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I had to build a web scraper to buy groceries

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Re: I had to build a web scraper to buy groceries

#121

Post by kevingadd »

reaperducer wrote: post #52

Of all the grocery companies in my area, only Walmart has it right: Choose an available pick up time, then start online shopping. All the others let you fill your cart, then at checkout tell you there are no slots available until the end of time. Waste of time, energy, and hope. F U, Target, Safeway, Albertsons, and Kroger.

The safeway website lets me pick a time slot first, though I don't know if it reserves it. I've never had it disappear out from under me after I selected it but right now there are no slots open at all for me to test.

Re: I had to build a web scraper to buy groceries

#122

Post by mderazon »

40four wrote: post #115

Why is grocery delivery considered a ‘safer’ option than going to the store yourself. I actually prefer to do it myself. I’d rather be the one to lay hands on all my own products. Why would you trust an unknown group of people to take all the proper precautions? Who picked the item by hand? Who is this bringing it to your door? Are you sure they washed hands? Did they accidentally sneeze on anything? Is the vehicle s…

How do you trust the employee who restocked the shelves with all the groceries or filled the stands with fruits?

Re: I had to build a web scraper to buy groceries

#123

Post by halfmatthalfcat »

mderazon wrote: post #122
40four wrote: post #115

Why is grocery delivery considered a ‘safer’ option than going to the store yourself. I actually prefer to do it myself. I’d rather be the one to lay hands on all my own products. Why would you trust an unknown group of people to take all the proper precautions? Who picked the item by hand? Who is this bringing it to your door? Are you sure they washed hands? Did they accidentally sneeze on anything? Is the vehicle s…

How do you trust the employee who restocked the shelves with all the groceries or filled the stands with fruits?

The point is you’re eliminating a completely unnecessary vector for getting infected. The risk of getting infected from within the grocery is assumed in both scenarios.

Re: I had to build a web scraper to buy groceries

#124

Post by chmod775 »

The picture with his cookies contains the suspicious keys "hphone" and "hmail", which likely show md5 sums of his phone number and mail respectively.

Especially the phone one can easily be brute-forced (small search space). I wonder why they hash this in the first place?

I hope they're salted...

Re: I had to build a web scraper to buy groceries

#125

Post by rendall »

40four wrote: post #115

Why is grocery delivery considered a ‘safer’ option than going to the store yourself. I actually prefer to do it myself. I’d rather be the one to lay hands on all my own products. Why would you trust an unknown group of people to take all the proper precautions? Who picked the item by hand? Who is this bringing it to your door? Are you sure they washed hands? Did they accidentally sneeze on anything? Is the vehicle s…

All good points, but these cautions apply before you encounter and touch your purchases as well. In either case, you're cleaning and disinfecting your potentially contaminated purchases inside your home, whether or not someone touched them before or after you purchased them.

I don't think you're eliminating a vector by going out yourself. Not significantly, if at all.

Re: I had to build a web scraper to buy groceries

#126

Post by jniedrauer »

40four wrote: post #115

Why is grocery delivery considered a ‘safer’ option than going to the store yourself. I actually prefer to do it myself. I’d rather be the one to lay hands on all my own products. Why would you trust an unknown group of people to take all the proper precautions? Who picked the item by hand? Who is this bringing it to your door? Are you sure they washed hands? Did they accidentally sneeze on anything? Is the vehicle s…

> I’d rather be the one to lay hands on all my own products.

Someone had to stock the shelves that morning.

I've been keeping my groceries in the bag, sticking the entire thing in the refrigerator, and then not touching it for at least 24 hours.

The only thing delivery/curbside pickup changes is reducing the time spent breathing in close proximity to other people.

Re: I had to build a web scraper to buy groceries

#127

Post by jniedrauer »

YeGoblynQueenne wrote: post #107

>> everybody stays at home and especially avoids crowded indoor places like supermarkets. I know I shouldn't do that, my doctor has advised me against it, but I have a headache today and this made it worse and I can't help myself so: this is an oxymoron. If everybody is staying at home, then supermarkets cannot be crowded. If supermarkets are crowded, then everybody is not staying at home. Both things can't be happen…

I think we've all underestimated just how many people "everybody" is. Normally we're spread out. Now we're either at home, the park, or the grocery store, and suddenly it seems more crowded even though "everybody" is staying at home.

Re: I had to build a web scraper to buy groceries

#128

Post by sneak »

spuz wrote: post #91
sneak wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How not-young must one be to be legitimate in taking steps like this to avoid contracting this potentially fatal illness? I’m not yet 40. I have bought all of my food online and had it delivered for years now. Should I now begin exposing myself to the infection risks posed by going inside a grocery store? This may sound like snark but it’s not. I’m curious about the opinions of people who feel this way.

Are you otherwise healthy? If so and if you find almost every food delivery slot taken then I would say yes, you should be doing your grocery shopping in person. It's not a huge burden to change your behaviours for other people's benefit especially if others also do the same.

> It's not a huge burden to change your behaviours for other people's benefit especially if others also do the same.

Potentially exposing oneself to a lethal virus is indeed a huge burden, and I do not agree that anyone is obligated to put themselves at risk.

Re: I had to build a web scraper to buy groceries

#129

Post by aglionby »

tzs wrote: post #56
reaperducer wrote: post #52

Of all the grocery companies in my area, only Walmart has it right: Choose an available pick up time, then start online shopping. All the others let you fill your cart, then at checkout tell you there are no slots available until the end of time. Waste of time, energy, and hope. F U, Target, Safeway, Albertsons, and Kroger.

Walmart is also tied for my top spot for in-person shopping during this. Walmart gets that spot because of their mobile app which does a pretty good job of telling me what is in stock at my local store. My other top choice is a small (three store) chain in Western Washington called Central Market [1]. (If the name seems familiar, it may be from season 10 of "Top Chef" which was set in Seattle. Top Chef normally sends…

Don't have any personal experience, but in the UK I think most supermarkets are taking similar steps, at least when it comes to plexiglass shields and limiting capacity in shops. I was surprised at the extent of the distancing measures in some cases -- looks like Tesco defines a route around (some of? I got this from an ad [1], so, pinch of salt) their shops and has 2m intervals marked throughout.

[1] https://twitter.com/Tesco/status/1243670478524383232

Re: I had to build a web scraper to buy groceries

#130

Post by 40four »

mderazon wrote: post #122
40four wrote: post #115

Why is grocery delivery considered a ‘safer’ option than going to the store yourself. I actually prefer to do it myself. I’d rather be the one to lay hands on all my own products. Why would you trust an unknown group of people to take all the proper precautions? Who picked the item by hand? Who is this bringing it to your door? Are you sure they washed hands? Did they accidentally sneeze on anything? Is the vehicle s…

How do you trust the employee who restocked the shelves with all the groceries or filled the stands with fruits?

That’s true, but that can’t be eliminated.
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