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Instacart raises another $150M

techcrunch.com

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Re: Instacart raises another $150M

#31

Post by badminton1 »

I used Instacart in the past, and ran into many issues with them.

There may not be enough stock for one of your choices, and in that case it is up to the delivery person to pick a replacement.

Even if you ask for no replacements, or to be called in order to pick one over the phone, they may ring you (just to comply with the requirement of calling you) and then select a random replacement. If you happen to have allergies or dietary restrictions: good luck winning the replacement lottery.

I canceled an order because I was notified that 80% of my order wasn't in stock, and they unilaterally reactivated my order for another time, which happened to be a time where I was not available.

This is when I finally decided to switch to Amazon Fresh. To this date, I have had no incidents with them, especially with respect to stock. The only problems I've had with Fresh are:

- Once, they delivered slightly late and I got $10 credit for my next order.

- A few times some items were damaged. Got in contact with customer support and got a refund for all the damaged items.

Re: Instacart raises another $150M

#32

Post by abalone »

subpixel wrote: post #15

Last time this happened I said Instacart is a middleman and I didn't see their opportunity to break out and be a market maker. But I just realized a potential endgame: Instacart will be Amazon Prime (the subscription delivery business) without the need to be Amazon (the retail, global-scale logistics, and marketing company). Do I want to pay 30% extra on every individual order from local stores to have Instacart hand…

> would I consider paying something like Amazon Prime fees, every month, to have 'free' delivery on orders over $100 from my grocery store...

Wonder if you realize Amazon just rolled out exactly that for Whole Foods. Free 2-hour delivery for Prime members -- via Prime Now, not Amazon Fresh. Just launched in SF like a couple weeks ago. And it's a $35 minimum.

Major advantage over Instacart is vastly superior direct integration with their inventory system. Way less substitutions. Also Prime ($99) is obviously a higher-value bundle than Instacart Express ($149).

Instacart's opportunity is to serve all the other retailers that are crapping their collective pants over this. Whether it's a short or long term opportunity... remains to be seen.

Re: Instacart raises another $150M

#33

Post by Moto7451 »

imroot wrote: post #29
idunno246 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

instacart express is 150/year or 15/month for unlimited free delivery over 35. the few times ive used it the experience hasnt been great though, so couldnt imagine using it enough for that to be worth it

I had Instacart express for a year (it was $99/year). I cancelled it after a year. If I want nothing but dry goods, I'll get them on Prime Now: the Instacart shoppers couldn't buy the produce at the quality that I would expect it to be for that price...so, I just go to Whole Foods and buy my own groceries now.

I used Prime Now and Prime Pantry to do my return-from-a-long-trip grocery shopping and it was fantastic. The product quality was really good and it was the first time I thought one of these convenience services was not a rip off.

Re: Instacart raises another $150M

#35

Post by stevenwoo »

whymsicalburito wrote: post #10
stevenwoo wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Finding a parking space at that particular Costco is ridiculous within about 30 minutes of the store opening.

Is there really a parking problem, or is it more of a walking problem? I've yet to see a costco parking lot that doesn't have tons of empty spaces if you're willing to walk 2 minutes

That particular one is very bad, I've gone at 2PM from the work office to that Costco and left because I didn't want to sit and wait for a parking space. This was not the case ten years ago for the exact same store. The one closer to my home in Mountain View is OK for at least an hour after opening, haven't been at other times. I've been to one in San Diego where a friend lives and they parked half a mile away.

Re: Instacart raises another $150M

#36

Post by aphextron »

abalone wrote: post #32
subpixel wrote: post #15

Last time this happened I said Instacart is a middleman and I didn't see their opportunity to break out and be a market maker. But I just realized a potential endgame: Instacart will be Amazon Prime (the subscription delivery business) without the need to be Amazon (the retail, global-scale logistics, and marketing company). Do I want to pay 30% extra on every individual order from local stores to have Instacart hand…

> would I consider paying something like Amazon Prime fees, every month, to have 'free' delivery on orders over $100 from my grocery store... Wonder if you realize Amazon just rolled out exactly that for Whole Foods. Free 2-hour delivery for Prime members -- via Prime Now, not Amazon Fresh. Just launched in SF like a couple weeks ago. And it's a $35 minimum. Major advantage over Instacart is vastly superior direct in…

>Wonder if you realize Amazon just rolled out exactly that for Whole Foods. Free 2-hour delivery for Prime members -- via Prime Now, not Amazon Fresh. Just launched in SF like a couple weeks ago. And it's a $35 minimum.

It's worth noting that Instacart has been doing this for years now, and has massive amounts of operational experience in this area which Amazon lacks. They also have lower or no minimums and a greater selection.

Re: Instacart raises another $150M

#37

Post by whistlerbrk »

abalone wrote: post #32
subpixel wrote: post #15

Last time this happened I said Instacart is a middleman and I didn't see their opportunity to break out and be a market maker. But I just realized a potential endgame: Instacart will be Amazon Prime (the subscription delivery business) without the need to be Amazon (the retail, global-scale logistics, and marketing company). Do I want to pay 30% extra on every individual order from local stores to have Instacart hand…

> would I consider paying something like Amazon Prime fees, every month, to have 'free' delivery on orders over $100 from my grocery store... Wonder if you realize Amazon just rolled out exactly that for Whole Foods. Free 2-hour delivery for Prime members -- via Prime Now, not Amazon Fresh. Just launched in SF like a couple weeks ago. And it's a $35 minimum. Major advantage over Instacart is vastly superior direct in…

"way less substitutions" we had three no-ask substitutions on our very last order and arugula that spoiled in two days time. Canceled our trial. Instacart, at least in NYC, is a mess IMO.

Re: Instacart raises another $150M

#38

Post by subpixel »

subpixel wrote: post #15

Last time this happened I said Instacart is a middleman and I didn't see their opportunity to break out and be a market maker. But I just realized a potential endgame: Instacart will be Amazon Prime (the subscription delivery business) without the need to be Amazon (the retail, global-scale logistics, and marketing company). Do I want to pay 30% extra on every individual order from local stores to have Instacart hand…

Update: I didn’t realize Instacart has already rolled this out. I think it’s genius, and a strategy where not being Amazon is a big advantage b/c Amazon is trying to replace the businesses Instacart is signing up as partners.

Re: Instacart raises another $150M

#39

Post by vadym909 »

whistlerbrk wrote: post #37
abalone wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> would I consider paying something like Amazon Prime fees, every month, to have 'free' delivery on orders over $100 from my grocery store... Wonder if you realize Amazon just rolled out exactly that for Whole Foods. Free 2-hour delivery for Prime members -- via Prime Now, not Amazon Fresh. Just launched in SF like a couple weeks ago. And it's a $35 minimum. Major advantage over Instacart is vastly superior direct in…

"way less substitutions" we had three no-ask substitutions on our very last order and arugula that spoiled in two days time. Canceled our trial. Instacart, at least in NYC, is a mess IMO.

thats what he said. AMZN is better

Re: Instacart raises another $150M

#40

Post by clay_the_ripper »

prdonahue wrote: post #34

This company uses some incredibly scummy dark UX patterns. See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13702128 .

Agreed. When I discovered this in the app I immediately deleted the app from my phone. I’ll never use the again. Coupled with the lousy service, instacart is a no go for me. amazon prime now is a vastly superior product.
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