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AmazonFresh Has Launched in Bay Area

blogs.sfweekly.com

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Re: AmazonFresh Has Launched in Bay Area

#31

Post by dylandrop »

evmar wrote: post #8

I tried Google Shopping Express (a similar idea) for a while and found that what really matters is how delivery works. I'm typically at work all day and I (like most San Franciscans?) don't have a doorman to receive deliveries. These Amazon pages don't say much, but they show pictures of delivery trucks in front of Victorians like mine and a grocery bag on a welcome mat. If they left a bag full of food in my entryway…

I agree. Also, what about perishables? You can't have those sitting around all day so you'd still need to go to the grocery store for that

Re: AmazonFresh Has Launched in Bay Area

#32

Post by saosebastiao »

evmar wrote: post #8

I tried Google Shopping Express (a similar idea) for a while and found that what really matters is how delivery works. I'm typically at work all day and I (like most San Franciscans?) don't have a doorman to receive deliveries. These Amazon pages don't say much, but they show pictures of delivery trucks in front of Victorians like mine and a grocery bag on a welcome mat. If they left a bag full of food in my entryway…

This is the main reason I roll my eyes whenever people say self-driving cars are the future of product delivery. After hundreds of years of history in mass delivery systems, we still haven't figured out how to interact with customers at a human level...no way in hell a robot is going to be better at it any time soon.

Re: AmazonFresh Has Launched in Bay Area

#33

Post by bbosh »

user1239321421 wrote: post #12

Odd ... all big supermarket chains do this in all of the UK. My Tesco delivery is arriving in the next 20 minutes ... plus no annual charge over here.

But delivery isn't free, and if you are a regular user you can pay £120 per year for all inclusive delivery with Tesco Delivery Saver.

Re: AmazonFresh Has Launched in Bay Area

#36

Post by winslow »

augustflanagan wrote: post #34
dmamills wrote: post #30

As an daily HN reader and Canadian from a very small town, you guys in San Fran live in a very strange bubble.

This isn't a new service, it's just new to San Francisco. It's been running for 6 years in Seattle.

I've seen it around LA as well.

Re: AmazonFresh Has Launched in Bay Area

#37

Post by rogerbinns »

saosebastiao wrote: post #32
evmar wrote: post #8

I tried Google Shopping Express (a similar idea) for a while and found that what really matters is how delivery works. I'm typically at work all day and I (like most San Franciscans?) don't have a doorman to receive deliveries. These Amazon pages don't say much, but they show pictures of delivery trucks in front of Victorians like mine and a grocery bag on a welcome mat. If they left a bag full of food in my entryway…

This is the main reason I roll my eyes whenever people say self-driving cars are the future of product delivery. After hundreds of years of history in mass delivery systems, we still haven't figured out how to interact with customers at a human level...no way in hell a robot is going to be better at it any time soon.

Think harder! The vehicle only has to arrive when you are actually there to pick up whatever it has. Robot drivers don't get tired, need bathroom breaks or get impatient. You can share your location if on your way home so it can meet you exactly as you arrive.

The vehicle can then have lockboxes. You enter a code and it opens up letting you access your stuff. (Or you use your phone or whatever.)

Re: AmazonFresh Has Launched in Bay Area

#39

Post by yajoe »

colinsidoti wrote: post #18
mlyang wrote: post #13

Interesting to see a new spin on this. Webvan was one of the biggest busts of the dot com era ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webvan ) -- interesting that Amazon resurrected it..

More interesting... They bought Kiva Systems for $775 million from Mick Mountz, a former Webvan employee who identified warehouse fulfillment as a prohibitive cost in delivering groceries. http://www.kivasystems.com/about-us-the-kiva-approach/manage... It's unclear if Amazon has actually started using Kiva, though. Does anyone know? That 60 minutes special didn't show them using it. Edit: Changed from "the prohibitiv…

> It's unclear if Amazon has actually started using Kiva, though.

Yeah. They use them a lot. A lot, a lot. It was cheaper to buy the company than pay to outfit every FC. All newish fulfillment centers ( http://www.amazonfulfillmentcareers.com/amazon-fulfillment/l... ) are divided into "kiva" and "non-kiva" areas. I think there is only one FC that is fully "kiva," but it may be as many as 3 now. Details are NDA.

Re: AmazonFresh Has Launched in Bay Area

#40

Post by robbiet480 »

radley wrote: post #38

Curious what "San Francisco Area" means. I can only get Fresh in San Francisco, not Oakland. Maybe down the peninsula?

The interesting thing about that, is I can order Homeroom (a restaurant in Oakland) delivery, but not to my house, 10 blocks down Broadway
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