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Americans, it turns out, would rather visit a store than buy food online

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Re: Americans, it turns out, would rather visit a store than buy food online

#331

Post by irrational »

op00to wrote: post #326
irrational wrote: post #320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Off-topic, but do you really view that "we're in the middle of a disaster of epic proportions"? I can think of a huge number of actual disasters of epic proportions (full-scale nuclear war, 100 kilometer asteroid impact, yellowstone super caldera explodes, an actual pandemic that has 99% effective death rate arises, etc.) The current situation seems pretty low-key compared to a real disaster.

The hundred thousand people dead and millions out of work in the US alone would like to have a word with you about your denial that the COVID-19 pandemic is not of epic proportions.

I'd be happy to speak with them. It is a sad state of affairs, but in my book, a disaster of epic proportions is a large percent of the world population dying. It is a disaster of such proportions that entire nations collapse. It is a economic depression that lasts for generations. What we are going through right now is like a hangnail compared to your entire foot being ripped off. It is scary for the people most affected, but hardly a disaster of epic proportions.

Re: Americans, it turns out, would rather visit a store than buy food online

#332

Post by colejohnson66 »

irrational wrote: post #331
op00to wrote: post #326

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The hundred thousand people dead and millions out of work in the US alone would like to have a word with you about your denial that the COVID-19 pandemic is not of epic proportions.

I'd be happy to speak with them. It is a sad state of affairs, but in my book, a disaster of epic proportions is a large percent of the world population dying. It is a disaster of such proportions that entire nations collapse. It is a economic depression that lasts for generations. What we are going through right now is like a hangnail compared to your entire foot being ripped off. It is scary for the people most aff…

I’m curious what you would call this situation then?

Re: Americans, it turns out, would rather visit a store than buy food online

#333

Post by BurningFrog »

irrational wrote: post #320
davidw wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We've had an ok experience with instacart. I've tried to think of it sort of like ... when you stop at a little store in a small town before going camping, and there's not a great selection and it's kind of expensive. But you are happy to get some of the things you need, and it's ok if it's not perfect, because we're in the middle of a disaster of epic proportions. That said, I'm really looking forward to doing my ow…

Off-topic, but do you really view that "we're in the middle of a disaster of epic proportions"? I can think of a huge number of actual disasters of epic proportions (full-scale nuclear war, 100 kilometer asteroid impact, yellowstone super caldera explodes, an actual pandemic that has 99% effective death rate arises, etc.) The current situation seems pretty low-key compared to a real disaster.

None of your "actual disasters" have actually happened.

For most living Americans, I think you can make a fair argument that this is the biggest disaster in their lifetime. Though I'm open to give other candidates a fair hearing.

Keep in mind that this one is far from over yet!

Re: Americans, it turns out, would rather visit a store than buy food online

#334

Post by gdulli »

irrational wrote: post #320
davidw wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We've had an ok experience with instacart. I've tried to think of it sort of like ... when you stop at a little store in a small town before going camping, and there's not a great selection and it's kind of expensive. But you are happy to get some of the things you need, and it's ok if it's not perfect, because we're in the middle of a disaster of epic proportions. That said, I'm really looking forward to doing my ow…

Off-topic, but do you really view that "we're in the middle of a disaster of epic proportions"? I can think of a huge number of actual disasters of epic proportions (full-scale nuclear war, 100 kilometer asteroid impact, yellowstone super caldera explodes, an actual pandemic that has 99% effective death rate arises, etc.) The current situation seems pretty low-key compared to a real disaster.

A guy told me once he was so hungry he could eat a horse. Did he think I was stupid? I called him out on it, of course. Nobody tries to pull one over on me and gets away with it. I love being right!

Re: Americans, it turns out, would rather visit a store than buy food online

#335

Post by iamthepieman »

monadic2 wrote: post #235

I have had so many bad experiences with instacart: * shopper buying yams rather than potatoes (note: this was not a replacement, they seemed to genuinely believe they had bought potatoes.) * shopper going to checkout before I can suggest a better replacement for an item. * shopper buys obviously moldy fruit. * shopper buys five roaster chickens as a replacement for five cornish hens. * shopper gives up really easily…

Our local 3 store grocer offers shopping for 5$. You have to pick it up at the store but you don't have to go inside. They've been doing it for about a year. Never had a problem with it and their online interface is perfectly matched with their inventory. They text their replacements which you can reject before pickup.

Re: Americans, it turns out, would rather visit a store than buy food online

#336

Post by Androider »

krustyburger wrote: post #325
Androider wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon's Whole Foods delivery in my area is now direct from warehouse to home instead of in-store picking. It's so, so much better than Instacart. On my last large order of almost a hundred items, not a single replacement, I got exactly what I ordered the same day. Instacart is such a sub-standard experience, it's just fundamentally the wrong approach and we wouldn't accept it for any other type of online purchase.

They’re still in-store picking. It’s just that Whole Foods/Prime Now has dedicated employees for this.

It's brand new as of April, it's definitely coming from a warehouse in an area where there is no Whole Foods store (I can track the path of the delivery van in the app). It's also not someone delivering with their own truck as before, but a blue-gray Amazon van, and the availability of items is spot on which was never the case even pre-covid.

Re: Americans, it turns out, would rather visit a store than buy food online

#337

Post by dorkwood »

irrational wrote: post #320
davidw wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We've had an ok experience with instacart. I've tried to think of it sort of like ... when you stop at a little store in a small town before going camping, and there's not a great selection and it's kind of expensive. But you are happy to get some of the things you need, and it's ok if it's not perfect, because we're in the middle of a disaster of epic proportions. That said, I'm really looking forward to doing my ow…

Off-topic, but do you really view that "we're in the middle of a disaster of epic proportions"? I can think of a huge number of actual disasters of epic proportions (full-scale nuclear war, 100 kilometer asteroid impact, yellowstone super caldera explodes, an actual pandemic that has 99% effective death rate arises, etc.) The current situation seems pretty low-key compared to a real disaster.

I'm not sure it makes a great deal of sense to plot everything on that sort of scale. That would mean we'd have to call earthquakes or hurricanes 'very small' disasters, and that doesn't seem right.

Re: Americans, it turns out, would rather visit a store than buy food online

#338

Post by beebmam »

Speaking entirely from my own experience as an American: I've had no problem at all with ordering food online, other than some shortages of certain products. Quality of produce has been high, no mistakes, with quick and kind service. I think I'll be sticking to ordering online for the foreseeable future

Re: Americans, it turns out, would rather visit a store than buy food online

#339

Post by tehwebguy »

monadic2 wrote: post #235

I have had so many bad experiences with instacart: * shopper buying yams rather than potatoes (note: this was not a replacement, they seemed to genuinely believe they had bought potatoes.) * shopper going to checkout before I can suggest a better replacement for an item. * shopper buys obviously moldy fruit. * shopper buys five roaster chickens as a replacement for five cornish hens. * shopper gives up really easily…

Whole Foods / Amazon Fresh deliveries are like a thousand times better for me in west LA and come at very low cost. The chain of quality control is going to be a big reason that this moves back in-house IMO.

Re: Americans, it turns out, would rather visit a store than buy food online

#340

Post by notyourwork »

y-c-o-m-b wrote: post #267
monadic2 wrote: post #235

I have had so many bad experiences with instacart: * shopper buying yams rather than potatoes (note: this was not a replacement, they seemed to genuinely believe they had bought potatoes.) * shopper going to checkout before I can suggest a better replacement for an item. * shopper buys obviously moldy fruit. * shopper buys five roaster chickens as a replacement for five cornish hens. * shopper gives up really easily…

> shopper buys obviously moldy fruit. This happened with my last Costco purchase. I don't know how the produce was even out on the floor let alone being picked up by the delivery person who clearly didn't use their sense of vision (nor smell!). The previous time they picked some random substitution for something I explicitly marked as "do not substitute" due to allergies. I think I'm done using that service.

> person who clearly didn't use their sense of vision (nor smell!)

When people are paid by quantity not quality you don't take time to inspect or smell the merchandise. You grab what checks the box and move on. Its a numbers game not a quality game and the quality is deferred to the store supply instead of the shopper. Why is anyone surprised by this? Its the same reason an Uber driver may drive recklessly to pickup more fares. Your safety isn't their concern.

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