DoorDash Raises $40M, Led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers

I feel like your post highlights one of the glaring problems with the SV/SFBA echo chamber.

Uber, DoorDash, whatever, they're services glued together with server-side logic and mobile apps.

Fedex, UPS, and I'll even lump Amazon in there. These are logistics powerhouses. Their physical world equipment isn't a liability, its their advantage. Fedex and UPS have knowledge on how to manage a fleet of hundreds of aircraft, thousands of long-haul tractor trailers, tens of thousands of local delivery trucks, and hundreds of thousands of employees.

Your app does not have that. You have users. You have VC money. And while you might think you're more agile than logistics dinosaurs, they have the upper hand. Good luck.

Surprised not to see a mention of Postmates here. At least in San Francisco I'd consider Postmates to be the front runner for door-to-door delivery services, followed by Door Dash (sort of an Uber v. Lyft dynamic).

I am not a frequent customer of either but I actually do occasional bike deliveries for Postmates (about 5 deliveries a week, on the weekends). Postmates has insane demand, whenever I sign on the deliver my phone is practically exploding with orders, even when they turn on 'blitz' pricing (and it's not cheap to begin with). The product seems simple but I am very impressed with Postmates' logistics.

Postmates basically has a comprehensive listing of not only all the places to buy things in the city (mostly food but not only) but they know the full menu, item by item pricing, if they accept cash/credit, open hours etc. So you can place highly specific orders. Postmates gives each courier a credit card which they load with about how much money you will need for a given delivery on demand so you can pick up an iMac or a burrito through the same process. They also have a 24/7 customer and courier support network. So if I get a flat tire on my way to deliver a sandwich they can actually try to get another Postmate courier nearby to come finish the delivery.

And recently Postmates has started working closely with some restaurants to provide "turbo" jobs, where the restaurant knows the order is for postmates, provides postmates with an ETA for when it will be ready, which means I can get an order saying "Go to XXX restaurant, the sandwich is already prepared and paid for" and pick it up and go. This enables me to get food to most customers about 30-40m after they order it from anywhere in town.

Anyway those are just some things that came to mind. There is a lot more to it (scheduled shifts, tipping, etc). It all goes to show how interesting these seemingly simple ideas are from the inside.

I'm scratching my head on this. The service has been terrible so far. Whether it's getting lost because Google Maps misdirected them, or delivering cold food because they don't have insulated boxes, every delivery I've had has problems. In their defense I get a discount every time, but I've stopped using them as a result.

Is it the scheduling software or sub-contracting system that makes them so valuable?

This is also why games put random drops in your grindable content.

And why despite the satiric premise behind http://progressquest.com/ it is weirdly addicting.