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To: Joe Wagner who wrote (3043)	4/6/2001 1:38:55 PM
From: Joe Wagner	Respond to of 4808

OT- Read an article on Webvan the other day. My thoughts were, for online grocery shopping to really take off, and for people to buy groceries in mass on the Internet, they need to actually save good money doing it, and there is no reason why the efficiencies of ordering on the Internet can't save you money, if food companies are smart enough to use the efficiencies. Just a thought on this, so in the future I can look back and see if this is how things eventually evolve. Plus more automation of the food distribution system means more storage networks are needed. 1)If I could enter orders over the internet with a company that saved me 50% on food by making 3 to 6 month blanket commitments on items, I know I buy on a regular basis, like cold cereal, bread, shampoo, tooth paste, etc..Then when I issued releases, they would have an automated regional warehouse consolidate items in a box and deliver it to a depot, or pick up point, or local supermarket. Where I could go pick it up I would definitely do it. This system would tie in well with Smart Refrigerators, or Smart Cupboards, that could automatically prompt you to issue a release on your blanket order, that would command an automated warehouse to consolidate the items in a box for pick up. You could prompt a box to be loaded/consolidated and delivered to a pick up point on a designated date. By automating this system and by having blanket order commitments, it seems like a lot of waste could be squeezed out of the current system, of paying supermarket employees to unload boxes manually, and manually stock shelves, where consumers waste time walking around picking products off of shelves and then waste time standing in line, while people manually ring up each item. Plus advance commitments to producers could help them plan more efficiently and save money. When using the Internet from home, your cell phone, or from a terminal at your local store, really means saving money, then usuage will grow rapidly. Also, I think people prefer to be social and have a reason to go to places where they see other people. Webvan spends money delivering, where I think most people would rather save that money with advance commitments to producers on items they know they buy on a regular basis, and just drive to the local supermarket to pick up a prepacked box off a shelf, that is already paid for on a credit card; and just wave a bar code ID in front of a scanner and leave the store with the box, or do other shopping and then leave the store. I think Brick and Clicks that save consumers money by passing their savings on to people who use automated distribution systems that allow more efficient planning by producers, could grow like the Home Depots and the Costco's grew in the 80's and 90's, if somebody implements the idea. Just some off topic thoughts prompted by the article on Sweden, that I just posted.