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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

#151

Post by xeromal »

JPKab wrote: post #148
tcdent wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

American supermarkets have numerous options for delivery, many of them provided by the same brand, but only Instacart has come close to delivering an experience I can endorse. Their employees are professional and have been taught to provide an easy, pleasant delivery experience. The first time I tried Amazon Fresh the mailman showed up in the morning before his route with my groceries rolling around in the back of th…

I don't find Instacart to be any better than the other services I've used. Peapod is just as good, if not better.

The difference is the Peapod delivers their own goods while instacart can deliver from several places. AFAIK Peapod doesn't operate in LA.

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

#152

Post by sejordan »

ensignavenger wrote: post #115
elsewhen wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

while they dont have drive throughs, this is pretty common at many stores for no fee http://www.walmart.com/cp/1105733 http://www.homedepot.com/c/pick_up_in_store https://www.macys.com/m/campaign/splash/buy-online-pickup-in... http://www.target.com/c/target-shipping/-/N-551st http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/buy-online-pick-up-in-store

I use walmarts site2store some times; I would use it more if they would allow me to use it for groceries (they don't let you use it for 'perishable' products).

There's a walmart near me that has been testing this. And it is essentially a drive thru. You place an order online (its for groceries, so yes you can order perishables), and have the option to either drive to the store park in a designated parking spot and push a button, an associate brings out your order, OR, they'll deliver it to your home.

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

#153

Post by zo1 »

wiremine wrote: post #95
KJKingJ wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mine are always one off orders. I'll log on, choose an hourly timeslot for delivery and then browse down a list of products i've purchased before (both online and instore) and chose which ones I want to be delivered. It takes about 10-15 minutes to do and they will deliver everything right to my door. It ends up being a huge timesaver compared to having to go to and from the supermarket and pick everything out. I ten…

> then browse down a list of products i've purchased before (both online and instore) and chose which ones I want to be delivered That's cool. So they keep a history of everything you've purchased? Do they do that by credit card or do you log in some how when you purchase instore?

You create an account on the site. Why complicate it?

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

#154

Post by jobu »

JPKab wrote: post #149
TorKlingberg wrote: post #26

UK supermarkets are a bit ahead of the curve here. All the large ones have a home delivery service, including Walmart-owned ASDA. It's quite cheap too: £1-6 if you buy £40, for various time slots. They all use their own vehicles and staff, so I suppose Wal-Mart can reduce the risk by using Uber/Lyft. I wonder though, does this mean no active cooling on the way? Can you trust that the ice cream is still frozen when it…

The biggest barrier to widespread adoption of grocery delivery in the USA is the lower population density. It's very common in the large cities/metro areas, and has been around for years. Regarding your comment on choosing groceries online: My wife is a huge fan of Walmart-To-Go (order online, pull up to a designated station in a parking lot at your convenience, and they bring them out and load them into your vehicle…

The biggest barrier for us has been quality and availability of fresh produce. There are 4 grocery stores very close to us and we usually end up hitting each one over the course of a week to see what's actually worth buying.

There's a fair amount of standard stuff we buy as well, but if we're already in the stores it doesn't take that much additional time to grab it.

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

#155

Post by rhizome »

JPKab wrote: post #149
TorKlingberg wrote: post #26

UK supermarkets are a bit ahead of the curve here. All the large ones have a home delivery service, including Walmart-owned ASDA. It's quite cheap too: £1-6 if you buy £40, for various time slots. They all use their own vehicles and staff, so I suppose Wal-Mart can reduce the risk by using Uber/Lyft. I wonder though, does this mean no active cooling on the way? Can you trust that the ice cream is still frozen when it…

The biggest barrier to widespread adoption of grocery delivery in the USA is the lower population density. It's very common in the large cities/metro areas, and has been around for years. Regarding your comment on choosing groceries online: My wife is a huge fan of Walmart-To-Go (order online, pull up to a designated station in a parking lot at your convenience, and they bring them out and load them into your vehicle…

I have to wonder if grocery profit margins were higher 50 years ago, when home delivery was as common as episodes of The Voice.

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

#156

Post by dsl »

ghaff wrote: post #124
Tistel wrote: post #96

This could be huge if they can keep the prices near Walmart levels. This could be a way to get around the negative stigma of shopping at Walmart amongst the hipster / bourgeois / middle class. If they pull this off it will put real pressure on the other grocery providers. On the downside, grocery delivery services have been tried many times in the past 15 years.

Eh. I can't say I've done formal comparison shopping but Walmart groceries don't strike me as being systematically a lot cheaper than other grocery chains on an, ahem, apples to apples basis. Personally, given other options, I'm not sure why I would use Walmart for grocery delivery given that I'd be paying for delivery in some form and their selection and, often, quality are inferior to other stores.

Have a look at Walmart SavingsCatcher. As you walk out of the store, you snap a QR code on your receipt. They check every other store in your area for the stuff you bought and refund the difference on a gift card if they weren't the cheapest.

I've used it a few times with grocery delivery.

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

#157

Post by ChuckMcM »

Once again I wonder about the notion of an "independent contractor" class of worker, one where they save up and buy the standard "util-i-car" a vehicle which has a driving/motive unit, and attachable rear units, delivery pod, cargo pod, livery (tax) pod, transport (ambulance) pod, Etc. Along with a supply of lenders/repairs/resellers who lend you the money for your first utili-car, trade you used car or pod, repair your car/pod, sell new pods etc.

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

#158

Post by erikpukinskis »

agmcleod wrote: post #47
11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #44

Isn't this a bit going the wrong way somehow? Growing up, mom went grocery shopping once every 2 weeks. We'd load up 2 or 3 shopping carts that filled 8 or 10 grocery bags. One auto trip every 2 weeks for groceries. With all the delivery services for restaurants, groceries, and more and more sundries, the trips to my house are made for less and less 'stuff' per trip. More trips per household obviously means more gaso…

How did you guys keep vegetables fresh for 2 weeks? That's usually why i go a couple times a week. Usually buy a pack of meat to have for a few nights of dinner, vegetables to use as well. Then get more once it's used up.

You start off early in the 2 weeks eating the perishables. Fruits, lettuce, etc. Mushrooms get used day 1. By the end of the 2 weeks you are roasting squash, having tomato sauce, etc.

In the past, people actually didn't go grocery shopping all winter. They didn't just eat dry beans, the entire world of cuisine exists because people are always finding ways to eat around the constraints of their growing season.

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

#159

Post by qmr »

11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #113
gbin wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I still remember this from 1999-2000 in the Silicon Valley...I was shocked, fresh products were hard to find and very expensive. In France it never disappeared, we always had fresh sections in supermarkets on top of fresh market at walking distance twice a week.

It is possibly even more shocking today: The best organic produce can be found at Costco. I've bought blackberries there the size of my thumb, and they tasted like a dessert wine. Never had anything like it, let alone from Costco.

"Organic" is a marketing buzzword.

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

#160

Post by mseebach »

prplhaz4 wrote: post #14
maxerickson wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The typical grocery delivery service bumps up the margins.

The typical grocery delivery service also has the luxury of batching orders (controlling cost) and delivers with refrigerated vehicles (consistent product)...seems more sustainable to me...but what do I know - to me, the Uberization of most markets (other than ride sharing) never seems to have a clear win on cost/benefit...

Also important for cost: An online supermarket can save a ton on rent by having fewer, much bigger fulfilment centres, located in cheaper slightly out of the way industrial zones. Classic supermarkets are generally in commercially attractive areas, close to traffic hubs or in downtown locations.
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