Additional thoughts on the web-grocer thing: If this were to really take hold, if this were to 'play well in Peoria' (per my earlier post), the big corporate chaps like Safeway would presumably not be stupid enough to let it slip by the wayside. They would enter the fray and they indeed have enough city-by-city regional outlets to jump into competition on a national scale w/ little expenditure (relatively compared). Their marginal buying power would crush these new 'web small-timers'.
Additionally, for the 'shut-ins' all over the country, taxis and other transportation/delivery services have widely advertised, in their respective regions, the proposition of ordering groceries ahead of time, and having them delivered via these services. Disabled people, as one example, have made use of this for quite a long time. Paying for it w/ a card over the web vs. paying for it w/ a card on a phone call to the store, delivered via taxi, isn't compelling enough, IMO.
In contrast, I will grant however, that I do know one lady in Chicago who actually orders *live chickens* over the web (no joke!), and they get delivered. Not sure how that happens—Federal Express Poultry Delivery?—so maybe I'm all wet, and this really is a viable biz. <BAWK! gg> |
