is self-driving doesn't mean there isn't anyone inside.
- akgerber 13y ago
  Put one of these on wheels: http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/3/4180118/google-owned-bufferbox-bringing-delivery-lockers-to-san-francisco http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/3/4180118/google-owned-buffer...
- ippisl 13y ago
  When self driving cars become popular, the double parking issue could be solved, by many ways from parking automation , to regulation(even by the people living in the building), to the problem not being there at all, since nobody would own cars. And conveyors are pretty reliable in industry.
- jfoster 13y ago
  The car could launch a quadcopter to handle the driveway-to-door part. The car wouldn't even need to stop. By the time it's turned itself around, the quadcopter would have probably made the delivery. Security of the package and picking an appropriate drop point seem the most difficult parts to me.

greesil 13y ago

Oh sweet, we finally get the matternet.

seanmcdirmid 13y ago

We have services in Beijing that provide same day or next day deliveries. My wife uses them a lot to great effect.

dedosk 13y ago

You can try it through early access, here is some free code https://plus.google.com/107119125214160307479/posts/RTLxcUZX6Pe https://plus.google.com/107119125214160307479/posts/RTLxcUZX...

zengr 13y ago

Have been using http://ebay.com/now http://ebay.com/now from the last few months and it delivers stuff within 40minutes. They offer the same set of retailers which Google has to offer. Why wait a day when you can get it within 1hr?

RyanZAG 13y ago

How was Google Reader not part of Google's business, but being a delivery service is?

bouk 13y ago
Because there's more money to be made in a delivery service
- davidw 13y ago
  There's money to be made cleaning toilets, too, but that doesn't mean it's a very good fit for Google.
  - robryan 13y ago
    Give it some time.
    - TheLegace 13y ago
      Ya maybe with robots and such.
pavs 13y ago
I don't understand why people are so buttburt about Google Reader. Google's business is to make money, directly or in-directly. G-Reader didn't make much money, they tried advertising, it didn't work. Turns out people who use RSS, also tends to be tech savvy (a very small portion of overall internet users), people who are tech savvy are less likely to click on ads. So they don't make any money from it directly, and I can't think of many indirect ways they could make a sizeable amount of money from tech-savvy users. They could start charging small amount per month, and as much as everyone said AFTER google decided to shut it down that they would be willing to pay for a paid service; I suspect in reality most would have just moved to another free service. Another reason why it makes sense that google decided to shut it down, because now they have Social Site, Google+, from a business point of view it makes more sense for them if rss readers just subscribe to those site on G+. Less fragmentation and all that. I don't necessarily like it, but it makes sense from their point of view. As to their delivery service. IF it actually turns out to be a serious business venture beyond testing the waters. I suspect, this would start making them money from very early days, if it really picks up that is. It has also the added bonus of knowing name, address, shopping habits of individuals. I would suspect, even if they don't make much money from delivery, those alone would be immensely valuable for Google and their advertisers. Compare to that, an RSS reader seems like minor inconvenience for google. There is no comparison at all.

northwest 13y ago

So now they can add your "physical consumption" behavior to your online behavior profile. (Obviously that information will not be withheld from the NSA.)

dschiptsov 13y ago

With driver-less cars, I suppose.)) Jokes aside, automatic delivery is what they making them for.