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I've never seen a supermarket that delivered. To a degree I could order some groceries from amazon but thats it.

by Dobbs 17y ago

gaius 17y ago
Really? In the UK almost every supermarket does, from Iceland at the low end of the market to Waitrose at the high end, with Sainsbury's and Tesco in the middle. Getting a big shop delivered every couple of weeks and picking up small items yourself on the way home from work is normal now.
- sho 17y ago
  Same in Australia, I was pretty surprised at apparently causing offence. Even my unemployed bum friends get their groceries delivered, it is the cheapest way to shop.
  - gaius 17y ago
    Yeah, Iceland for example targets the sector of the market that wants highly processed food in large quantities for a low price. The idea that home delivery is just for the so-called rich is ridiculous. Even Waitrose, the most expensive grocery store in the UK apart from maybe Whole Foods Market, charges GBP 99/year up-front for as many deliveries of over GBP 40 as you want. If you are doing the majority of your shopping this way (incl. household supplies, alcohol etc) esp. for a family, it's pretty economical. Probably less than driving to the supermarket once a week would cost.
    - sho 17y ago
      Yeah, and certainly much cheaper than owning a car in the first place. Being able to carry things is half the reason for having a car, and groceries would be the #1 thing most people carry, I would think. For example, I have a friend who rides a motorcycle, and that's fine for him since he gets anything big delivered. You have more supermarket chains in the UK I think - here there's only two really big ones, but their coverage is pretty much universal. Delivery costs start at $5 and get more expensive as the time window narrows - eg, delivery sometime between 3pm-9pm is $5, between 5pm-9pm is $9, or between 7pm and 9pm is $13. We're not advanced enough to have annual "plans" yet though : D
      - gaius 17y ago
        Maybe that is a UK thing - Amazon.co.uk also does a scheme where you pay GBP 50 up-front and get a year's unlimited first-class post. Tho' I guess that's kinda the point of the original article - if you can afford to buy into the plan in the first place, you save money.
        sho 17y ago
        Ha, Australia's too small to even have an Amazon! I have to order from the US and get it shipped. Which is why it boggles the mind that we can have a comprehensive supermarket delivery service and they don't. Wonder what the reason is. I know both the UK and AU have pretty consolidated groceries markets, a limited number of big players with nationwide presence - maybe US supermarkets are just too fragmented?
        gaius 17y ago
        I dunno, Americans are always complaining that Wal-mart is too big, they even have a presence in the UK (here they are called Asda, and they do do deliveries).

I've never seen a supermarket that delivered. To a degree I could order some groceries from amazon but thats it.

by Dobbs 17y ago

I've never seen a supermarket that delivered. To a degree I could order some groceries from amazon but thats it.

gaius 17y ago

Really? In the UK almost every supermarket does, from Iceland at the low end of the market to Waitrose at the high end, with Sainsbury's and Tesco in the middle. Getting a big shop delivered every couple of weeks and picking up small items yourself on the way home from work is normal now.

sho 17y ago
Same in Australia, I was pretty surprised at apparently causing offence. Even my unemployed bum friends get their groceries delivered, it is the cheapest way to shop.
- gaius 17y ago
  Yeah, Iceland for example targets the sector of the market that wants highly processed food in large quantities for a low price. The idea that home delivery is just for the so-called rich is ridiculous. Even Waitrose, the most expensive grocery store in the UK apart from maybe Whole Foods Market, charges GBP 99/year up-front for as many deliveries of over GBP 40 as you want. If you are doing the majority of your shopping this way (incl. household supplies, alcohol etc) esp. for a family, it's pretty economical. Probably less than driving to the supermarket once a week would cost.
  - sho 17y ago
    Yeah, and certainly much cheaper than owning a car in the first place. Being able to carry things is half the reason for having a car, and groceries would be the #1 thing most people carry, I would think. For example, I have a friend who rides a motorcycle, and that's fine for him since he gets anything big delivered. You have more supermarket chains in the UK I think - here there's only two really big ones, but their coverage is pretty much universal. Delivery costs start at $5 and get more expensive as the time window narrows - eg, delivery sometime between 3pm-9pm is $5, between 5pm-9pm is $9, or between 7pm and 9pm is $13. We're not advanced enough to have annual "plans" yet though : D
    - gaius 17y ago
      Maybe that is a UK thing - Amazon.co.uk also does a scheme where you pay GBP 50 up-front and get a year's unlimited first-class post. Tho' I guess that's kinda the point of the original article - if you can afford to buy into the plan in the first place, you save money.
      - sho 17y ago
        Ha, Australia's too small to even have an Amazon! I have to order from the US and get it shipped. Which is why it boggles the mind that we can have a comprehensive supermarket delivery service and they don't. Wonder what the reason is. I know both the UK and AU have pretty consolidated groceries markets, a limited number of big players with nationwide presence - maybe US supermarkets are just too fragmented?
        gaius 17y ago
        I dunno, Americans are always complaining that Wal-mart is too big, they even have a presence in the UK (here they are called Asda, and they do do deliveries).