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Non-Tech : Bill Wexler's Dog Pound -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill Wexler who wrote (4695)	11/5/1999 7:07:00 PM
From: Bill Ulrich	Respond to of 10293

This sector's barrier is regional dependencies. Whereas in the SF Fin. Dist. and Silicon Valley, you have tech-biz professionals with severe time-constraints, and an open-mindedness to 'new-fangled ways of doing doing old-fashioned things'. Back in 'Joe Six-Pack America' you still have households who prefer to pick out their own cukes in the produce aisle. "How's it play in Peoria?" and "Can ya get enough profit out of a few isolated populations who 'think different' from the rest of the country?" are the burning questions. Per your profile, we're in the same area. It's acceptable. Grandmas, uncles, and aunts, back in Illinois or Colorado aren't ready for this yet. Too much trust has to be placed in this 'new innernit thingie'. Needs about 2-3 more years, IMO. ____________________________________________________________________ “…doesn't mean that WBVN will blow up, or that the internet-grocery business is invalid. I personally don't want to invest in it, but I think that this sort of service is in demand and once someone can come up with a viable business model, it will do very well.”

To: Bill Wexler who wrote (4695)	11/5/1999 8:42:00 PM
From: Bill Ulrich	Respond to of 10293

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>

To: Bill Wexler who wrote (4695)	11/5/1999 8:58:00 PM
From: RockyBalboa	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10293

My thought remains: PPOD/WBVN etc. remain to be not a "real" internet venture, as just the order entry, marketing/advertisements, administration is done over the net, while the backoffice operations are comparable to any brick&mortar. Even if AMZN is an outstanding example(?) that web retailer can do well (though troubled ONSL/EGGS do not), it's the merchandise which is more expensive to handle compared to books or other not vanishing goods. Hence, the delivery network behind will have to be much narrower compared to other cases. The current market valuation based on the 321M shares out, round $8B already priced in a very successful outcome.