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Uber Is Testing a Massive Merchant Delivery Program

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11–20 of 74 posts

Re: Uber Is Testing a Massive Merchant Delivery Program

#11
It's probably worth noting that--primarily in denser locations--the rapid delivery of goods is already a thing. Delivery of papers by bicycle messenger (although that has declined), takeout delivery, grocery delivery (which has been around for a long time in many cities but has been getting more systematic with services like Instacart). Of course, there have also been massive failures trying this in the past like Kozmo.

I suspect there's a complicated relationship between density, profit margins and overall cart value of what's being delivered, price sensitivity, and other factors. It obviously does work in some domains and those who already have established something that could form the basis of a delivery infrastructure may be in the best position to experiment further. It won't work for everything or everyone but if fast delivery works for food for example, there's no inherent reason it shouldn't work for a lot of other goods that people can't get easily delivered today.

Re: Uber Is Testing a Massive Merchant Delivery Program

#12
post #2

This will be an ideal service that many are looking forward to. Fast and convenient.

Or it could be the new Yodel: unreliable, poor customer service, cheap, badly paid workers on piecerate.

The funny think is that local merchants used to offer delivery a lot more ("butcher's basket" bicycles, fish vans, electric milk floats, etc). I guess we're coming back to that mode of business.

Re: Uber Is Testing a Massive Merchant Delivery Program

#14
post #2

This will be an ideal service that many are looking forward to. Fast and convenient.

On the backs of 1099 workers. Uber needs to be work on some social responsibility. Do we really want a country where the majority are struggling to serve the few?

Re: Uber Is Testing a Massive Merchant Delivery Program

#16
post #2

This will be an ideal service that many are looking forward to. Fast and convenient.

On the backs of 1099 workers. Uber needs to be work on some social responsibility. Do we really want a country where the majority are struggling to serve the few?

The ingenious twist of American ideology is that so many of the many perceive themselves as aspiring members of the few, and hence oppose the kinds of policy that would improve conditions for the many.

Re: Uber Is Testing a Massive Merchant Delivery Program

#18
post #2

This will be an ideal service that many are looking forward to. Fast and convenient.

On the backs of 1099 workers. Uber needs to be work on some social responsibility. Do we really want a country where the majority are struggling to serve the few?

They're free to work for whoever they want. No one is forcing anyone to drive for Uber, they're doing it voluntarily. Why forcibly stop consensual behaviour?

Re: Uber Is Testing a Massive Merchant Delivery Program

#19
Quietly is a funny way to put it since I've heard it in the news three or four times lately.

Each time I hear about it I think of a hollywood heist movie that starts and finishes quickly when the robbers simply figure out how to manipulate things so they're the uber driver delivering the package they want.

Re: Uber Is Testing a Massive Merchant Delivery Program

#20
post #10

The taxi companies in my town have always offered package delivery (though I've never seen it used much). The idea isn't new, though the technology could help out with the practicality of it.

Yep. I drove a cab for about a year (2003ish, college town of ~200,000 people), and the company I drove for did this. It wasn't a big business, but there were a few substantial accounts, notably the local university hospital system, which sent around a lot of specimens in very serious-looking containers. Pre-ubiquitous GPS, shared taxi dispatching and routing involved a lot of yelling and guessing.
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