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Comment by JumpCrisscross | Hacker News Reader

> What's the big deal with going to a grocery store

It's tedious and a waste of time. Some people enjoy grocery shopping. Power to them. I hate it.

Online ordering lets me plan what I want to buy. This lets me research--and save--my preferences in a way that can't be done in the aisle. It also removes the after-work parade of junk-food temptations. Stores are great for sampling. I like shopping at farmers' markets because I can nibble. But for that purpose, restaurants and tasting menus are superior.

I don't use Instacart. But I love FreshDirect. Not only are their prices competitive with brick-and-mortar stores, their produce is fresher. When someone says "I want lettuce on Tuesday," they message their farms and ensure it's picked at the right time so there is minimal delay between harvesting and delivery.

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I'm curious, how long is your daily commute, to and from work? Mine is about two minutes, but some people spend two hours each way.

You're obviously in the tiny tiny minority if your commute is 2 minutes. Surely you can understand why many people who have longer commutes and longer work days wouldn't want to spend more time/effort grocery shopping, when they could be doing something more pleasurable?

Actually what I was getting at, is people don't seem to mind accepting jobs with two hour commutes, but going to the grocery store once a week is out of the question. But I see your point.

> people don't seem to mind accepting jobs with two hour commutes, but going to the grocery store once a week is out of the question

Playing devil's advocate, the all-in cost of a short commute is likely higher than that for grocery delivery.

Let's compare a White Plains, NY <--> Midtown Manhattan commute to an Instacart delivery. That commute takes about 1 hour [1]. The average 1-bedroom in White Plains goes for about $2,270 a month [2]. In my neighborhood, Flatiron, it goes for $5,660 [3]. Let's assume 260 working days in a year [4], i.e. 520 [5] hours of commute. That $3,390 difference in monthly rent comes out to $40,700 a year, or $78.30 per hour of commute.

By coïncidence, that's what this guy on Reddit [6] estimated Instacart's markup to be. You'd have to order $87 in groceries (i.e. $150 on Instacart) twice a day every working day to come out even against a 2-hour-a-day commute between White Plains and Midtown.

[1] https://www.google.com/maps/dir/White+Plains,+New+York/Grand...

[2] http://www.apartmentguide.com/apartments/New-York/White-Plai...

[3] http://www.apartmentguide.com/zip/10010-Apartments-For-Rent/...

[4] http://www.answers.com/Q/How_many_work_days_are_in_a_year

[5] 260 * 2

[6] https://np.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/5xj47l/ever_what_ins...

Ah I see. Unfortunately they don't always have a choice when it comes to those commutes. Living near business districs can be cost prohibitive.

I much rather commute than go to the store. I absolutely hate it.

Five to ten minutes, depending on if it's a bagel day.

Do you have kids? I detest all the kid-related shopping experiences (mystery addition of candy to cart, whining, fighting with each other, i need to go bathroom) and it takes about 50% longer with them in tow.

No, I'd rather spend that time playing with them @home or park.

That's a good market for this sort of thing. One of my local chains will also pick for you and you pick up at the store. Anecdotally it doesn't seem to be used much but I imagine you provide a good example of a case where people are fine with driving to the store but don't want to do the actual shopping.

I'm in the same boat as you, I'm literally 3 minutes walk from work.

I walk to the supermarket every day (which is about 10 minutes each way), and probably spend 10 minutes wandering around inside even if I don't need to buy anything (I'll find something to buy), just to stretch my legs.

For sure if I spent over 30 minutes each way to work, I'd be less inclined to spend a lot of time at the supermarket.

my commute is about 15 minutes door to door, and i'd prefer not to extend that to 45 minutes by adding on grocery shopping to that trip.

Two minute commute? Do you work from home?

Sometimes, but the office is VERY close, right up the road.

Where do you live? Seems almost impossible for any large city.

I actually have a similar commute right now (more like 5 minutes by foot). My apartment is just a block away from the office.

As an aside, if you ever find yourself in a situation where it's possible to do this, I highly recommend taking the plunge, even if it means paying a bit extra in rent. It's been life changing for me.

I completely agree, being '2 minutes away' or so is absolutely life changing. Sure, I laugh with everybody else when I see a $10,000/month, 250 square foot apartment in the center of wherever, but there's a reason it's worth that much. Location really does matter.

My daily "commute" is a few hundred feet, and it's really changed my life. "Ugh, I've got to go to _x place_" suddenly sounds ridiculous when that place is a 3 minute walk away. You can wake up later, have more time for everything else in life... it's very nice. Sure, you might have to take a smaller place, but I'd rather have a small place that I can spend time in than a large place I never see.

Rochester, NY. Burbs.

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