Prediction: Amazon/Whole Foods will crush Blue Apron and similar
companies without really trying, possibly through a...
Prediction: Amazon/Whole Foods will crush Blue Apron and similar companies without really trying, possibly through a buyout or hiring all of the management.
IMHO, Blue Apron isn't a very high bar. I subscribed for a couple of weeks and found it to be far too expensive for what I got.
Maybe if I was insanely busy and it was the only viable alternative for eating out, I might've stuck with it.
OTOH, the wife and I got totally addicted to WebVan/HomeGrocer. The prices were comparable to the grocery store. The quality was excellent. And it was delivered locally shortly after being packed, so everything was fresh without having to pack it in a bunch of coolers and ice and such.
I'm thinking they could be the best of both worlds. On my way home from work, I could tell Amazon to deliver me the "spaghetti dinner kit". It'd just be all my favorite spaghetti-making items, but without the extra planning or packaging or expense. Shortly after I got home, a delivery-guy would show up with a bag of my stuff.
Because our Imperial-Rome trajectory is already a problem and I don't want to embrace it fully.
As a thing in itself, it's fine except that it co-opts Amazon without nationalizing it, so it enshrines them as our corporate overlords. (Sure, they already are in most senses.)
Thirdly, until and unless we have fully universal internet access, the Amazon/Whole Foods thing promises to just intensify food-desert issues, which is outside the scope of both your point and mine, but it's still a thing.
I'm not sure about that, Brandes Stoddard. While using WF as a distribution center for sure benefits people who live close to one more ... I can for sure envision delivering 5, 10, 15, 20 miles out from a WF.
Then, add on using, say, Target as a distribution center? Boom, you're reaching a crapload more people.
IMHO, Blue Apron isn't a very high bar. I subscribed for a couple of weeks and found it to be far too expensive for what I got.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if I was insanely busy and it was the only viable alternative for eating out, I might've stuck with it.
OTOH, the wife and I got totally addicted to WebVan/HomeGrocer. The prices were comparable to the grocery store. The quality was excellent. And it was delivered locally shortly after being packed, so everything was fresh without having to pack it in a bunch of coolers and ice and such.
Put that in the list of "similar companies" that'll be eaten alive by whole amazon.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking they could be the best of both worlds. On my way home from work, I could tell Amazon to deliver me the "spaghetti dinner kit". It'd just be all my favorite spaghetti-making items, but without the extra planning or packaging or expense. Shortly after I got home, a delivery-guy would show up with a bag of my stuff.
ReplyDeleteWhy tell them each day? They'll predict what you want.
ReplyDeleteOnce this is correctly combined with UBI, it's a beautiful high-tech Roman grain dole. I should possibly feel worse about that than I do.
ReplyDeleteWhy would you feel bad about that, Brandes Stoddard?
ReplyDeleteBecause our Imperial-Rome trajectory is already a problem and I don't want to embrace it fully.
ReplyDeleteAs a thing in itself, it's fine except that it co-opts Amazon without nationalizing it, so it enshrines them as our corporate overlords. (Sure, they already are in most senses.)
Thirdly, until and unless we have fully universal internet access, the Amazon/Whole Foods thing promises to just intensify food-desert issues, which is outside the scope of both your point and mine, but it's still a thing.
Now, combine it with GPS, and you can have delivery of a food prep kit to your door right as you arrive.
ReplyDeleteCombine that with knowing when you usually leave work, and if you've left late that'll be a hot meal, ready to eat.
Combine that with knowing when you went into work, and if you are at work for too long, it'll include a bottle of cheap wine.
And that's just what I can envision now.
I'm not sure about that, Brandes Stoddard. While using WF as a distribution center for sure benefits people who live close to one more ... I can for sure envision delivering 5, 10, 15, 20 miles out from a WF.
ReplyDeleteThen, add on using, say, Target as a distribution center? Boom, you're reaching a crapload more people.
The future is now thanks to science!
ReplyDelete