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Old 06-25-2018, 01:08 AM
 
11,025 posts, read 7,766,385 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sinatras View Post
There are currently millions of grocery shoppers (and counting) who despise going to the store so much, and who are so busy, they will would gladly give up sales prices and picking out the largest head of lettuce in exchange for getting that hour of their life back and spending it doing something more valuable, like practicing piano with their kid.

I could care less if Viva is on sale. I only buy Bounty and a specific type of Bounty. Which I can get anywhere online and I don't care what the price is. I apply the same thinking to many many other groceries. I am very brand loyal.

As far as the meat sell-by dates and the apple pies, first of all you are taking a chance of wasting a trip to the store because they may be sold out of those items, or have the wrong ones, or suddenly no longer carry them (Publix is especially famous for suddenly deciding to stop carrying a certain item). Second, online grocery pickers are trained (Walmart, Instacart, Ralphs, regardless of store or service) to watch for sell by dates and all that stuff.
Of course they are! Online sales are a tremendous opportunity for a vendor to sell goods that are nearing their obsolescence or are simply subpar in quality, that's exactly my point. Strict stock rotation will allow the online vendor to maintain a first in, first out inventory while a self-selecting consumer will get a fresher product. I'm not too concerned about the possibility of going to the store and finding they have discontinued ground beef, milk, eggs or apple pie.

For that small percentage of consumers who are so loathe to do their own shopping they will pay with higher prices and receive inferior products. So be it.
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Old 06-25-2018, 06:33 AM
 
Location: South Tampa, Maui, Paris
4,417 posts, read 3,771,568 times
Reputation: 5201
Quote:
Originally Posted by kokonutty View Post
Of course they are! Online sales are a tremendous opportunity for a vendor to sell goods that are nearing their obsolescence or are simply subpar in quality, that's exactly my point. Strict stock rotation will allow the online vendor to maintain a first in, first out inventory while a self-selecting consumer will get a fresher product. I'm not too concerned about the possibility of going to the store and finding they have discontinued ground beef, milk, eggs or apple pie.

For that small percentage of consumers who are so loathe to do their own shopping they will pay with higher prices and receive inferior products. So be it.
I know at least 5 people who shop from Publix via Instacart weekly and they have yet to receive an item that was old or inferior. They love the service! And it is only increasing in popularity. Publix is now carving huge sections at the front of the store dedicated to several coolers holding bags of Instacart orders (see photo below). I think it's interesting people are ordering packs of bottled water. I'm sure it's very nice to have someone else deliver heavy items like those straight to your door!

A perfect example is my sister. She decided to do Instacart after going to Publix every Sunday and seeing they were out of many things she needed. Which then required a second trip to another store.

Now she schedules her Instacart run and avoids both those wasted trips.

I myself do not like Instacart b/c of the markups and fees. I order elsewhere as I have said.



Last edited by sinatras; 06-25-2018 at 07:44 AM..
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Old 06-25-2018, 09:45 AM
 
Location: Niceville, FL
13,259 posts, read 22,692,629 times
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Publix by the numbers:

https://therealdeal.com/miami/issues...n-real-estate/

Quote:
By contrast, Lakeland-based Publix had just $155 million of long-term debt and $580 million of cash at the end of 2017, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings the employee-owned company is required to file. It’s the highest-ranked Florida company in the Fortune 500, placing 89th in Fortune magazine’s 2018 list of the biggest U.S. companies by sales. Over the past four years, Publix has rung up annual sales of more than $30 billion and net earnings above $2 billion a year. The company’s profit margin on sales has been 6 percent or better in each of the last three years. “Most grocers are lucky to get 1 percent,” Livingston said.
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Old 06-25-2018, 10:41 AM
 
2,181 posts, read 1,118,183 times
Reputation: 5756
Quote:
Originally Posted by sinatras View Post
Why should I schlep to Target to buy Bounty paper towels, coffee, toilet paper, Coke, granola bars, chicken stock and canned tomatoes when I can have Target ship that stuff to me for free for the same price (or lower) (and free shipping) as going to buy it at Publix, Walmart, etc.?
Because you already have to go to Target to buy chicken, ground beef, fresh produce, etc.

Again, yes you are buying "groceries" online, but you are only buying dry-good, center-store items. That's not "true" grocery shopping.

As for you later post, how does Instacart help your sister if her main complaint about going to Publix was that they were always out of items she needed when she went to the store? Her Instacart shopper would be shopping from the same pool of groceries, so if Publix is out of it, they're out of it whether your sister or her Instacart shopper tried to buy it.
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Old 06-25-2018, 10:48 AM
 
Location: South Tampa, Maui, Paris
4,417 posts, read 3,771,568 times
Reputation: 5201
Quote:
Originally Posted by djsuperfly View Post
Because you already have to go to Target to buy chicken, ground beef, fresh produce, etc.

Again, yes you are buying "groceries" online, but you are only buying dry-good, center-store items. That's not "true" grocery shopping.

As for you later post, how does Instacart help your sister if her main complaint about going to Publix was that they were always out of items she needed when she went to the store? Her Instacart shopper would be shopping from the same pool of groceries, so if Publix is out of it, they're out of it whether your sister or her Instacart shopper tried to buy it.


Because she schedules the Instacart shop for a Tuesday, when her Publix store is devoid of human shoppers and fully stocked, but she has no time to go to the store.


LOL who made YOU the decider of how "grocery shopping" is defined?
The definition of "grocery shopping" in 2018 is quite different from the definition of grocery shopping in 2008.

I buy (BOTH fresh and dry goods) groceries from Amazon (online), Target (on and offline), Walmart (on and offline), Publix (offline), Sprouts (on and offline), and other stores for myriad reasons, including price, brands, etc.
I am far from the only person who grocery shops this way.
Just like I am far from the only person who buys washing machines on Amazon and cars on eBay.

The Internet has made it possible to complete a shop (whether it's groceries, cars or appliances) from a wide variety of physical and non-physical retailers.

Welcome to the 21st Century.

Last edited by sinatras; 06-25-2018 at 10:56 AM..
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Old 06-25-2018, 10:56 AM
 
2,181 posts, read 1,118,183 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sinatras View Post
Because she schedules the Instacart shop for a Tuesday, when her Publix store is devoid of human shoppers and fully stocked, but she has no time to go to the store.


LOL who made YOU the decider of how "grocery shopping" is defined?
The definition of "grocery shopping" in 2018 is quite different from the definition of grocery shopping in 2008.

I buy (BOTH fresh and dry goods) groceries from Amazon (online), Target (on and offline), Walmart (on and offline), Publix (offline), Sprouts (on and offline), and other online stores for myriad reasons, including price, brands, etc.
I am far from the only person who grocery shops this way.
Just like I am far from the only person who buys washing machines on Amazon and cars on eBay.

The Internet has made it possible to complete a shop (whether it's groceries, cars or appliances) from a wide variety of physical and non-physical retailers.

Welcome to the 21st Century.
What made me the definer of "grocery shopping" is how most people, including yourself, grocery shop.

You need dry-goods, but you also need fresh, perishable goods. AGAIN, you are not buying your chicken, ground beef, produce, etc. online and having it shipped directly to your house. The problem is you are trying to conflate too many things.

And stop acting like you are the only person in the world who shops online.
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Old 06-25-2018, 11:00 AM
 
Location: South Tampa, Maui, Paris
4,417 posts, read 3,771,568 times
Reputation: 5201
Quote:
Originally Posted by djsuperfly View Post
Who made me the definer of "grocery shopping" is how most people, including yourself, grocery shop.

You need dry-goods, but you also need fresh, perishable goods. AGAIN, you are not buying your chicken, ground beef, produce, etc. online and having it shipped directly to your house. The problem is you are trying to conflate too many things.
Really?

I get a monthly box of ice cream from Jeni's in Ohio.

If I can have ice cream shipped 1,022 miles to my door, you don't think I can have meats and veg shipped to my door? Not only do I buy meats and veg online, I also buy frozen seafood online. Woops!

Currently on my Tampa Next Door feed, people are arguing over the best online grocery stores. Somebody swears by Postmates delivery. One woman is raving about Thrive Market (never ordered from there, can't vouch for it). Some other guy is asking people to donate their insulated cardboard boxes from meal kit/grocery orders to his Scout troop.

Half the people on my street have boxes from Blue Apron and HelloFresh sitting on the curb for trash pickup tomorrow.

I'm glad that you still rely on your local grocery store for your groceries. That's super awesome!

Last edited by sinatras; 06-25-2018 at 11:16 AM..
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Old 06-25-2018, 11:11 AM
 
8,706 posts, read 4,948,129 times
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Not only Publix, not only Fla. It is every state.
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Old 06-25-2018, 11:19 AM
 
2,181 posts, read 1,118,183 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sinatras View Post
Really?

I get a monthly box of ice cream from Jeni's in Ohio.

If I can have ice cream shipped 1,022 miles to my door, you don't think I can have meats and veg shipped to my door?

Currently on my Tampa Next Door feed, people are arguing over the best online grocery stores. Somebody swears by Postmates delivery. One woman is raving about Thrive Market (never ordered from there, can't vouch for it). Some other guy is asking people to donate their insulated cardboard boxes from meal kit/grocery orders to his Scout troop.

Half the people on my street have boxes from Blue Apron and HelloFresh sitting on the curb for trash pickup tomorrow.

I'm glad that you still rely on your local grocery store for your groceries. That's super awesome!
The point is that you toot the horn of all these services, but you've said yourself that you don't actually use them. So what exactly is your point? You state how awesome they are, but you still go to stores yourself.

That's not ordering YOUR groceries online. If you ever go into a grocery store to buy groceries, you are not meeting the definition of what most people would consider "buying your groceries online." It's amazing after all these posts that you are JUST NOW talking about how you order perishables online. Where was this before? Either you're very bad at making arguments or you're just making things up as you go along.

We've already talked about Blue Apron and HelloFresh (if you can even remember all the circular arguments you've had to go through). I think they're awesome for people willing to pay for that convenience. As I've said, though, read their reviews. Packaging can be hit or miss. It's expensive for most people to do with regularity.

That's the big issue with your argument. No one is claiming that none of these options exist. However, they are prohibitively expensive for most people to use frequently. Online delivery of perishables is still a niche market. And, YOU yourself never claimed until now to even use these companies that offer these services.

How hard is this?

Last edited by djsuperfly; 06-25-2018 at 11:28 AM..
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Old 06-25-2018, 11:30 AM
 
Location: South Tampa, Maui, Paris
4,417 posts, read 3,771,568 times
Reputation: 5201
Quote:
Originally Posted by djsuperfly View Post
The point is that you toot the horn of all these services, but you've said yourself that you don't actually use them. So what exactly is your point? You state how awesome they are, but you still go to stores yourself.

That's not ordering YOUR groceries online. If you ever go into a grocery store to buy groceries, you are not meeting the definition of what most people would consider "buying your groceries online."

We've already talked about Blue Apron and HelloFresh (if you can even remember all the circular arguments you've had to go through). I think they're awesome for people willing to pay for that convenience. As I've said, though, read their reviews. Packaging can be hit or miss. It's expensive for most people to do with regularity.

That's the big issue with your argument. No one is claiming that none of these options exist. However, they are prohibitively expensive for most people to use frequently. Online delivery of perishables is still a niche market. And, YOU yourself claim to not even use these companies that offer these services.

How hard is this?

I think I have already said that I grocery shop both offline and online, and that many people are shopping this way. If you insist that grocery shopping must be exclusively offline, or exclusively online, then you have no clue as to what the path to purchase looks like today for the U.S. grocery shopper. You are trying to put the U.S. consumer into a box that no longer applies.

I don't use Instacart but I do use Amazon Fresh. I don't use Postmates but I do use Walmart.com. I buy fresh food online. I buy dry goods in a physical store.

My point is that many people are grocery shopping many different ways.

Last edited by sinatras; 06-25-2018 at 11:43 AM..
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