[FLHfan]

Originally Posted by djsuperfly

Some use dry ice; some use gel packs. End result is still the same when the UPS guy has trashed the box: Food isn't fresh.

But, hey, you win the internet today!

Thanks a bunch. Maybe tomorrow will be your day.

[boy3365]

Originally Posted by Rabflmom

Home delivery may be getting more expensive, too.

With the recent ruling about sales tax can be added to on line orders, I wonder if you order a food product from a source out of Florida that taxes food in their state, will you now have to pay taxes on food items you purchase and have delivered to Florida homes?

Based on my understanding, the companies already paying sales tax base their calculations on the address of the customer. If companies owed sales tax based on their own locations, I don't think this ruling would be a big deal and they would have been charging sales taxes this whole time. The articles about the ruling said that these companies will have about 16,000 tax jurisdictions they have to think about now. For example, Orange County has a 6.5% tax while Seminole County has a 7% tax. I'm sure the payment processors for these online companies are already coming up with solutions, or someone is writing the code for a new company as we speak that will be as big as PayPal someday.

[kokonutty]

Leaving the inane political nonsense behind let us consider a few things regarding online grocery shopping.

If you go to the store intending to buy Viva paper towels at $1.89 a roll and see Bounty are on sale at $.99 for the same size which will you buy? If you order Viva online do you think a store will substitute the sale brand?

If romaine lettuce is $.89 per head will you choose the largest and freshest head there or a smaller slightly wilted head? Which one will the store ship to the online customer?

If you want a pound of 85% lean chopped beef and two packages exist at the store, one with a "sell by date" of June 24th, the other with a date of June 27th, which will you select at the store? Which will the store ship to the customer?

What about an apple pie with two different dates?

How much more is the online customer willing to pay for the convenience of getting delivered an inferior product?

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by kokonutty

Leaving the inane political nonsense behind let us consider a few things regarding online grocery shopping.

If you go to the store intending to buy Viva paper towels at $1.89 a roll and see Bounty are on sale at $.99 for the same size which will you buy? If you order Viva online do you think a store will substitute the sale brand?

If romaine lettuce is $.89 per head will you choose the largest and freshest head there or a smaller slightly wilted head? Which one will the store ship to the online customer?

If you want a pound of 85% lean chopped beef and two packages exist at the store, one with a "sell by date" of June 24th, the other with a date of June 27th, which will you select at the store? Which will the store ship to the customer?

What about an apple pie with two different dates?

How much more is the online customer willing to pay for the convenience of getting delivered an inferior product?

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.

[gypsychic]

With all the shipping materials used from all this online shopping our planet is going to be drowning in waste materials. People, just go to the frikkin' store, you can't be THAT busy or lazy to need to buy every effin' thing online..... I go to the store and I always take my REUSABLE BAGS!

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

With all the shipping materials used from all this online shopping our planet is going to be drowning in waste materials. People, just go to the frikkin' store, you can't be THAT busy or lazy to need to buy every effin' thing online..... I go to the store and I always take my REUSABLE BAGS!

Reusable bags are not better than plastic. Say the experts.

https://www.theatlantic.com/technolo...o-tote/498557/

[boy3365]

Originally Posted by sinatras

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.

You are correct in that it is all about convenience. People are willing to pay for convenience, albeit not on the same things. We all have services that we pay extra for because of the convenience that others think we are crazy for doing.

Paying the extra costs for online grocery or the $5-6 delivery fee plus tip for restaurant take-out all of the time are things that are "crazy" to me, but then others may think I am crazy for paying to park at the airport instead of asking for rides, paying for software subscriptions instead of settling for the limited features and/or ads in the free versions, going to the dealer for car repair when my car is not a newer model, etc.

There is a need in the market for online and offline shopping in general merchandise and grocery. However, in grocery, I think online delivery will be a niche offering and not the norm.

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by boy3365

You are correct in that it is all about convenience. People are willing to pay for convenience, albeit not on the same things. We all have services that we pay extra for because of the convenience that others think we are crazy for doing.

Paying the extra costs for online grocery or the $5-6 delivery fee plus tip for restaurant take-out all of the time are things that are "crazy" to me, but then others may think I am crazy for paying to park at the airport instead of asking for rides, paying for software subscriptions instead of settling for the limited features and/or ads in the free versions, going to the dealer for car repair when my car is not a newer model, etc.

There is a need in the market for online and offline shopping in general merchandise and grocery. However, in grocery, I think online delivery will be a niche offering and not the norm.

There are many many ways to grocery shop online. Some have markups/fees (Instacart), others (Target, Walmart, etc.) do not.

There is no "extra cost" to order groceries online from many retailers. I order groceries from Target, Amazon, Walmart, H-E-B, and the prices are equal to or lower than my area grocery stores and there is no fee and it's free shipping.

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.?

It's a no brainer.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

With all the shipping materials used from all this online shopping our planet is going to be drowning in waste materials. People, just go to the frikkin' store, you can't be THAT busy or lazy to need to buy every effin' thing online..... I go to the store and I always take my REUSABLE BAGS!

Having trucks deliver instead of having individual cars drive to stores is probably more efficient from that standpoint

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by sinatras

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.

And this is why we need both. I don’t shop like you. My time is just as valuable, but I actually enjoy going to grocery stores. I know people who hate it. Nothing wrong with that.