Show HN: Get notified when grocery pickup slots are available

Post by perl4ever » Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 8:27 PM UTC

thecodemonkey wrote: post #7

seltzered_ wrote: post #5

Have you stopped to think about the ethical implications of this? Could you put a warning to be mindful and only consider the service if you're high-risk or in a situation where curbside is the only safe option? I love the fact that my high-risk parents are using curbside pickup, but I find myself better fitted to wear a mask and do the groceries myself during off-peak hours. The last thing I think the world wants is…

Hi there! Absolutely. This is why we are explicitly focusing on curbside pickup rather than delivery. It is not about snatching slots as soon as they become available, but more about being able to check across dozens of stores at the same time. We've found that there are actually plenty of pickup timeslots available -- if you just look a bit outside super-urban areas. Call it human-loadbalancing-as-a-service if you w…

Post by mjwhansen » Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 8:28 PM UTC

kelnos wrote: post #31

djrogers wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this is not a delivery service - it's curbside pickup.

It still takes extra staff to make this happen. Normal grocery staff isn't just wandering around the store aimlessly; they're restocking and doing other administrative tasks. Most of those tasks don't just go away when you move to a curbside pickup model. You still need to hire and train more people to fulfill orders.

Post by perl4ever » Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 8:29 PM UTC

leetcrew wrote: post #22

seltzered_ wrote: post #5

Have you stopped to think about the ethical implications of this? Could you put a warning to be mindful and only consider the service if you're high-risk or in a situation where curbside is the only safe option? I love the fact that my high-risk parents are using curbside pickup, but I find myself better fitted to wear a mask and do the groceries myself during off-peak hours. The last thing I think the world wants is…

for the most part, the grocery stores themselves don't seem to make any effort to prioritize curbside or delivery slots for high-risk people. why should a third-party notification service be expected to do so?

Post by mjwhansen » Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 8:30 PM UTC

leetcrew wrote: post #22

seltzered_ wrote: post #5

Have you stopped to think about the ethical implications of this? Could you put a warning to be mindful and only consider the service if you're high-risk or in a situation where curbside is the only safe option? I love the fact that my high-risk parents are using curbside pickup, but I find myself better fitted to wear a mask and do the groceries myself during off-peak hours. The last thing I think the world wants is…

for the most part, the grocery stores themselves don't seem to make any effort to prioritize curbside or delivery slots for high-risk people. why should a third-party notification service be expected to do so?

Post by SheinhardtWigCo » Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 8:32 PM UTC

baddox wrote: post #33

freepor wrote: post #21

What I’ve found with Whole Foods delivery is that if you wait for a notification you’ve lost the slot. I use a bot that plays a loud sound when a slot is available and foregrounds the Firefox window. I then have to click the checkout flow immediately. If I’m even a foot away from my machine when it happens I lose the slot. I only get deliveries when I’m active on my PC.

Are you using Amazon Prime Now for Whole Foods delivery? In SF I wasn't able to get a delivery window for several days (admittedly I wasn't checking more than a couple of times per day), but on night on a whim I decided to check right after midnight and was able to schedule a delivery for 2 days in the future. Obviously a tiny sample size, but it appears they only ever schedule for 2 days in advance, and they must op…