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Re: Free Shipping

#41

Post by ant_li0n »

Spooky23 wrote: post #17
mido22 wrote: post #3

Can someone please summarize this bad take? I tried reading it but got lost halfway.

Sounds like the idea of a delivery robot isn't working out in testing, so now focus is shifting to the notion of an Amazon robot associated with each building to fetch packages from a truck. Sort of a mechanical coal chute, except with a bunch of gotchas. In my mind, this problem was solved a long time ago. We had these mysterious outlets called stores that you went to and exchanged money for product. The root proble…

I personally don't understand why 'last mile' is such a big deal. Personally I would rather just order on walmart.com, have it ready for me to pick up at the store. If I really want it, I can go get it the moment I get the notification. Otherwise, I'll pick it up on the way home from work, or when I'm out and about.

It's silly, but I don't want my neighbors thinking, "damn, they order a lot of packages" and I don't want to worry about an expensive item getting lifted. Seems to me the simplest answer is not to build a robot, but just to make smaller versions of the big box store that are essentially a small warehouse with a front office.

Re: Free Shipping

#42

Post by Hasz »

Never knew Snapchat was funding magazines!

"Real Life is made possible by funding from Snapchat, and we operate with editorial independence and without ads

Wonder how that happened.

Re: Free Shipping

#43

Post by jonfw »

bluGill wrote: post #32
TomMarius wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And then I order from said website. Why would I go to the store when I'm already on the web?

Because I get same day shipping at no extra charge. I've done it myself a few times. It is really nice to walk in and have everything waiting for me (this is even more important now that my kids are of the age to fight over who gets to push the cart until they dump it). Better yet, if they don't have it at that store I can go to the next store, their competitor, or pick a different model they do have in stock. Amazon…

Ebay offers fast and free shipping on many items with guaranteed dates, usually 2 or 3 days, without having to pay for a prime membership.

I've seen online shipping speeds get a lot faster over the past couple of years so if you have quit than you might be surprised at speed and value if you come back.

Re: Free Shipping

#44

Post by Spooky23 »

ant_li0n wrote: post #41
Spooky23 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like the idea of a delivery robot isn't working out in testing, so now focus is shifting to the notion of an Amazon robot associated with each building to fetch packages from a truck. Sort of a mechanical coal chute, except with a bunch of gotchas. In my mind, this problem was solved a long time ago. We had these mysterious outlets called stores that you went to and exchanged money for product. The root proble…

I personally don't understand why 'last mile' is such a big deal. Personally I would rather just order on walmart.com, have it ready for me to pick up at the store. If I really want it, I can go get it the moment I get the notification. Otherwise, I'll pick it up on the way home from work, or when I'm out and about. It's silly, but I don't want my neighbors thinking, "damn, they order a lot of packages" and I don't w…

Amazon sees a unique opportunity to capture lots of market share and needs a way to build a sustainable business. (Aka takeover the market and raise prices) Amazon’s profit story is all about services.

Big box stores are kind of screwed because they overextended on debt and used financing schemes that front-load tax benefits and create problems down the road unless you always grow.

Re: Free Shipping

#45

Post by clydethefrog »

Hasz wrote: post #42

Never knew Snapchat was funding magazines! "Real Life is made possible by funding from Snapchat, and we operate with editorial independence and without ads Wonder how that happened.

You can read all about it in this article:

https://www.businessinsider.com/why-snapchat-is-funding-real...

tl;dr: The editor wrote an interesting essay that caught the attention of Snapchat CEO, which wanted more of this output.

What's interesting is that Real Life is highly critical about technology, while you would expect based on the funding a sort of think tank creating pro-tech fluff pieces.

Re: Free Shipping

#46

Post by Hasz »

clydethefrog wrote: post #45
Hasz wrote: post #42

Never knew Snapchat was funding magazines! "Real Life is made possible by funding from Snapchat, and we operate with editorial independence and without ads Wonder how that happened.

You can read all about it in this article: https://www.businessinsider.com/why-snapchat-is-funding-real... tl;dr: The editor wrote an interesting essay that caught the attention of Snapchat CEO, which wanted more of this output. What's interesting is that Real Life is highly critical about technology, while you would expect based on the funding a sort of think tank creating pro-tech fluff pieces.

Thank you - interesting story, and a very interesting editor.

Re: Free Shipping

#47

Post by danimal88 »

I really hate the casualness with which returns are assumed to work. Many goods aren't resellable after being returned with the end result being that they simply get thrown away. Its soooo wasteful.

Re: Free Shipping

#48

Post by contingencies »

Parts of this article resonated strongly with me. At http://infinite-food.com we are attempting to redefine urban food distribution through shared storage and 'just in time' (JIT) production of a wide range of hot or cold meals within a wholly owned and operated network of kiosk-sized self-contained robotic service locations, combined with a managed logistics system. Big wins from less real estate, less waste, less transportation, meaning less costs and less environmental impact, plus of course reduced cognitive and temporal load for the consumer (and optionally kitchenless or applianceless apartments - part of a trend which I call SKINK - Shared KItchen / No Kitchen). Big losses for the ritual of the grocery trip. It's looking at food on demand as an urban utility instead of a scarce personally owned resource, and choice and personalization as ever-present instead of having to battle restrictive commercial menus or plan ahead and self cater. I see our company as an early investment in a larger trend of moving industrial processes out of the industrial revolution (central industrial hub plus multi-party distribution to consumers) toward a more distributed model supporting aspects such as personalization. Interesting that the author identifies as an architect. Plus one for cross-domain abstractions! NB. We use a pickup model and target 3 minutes to itch-scratching, but could integrate with delivery (~30-60) if desired: we try to get closer to the consumer with a vastly reduced retail form factor, to enhance the chance for repeated and spontaneous use. Currently taking investment and beginning manufacturing targeting China, HK and Macau!

Re: Free Shipping

#49

Post by icebraining »

clydethefrog wrote: post #45
Hasz wrote: post #42

Never knew Snapchat was funding magazines! "Real Life is made possible by funding from Snapchat, and we operate with editorial independence and without ads Wonder how that happened.

You can read all about it in this article: https://www.businessinsider.com/why-snapchat-is-funding-real... tl;dr: The editor wrote an interesting essay that caught the attention of Snapchat CEO, which wanted more of this output. What's interesting is that Real Life is highly critical about technology, while you would expect based on the funding a sort of think tank creating pro-tech fluff pieces.

> What's interesting is that Real Life is highly critical about technology, while you would expect based on the funding a sort of think tank creating pro-tech fluff pieces.

It's not an uncommon case. Black Mirror even lampooned it back in its second episode (Fifteen Million Merits).

Re: Free Shipping

#50

Post by icebraining »

ant_li0n wrote: post #41
Spooky23 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like the idea of a delivery robot isn't working out in testing, so now focus is shifting to the notion of an Amazon robot associated with each building to fetch packages from a truck. Sort of a mechanical coal chute, except with a bunch of gotchas. In my mind, this problem was solved a long time ago. We had these mysterious outlets called stores that you went to and exchanged money for product. The root proble…

I personally don't understand why 'last mile' is such a big deal. Personally I would rather just order on walmart.com, have it ready for me to pick up at the store. If I really want it, I can go get it the moment I get the notification. Otherwise, I'll pick it up on the way home from work, or when I'm out and about. It's silly, but I don't want my neighbors thinking, "damn, they order a lot of packages" and I don't w…

What do you think of Amazon's trunk delivery?
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