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Blue Apron's 90% Drop Makes It Third Worst U.S. IPO This Decade

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Re: Blue Apron's 90% Drop Makes It Third Worst U.S. IPO This Decade

#31

Post by whyonearth »

heipei wrote: post #21

As much as I love certain aspects of the US, companies like Blue Apron just serve as a reminder of the absolutely twisted and unhealthy relationship that Americans seems to have regarding their daily meals. I know people who eat out multiple times a week (with their spouse), every week of the year, and other people who eat out every day during lunch. I guess it's somewhat understandable if you're single and maybe eve…

When thinking about cultural differences, it's not sensible (let alone tactful) to jump to "absolutely twisted and unhealthy."

Re: Blue Apron's 90% Drop Makes It Third Worst U.S. IPO This Decade

#32

Post by ryanmercer »

heipei wrote: post #21

As much as I love certain aspects of the US, companies like Blue Apron just serve as a reminder of the absolutely twisted and unhealthy relationship that Americans seems to have regarding their daily meals. I know people who eat out multiple times a week (with their spouse), every week of the year, and other people who eat out every day during lunch. I guess it's somewhat understandable if you're single and maybe eve…

>As much as I love certain aspects of the US, companies like Blue Apron just serve as a reminder of the absolutely twisted and unhealthy relationship that Americans seems to have regarding their daily meals.

Eh. Most Americans can't afford this type of service, even if they think they can. 10$ for a meal is insanely expensive, sure going out to eat once in a while but not for multiple meals a week. You can eat for multiple days off of 10$, one of their 10$ meals can be less than 1/3 of a 2k kcal diet's needs meaning you need 25-35ish dollars a day to survive off their service.

This is for suckers, like the 'dollar shave club' customers that don't realize they can buy the exact same blades they sell (at least initially) direct from the manufacturer (Dorco) or spend far less and use a safety razor. Or suckers that fall for 'loot crate' type services where you get garbage product, sometimes stuff that just didn't sell well retail, and are told you're getting a bargain.

Re: Blue Apron's 90% Drop Makes It Third Worst U.S. IPO This Decade

#33

Post by dragonwriter »

ryanmercer wrote: post #32
heipei wrote: post #21

As much as I love certain aspects of the US, companies like Blue Apron just serve as a reminder of the absolutely twisted and unhealthy relationship that Americans seems to have regarding their daily meals. I know people who eat out multiple times a week (with their spouse), every week of the year, and other people who eat out every day during lunch. I guess it's somewhat understandable if you're single and maybe eve…

>As much as I love certain aspects of the US, companies like Blue Apron just serve as a reminder of the absolutely twisted and unhealthy relationship that Americans seems to have regarding their daily meals. Eh. Most Americans can't afford this type of service, even if they think they can. 10$ for a meal is insanely expensive, sure going out to eat once in a while but not for multiple meals a week. You can eat for mu…

> You can eat for multiple days off of 10$, one of their 10$ meals can be less than 1/3 of a 2k kcal diet's needs meaning you need 25-35ish dollars a day to survive off their service.

Well, surely, you were trying to survive off their meals you'd use the family plan, where it's $9/serving, rather than the $10/serving plan.

Plus, we're talking Blue Apron, not Soylent; it's not even aimed at people living off of it.

Re: Blue Apron's 90% Drop Makes It Third Worst U.S. IPO This Decade

#35

Post by stanleydrew »

ct0 wrote: post #9
ryanmercer wrote: post #4

"Company with absurdly expensive food that still requires considerable preparation gets rejected by non-tech workers". Federal minimum wage is $7.25 and median HOUSEHOLD income is around 59k so let's look at their pricing: the cheapest plan they offer is $39.96 a week for 4 servings a week ranging to $143.84 for 16 servings a week for $143.84. That means 1-day's kcals for someone on a 2k kcal diet is $25.68 to $39.96…

Cost for the delivered food and spices may be high, but I think blue apron missed out on the larger opportunity of food preparation education, aka cooking. They could have gamified the whole system to offer more difficult meals as the subscriber gets better, with points for free perks and all that.

This is a good idea, but wouldn't that essentially ensure that you churn out your best customers eventually? They get so good at cooking that they don't need your perfectly portioned and pre-prepped but overpriced meal kits.

Re: Blue Apron's 90% Drop Makes It Third Worst U.S. IPO This Decade

#36

Post by therobot24 »

sdinsn wrote: post #34
rawrmaan wrote: post #3

Good. I hope they fail. This is an insanely wasteful business model, and any claims they make about sustainability are ancillary at best.

But is it less wasteful than grocery stores, which trash so much of their stock/produce?

no

Re: Blue Apron's 90% Drop Makes It Third Worst U.S. IPO This Decade

#37

Post by ct0 »

stanleydrew wrote: post #35
ct0 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cost for the delivered food and spices may be high, but I think blue apron missed out on the larger opportunity of food preparation education, aka cooking. They could have gamified the whole system to offer more difficult meals as the subscriber gets better, with points for free perks and all that.

This is a good idea, but wouldn't that essentially ensure that you churn out your best customers eventually? They get so good at cooking that they don't need your perfectly portioned and pre-prepped but overpriced meal kits.

That's already happened with me, I mainly look up recipes and buy in store.I believe that adding "perks" for best customers would help keep them around a big longer.
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