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Wal-Mart Plans to Test Grocery Delivery Through Uber, Lyft

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Re: Wal-Mart Plans to Test Grocery Delivery Through Uber, Lyft

#31

Post by PickledJesus »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #27

I'm always surprised grocery delivery is still a big deal in the US. All the major supermarkets in the UK do home delivery, next day, for a £3-5 delivery fee. You can go the site, fill your basket, and checkout. You also get a 1-2 hour delivery slot so you don't have to wait at home all day. We also have Amazon Prime Now doing grocery delivery within 1 hour in some cities. I can see how it would be a problem in some…

If you do it in the evening it's only £1 usually. Hardly any reason to go to the supermarket anymore.

Re: Wal-Mart Plans to Test Grocery Delivery Through Uber, Lyft

#32

Post by brudgers »

nebulous1 wrote: post #12

I'm torn between wanting somebody to compete with Amazon and it being Walmart

While I was caught up in the anti-Walmart meme [and I'm using "meme" dismissively] for many years, today Walmart provides jobs in my community and those jobs appear to be stable with regular shifts because I often see the same cashiers at the same times one year to the next. I'll add that Walmart also generates local sales and income tax revenue [and sometimes property tax] that helps make schools and roads and fire trucks possible.

That's not to say either Amazon or Walmart is moral. It's more that because Walmart has a greater dependency on the commons around me and I believe its interests and mine are less orthogonal.

Re: Wal-Mart Plans to Test Grocery Delivery Through Uber, Lyft

#33

Post by jokoon »

Planning in advance could really save a lot of gas, time and money if customers decided to shop online more. The last mile seems like a tough headache in term of logistics, but I'm sure there are many people who would love to not go shopping if it was convenient enough.

Although I don't think it will viable at first, so I doubt that market will really grow, since the economies of scale only happen if enough people shop online in a small region. Ultimately companies like Walmart still want customers to roam in their supermarkets to buy things they did intend to, as a virtual store and online ads seems less appealing than a customer just wandering in an aisle and discovering an article.

Re: Wal-Mart Plans to Test Grocery Delivery Through Uber, Lyft

#34

Post by goatforce5 »

rimantas wrote: post #10
lujim wrote: post #9

This is going to take a bit of magic to pull off. Groceries are very low margin items and people just opt for pre-made restaurant food when we are feeling lazy. When I'm motivated enough to prepare my own food I'm motivated enough to go to the grocery store. This is the domain of driver-less delivery vehicles of whatever kind.

There are also moms (and sometimes dads) at home with a small kids. And they may be highly motivated to avoid journey to a grocery store.

Loblaws, a big Canadian grocery chain, has really been pushing their Click and Collect service lately. You shop and pay for your groceries online. A staff member will go around the store getting your items, and you park in a designated area in a certain time slot and they bring your groceries out to your car.

I guess most people using the service order groceries at the office and pick them up on the drive home.

I'm not in their target demo because I don't have kids and my life isn't that busy, but i've been surprised at how busy the designated parking spots seem to be whenever I go to one of their stores. I've just checked their website and there are no fees for using their service as long as you spend $30.

Re: Wal-Mart Plans to Test Grocery Delivery Through Uber, Lyft

#35

Post by brianbreslin »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #27

I'm always surprised grocery delivery is still a big deal in the US. All the major supermarkets in the UK do home delivery, next day, for a £3-5 delivery fee. You can go the site, fill your basket, and checkout. You also get a 1-2 hour delivery slot so you don't have to wait at home all day. We also have Amazon Prime Now doing grocery delivery within 1 hour in some cities. I can see how it would be a problem in some…

My guess is that its due to traditionally very sprawled out cities in the US. Huge amounts of the population live miles away from grocery stores. I think in New York you were able to get delivery for years for groceries if you were willing to pay the local grocer extra.

Re: Wal-Mart Plans to Test Grocery Delivery Through Uber, Lyft

#36

Post by lujim »

dragonwriter wrote: post #24
lujim wrote: post #9

This is going to take a bit of magic to pull off. Groceries are very low margin items and people just opt for pre-made restaurant food when we are feeling lazy. When I'm motivated enough to prepare my own food I'm motivated enough to go to the grocery store. This is the domain of driver-less delivery vehicles of whatever kind.

"Feeling lazy" and deciding not to prepare food is a different problem than not taking ingredients on hand and not wanting to go to the store because of any of a variety of reasons (teething baby, poor air quality day -- especially for asthmatics, or just disliking the in suite experience at the local grocery, etc.) For you maybe there is no difference between having time and desire to prepare food and having willing…

True, but I feel like food prep and cleanup is a much bigger deal than the actual trip to the store. I've had the teething baby and can tell you the trip to the store was not the hard part. Unless this is remarkably inexpensive I don't think the "making ends meet/clipping coupons" family crowd is going to use this with any regularity.

Re: Wal-Mart Plans to Test Grocery Delivery Through Uber, Lyft

#37

Post by dragonwriter »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #27

I'm always surprised grocery delivery is still a big deal in the US. All the major supermarkets in the UK do home delivery, next day, for a £3-5 delivery fee. You can go the site, fill your basket, and checkout. You also get a 1-2 hour delivery slot so you don't have to wait at home all day. We also have Amazon Prime Now doing grocery delivery within 1 hour in some cities. I can see how it would be a problem in some…

So do a number of US groceries, either independently or through a service, including Google Express (or both.)

And we had Prime Now first.

Re: Wal-Mart Plans to Test Grocery Delivery Through Uber, Lyft

#38

Post by ethanbond »

brudgers wrote: post #32
nebulous1 wrote: post #12

I'm torn between wanting somebody to compete with Amazon and it being Walmart

While I was caught up in the anti-Walmart meme [and I'm using "meme" dismissively] for many years, today Walmart provides jobs in my community and those jobs appear to be stable with regular shifts because I often see the same cashiers at the same times one year to the next. I'll add that Walmart also generates local sales and income tax revenue [and sometimes property tax] that helps make schools and roads and fire…

Everyone in your town was unemployed, had irregular shifts, and didn't have a functional fire station before Walmart came to town?

I think you're missing the nuance between "Walmart should leave," and "Walmart shouldn't have come."

Of course, we can only act on the future, so maybe the nuance is meaningless at this point.

Re: Wal-Mart Plans to Test Grocery Delivery Through Uber, Lyft

#39

Post by [deleted] »

brudgers wrote: post #32
nebulous1 wrote: post #12

I'm torn between wanting somebody to compete with Amazon and it being Walmart

While I was caught up in the anti-Walmart meme [and I'm using "meme" dismissively] for many years, today Walmart provides jobs in my community and those jobs appear to be stable with regular shifts because I often see the same cashiers at the same times one year to the next. I'll add that Walmart also generates local sales and income tax revenue [and sometimes property tax] that helps make schools and roads and fire…

[deleted]

Re: Wal-Mart Plans to Test Grocery Delivery Through Uber, Lyft

#40

Post by lujim »

eli wrote: post #28
lujim wrote: post #9

This is going to take a bit of magic to pull off. Groceries are very low margin items and people just opt for pre-made restaurant food when we are feeling lazy. When I'm motivated enough to prepare my own food I'm motivated enough to go to the grocery store. This is the domain of driver-less delivery vehicles of whatever kind.

Sure and why would people use an app for a ride when they could just hail a cab or drive themselves?

Hailing a cab wasn't a viable or affordable option if you lived in the vast part of the United States prior to Uber. Your options used to be 1) don't go out 2) find a designated driver 3) don't drink, or 4) drink and drive.

I've got a ton more options on how to procure food.

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