Comments on: I just ordered a few groceries online https://www.habitablezone.com/2015/11/11/i-just-ordered-a-few-groceries-online/ Tue, 12 May 2026 20:11:45 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: FrankC https://www.habitablezone.com/2015/11/11/i-just-ordered-a-few-groceries-online/#comment-33619 FrankC Wed, 11 Nov 2015 19:00:13 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=51973#comment-33619 The thing that concerns me most is, out of stock items. If I am there, and they don't have a particular item in the brand I have selected I can choose another brand, instead of finding it was omitted when I pick up the order. Let me know how it works out for you. The thing that concerns me most is, out of stock items. If I am there, and they don’t have a particular item in the brand I have selected I can choose another brand, instead of finding it was omitted when I pick up the order.

Let me know how it works out for you.

]]> By: Robert https://www.habitablezone.com/2015/11/11/i-just-ordered-a-few-groceries-online/#comment-33614 Robert Wed, 11 Nov 2015 16:49:52 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=51973#comment-33614 Funny how something old has become new again. Grocery deliveries used to be routine up to the mid-20th century, judging by old movies and writing. Same with pharmacies and doctors making house calls. Still, the modern twist is pretty amazing. Silicon Valley being a wealthy place on average, we tend to get those innovations early. Just this year Amazon started routinely offering <i>same-day</i> delivery on a lot of stuff, and it boggles my mind just to imagine how they figure out what can and can't be delivered that fast. Every time they offer it on the web site, behind the scenes they had to figure out where you are and where the stuff is, and work out a chain of transportation and delivery people...all hypothetically, just so Amazon can try to entice you with it. Course, everything has a price. It burns more petroleum to shoot you something by air instead of waiting for a slow truck or train. I feel a twinge when I take the bait, thinking of my carbon footprint; and sometimes I think it over and decide I really don't need whatever it is in a few hours. Tomorrow is usually just fine. On balance I think the 21st century is looking pretty good. So far. Funny how something old has become new again. Grocery deliveries used to be routine up to the mid-20th century, judging by old movies and writing. Same with pharmacies and doctors making house calls.

Still, the modern twist is pretty amazing. Silicon Valley being a wealthy place on average, we tend to get those innovations early. Just this year Amazon started routinely offering same-day delivery on a lot of stuff, and it boggles my mind just to imagine how they figure out what can and can’t be delivered that fast. Every time they offer it on the web site, behind the scenes they had to figure out where you are and where the stuff is, and work out a chain of transportation and delivery people…all hypothetically, just so Amazon can try to entice you with it.

Course, everything has a price. It burns more petroleum to shoot you something by air instead of waiting for a slow truck or train. I feel a twinge when I take the bait, thinking of my carbon footprint; and sometimes I think it over and decide I really don’t need whatever it is in a few hours. Tomorrow is usually just fine.

On balance I think the 21st century is looking pretty good. So far.

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