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Comment by treis | Hacker News Reader

>The current big problem with online food shopping is that it's being done by sending low-wage people into ordinary supermarkets. This is inefficient, but until recently this was a niche market.

I agree. People definitely want online/delivery grocery shopping. The problem thus far has been product misses on giving the customer what they want. Ordering online today is too much of a crap shoot. You'll get 80% of what you want with 15% replacements of a dubious nature, and 5% unfulfilled.

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Today I received my first grocery delivery from Walmart. I'm extremely excited. I chose no substitutions so only one item wasn't available. What I love about it is that the person picking up the food actually knows the store. Walmart launched pick-up service over 2 years ago and now they're extending that with DoorDash for delivery. Granted, the delivery people still have problems finding my home, but access to Walmart's inventory is a huge improvement for me. Previously I was using Shipt and half of the time they'd just drop products like bananas or frozen blueberries or something else because they couldn't keep up with whether it was in the store or not, or if the store changed brands. The past 4+ orders from Shipt all had mistakes, usually multiple. Either incorrect product or just flat didn't deliver product but charged me for it (in that case I'd get a refund, didn't mess with wrong products).

Theyve been trying to extend it with DoorDash for awhile. If you ever read /r/DoorDash...well, DoorDash drivers fucking hate it because Walmart's clienete is the least likely to tip, the most likely to order 20 packs of water, and the pay is complete garbage and no different then restaurant deliveries. It's basically an insta decline for most.

If I could have "near-perfect" online shopping for a $5-10 delivery charge... Sure. The one time I've really tried it was when I had a broken foot and doing a full grocery shopping was a PITA. So I used delivery. I'd get most of what I needed with some questionable substitutions. But that was mostly OK because driving to the store and picking up a few things in a shoulder bag wasn't a big deal. Just a full grocery shopping was.

I haven't even tried in the current situation. If I go relatively early on a weekday, I find it pretty manageable and uncrowded.

You're describing what Peapod always was for me, for the three years I had it. I'd still be using it if they hadn't stopped delivering here; they spoiled me to the point I'm not even going to try Instacart/etc.

The one exception was that you couldn't choose your own substitutions, but you could toggle whether to get the substitute or just not get that item (so at least you don't waste food if it's something you really don't want).

Peapod was what I used as it was the only thing available where I live until quite recently.

It wasn't terrible but, for me, it didn't really end up eliminating the need to go to the store which under normal circumstances pretty much eliminated most of the value.

That's basically what Amazon Fresh is. $5 or $7 delivery tip (I leave what they suggest), no extra fees assuming you've got Amazon Prime, and comparable prices to in-store at Ralph's. I very rarely have things out of stock once I order, produce is generally good, meat has been great. I think the warehouse-direct-to-consumer style is the way to go, rather than shopper-goes-to-store-for-me style. Peapod, in the sibling comment, is another similar option.

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