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Google Shopping Express

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31–40 of 66 posts

Re: Google Shopping Express

#31
The page is very slow to load - http://www.webpagetest.org/result/140715_RP_S9V/ in film strip mode shows 29 second load time, which is consistent with how it feels in real usage.

Why are they using so much JS? Checking the source I don't think there is any HTML content - even providing just the basic header/main/footer/product title, price and one image would make this feel way quicker to load.

Re: Google Shopping Express

#32

What I really need is a service that can deliver milk and eggs and other staples in a day, seems like most cant do that.

I totally agree. I was really excited about GSX when I first heard about them from Costco. However when you dig deeper into what they will deliver from Costco (or other stores for that matter) perishable items like milk, eggs, etc. are for some reason not on the list. It essentially makes the service useless for me since I'll have to go to those stores to get my regular perishable items anyway.

Re: Google Shopping Express

#33

What I really need is a service that can deliver milk and eggs and other staples in a day, seems like most cant do that.

I'm in San Jose, incase anyone knows of a service that does deliver?

Amazon Fresh (https://fresh.amazon.com) is in Northern CA, but I don't think they service the south bay yet.

Re: Google Shopping Express

#35
Its an awesome service but I can't imagine it being successful until Google has self driving cars or something. Seeing the drivers sitting around smoking waiting for an order to come in by Target reminds me that these guys were pulling down $10+/hr for essentially no economic activity. Hard to spread that over the cost of deliveries.

Re: Google Shopping Express

#36
Looks like a clone of postmates.com . Unfortunately, Google can pretty easily get more users than them just using their already existing traffic. Some Google services have even gotten full page ads when visiting gmail.com like Google Wave and forced user enrollment like Google Plus.

Re: Google Shopping Express

#37
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not available in my area, but looks interesting. How does it work? * Who delivers? * Is it just local stores, or can it tap into warehouses? * Can you get books?

Google operates GSX. They have cute little vans with "Google Shopping Express" painted on them which drive around and deliver the products. It's whichever local stores agree to partner with Google. As far as I know, the process works like this: 1. Google partners with a store. They place some subset of the inventory of that store online. 2. As a user, you browse that inventory and buy. 3. The store receives the order…

You also can't get alcohol. They've been pretty smart with what they do and don't allow - makes it much more flexible than Instacart in terms of logistics on their end. It means they can just dump everything on your doorstep if you're not home.

I've noticed they do have some "fresh" things now, like bread, but that's it - no refrigerated things or other things that may spoil. I did have an issue one time ordering fresh bread and they missed the delivery window and delivered it the next day, by which time it was stale. A minor glitch though, but shows why they're so conservative about what they deliver.

Re: Google Shopping Express

#38
post #26

For those who have been using this - how is the pricing? The reason I ask is that I don't see how Google can make money (especially with free shipping for 6 months) without putting a markup on items. Perhaps they are just trying to gain traction and are willing to bite the bullet for the first 6 months. I did a quick comparison between a random product: LG 42" Class 1080p 60Hz LED HDTV. Target's direct online store o…

I've never seen them mark anything up. Sale prices are reflected as well. They must be losing money on each order currently.

Re: Google Shopping Express

#39
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm in San Jose, incase anyone knows of a service that does deliver?

Safeway delivers. Pretty sure it's not free, but not sure if they have a delivery fee or a minimum order.

Safeway usually has deals like "buy x of these items for free delivery", so I never paid for delivery using them. They're pretty good, but not same day.

Re: Google Shopping Express

#40
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google operates GSX. They have cute little vans with "Google Shopping Express" painted on them which drive around and deliver the products. It's whichever local stores agree to partner with Google. As far as I know, the process works like this: 1. Google partners with a store. They place some subset of the inventory of that store online. 2. As a user, you browse that inventory and buy. 3. The store receives the order…

You also can't get alcohol. They've been pretty smart with what they do and don't allow - makes it much more flexible than Instacart in terms of logistics on their end. It means they can just dump everything on your doorstep if you're not home. I've noticed they do have some "fresh" things now, like bread, but that's it - no refrigerated things or other things that may spoil. I did have an issue one time ordering fre…

Do you know why they don't deliver alcohol?
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