Finally, pictures are starting to come in of Amazon Fresh, the new Webvan-like grocery delivery service that launched in Seattle last month. What I’d really like to see is a review of the service by someone who lives in Seattle. And a picture of the delivery van everyone keeps spotting. Or even better, just video the whole delivery experience. I have very fond memories of Webvan and I can’t wait until this thing hits silicon valley. I’ll never have to leave my computer again.
Update: Here’s the truck – photo credit to Jeff Sandquist:
Nice bag. Interesting that they use a bag – here FreshDirect uses boxes which I think makes more sense. How do they keep those bags from squishing the melons
This has failed so massively a couple times before, but I hope they pull it off. If anyone can, it’s Amazon.
I wonder how long it stays in 1 or 2 test cities before everyone can get smashed tomatoes and condoms delivered to their door.
The best things about the supermarket is going to chat up the checkout chicks, sampling the grapes, crashing the trolley through everything on a munchies raid and buying weed from the stoner who thinks it’s funny to put the toothpaste in with the canned tomatoes.
Here you go. A picture of the delivery van posted on Flickr:
http://www.flic...and/1117603462/
Stock market isn’t doing very well.
Agreed, Trevor. Amazon has already done a lot that I thought was foolhardy and turned it profitable. That’s probably why I’m not a billionaire. Not quite, anyway.
What if Amazon Fresh launched the grocery version of an ice cream truck, a ‘floater’ that drives around to neighborhoods for those spur of the moment, got-to-have-it Healthy Choice Steamer meals, pre-made salads, chips, soda, beer, steaks, etc.
The trucks could play some hip music to get everyone’s attention. Or something retro: Sinatra, or show tunes. Maybe the truck would send out text, e-mail and Twitter messages when it’s within a certain range. Enough time for you to grab your wallet and run out the door like a deranged kid with Rocket Pops on his mind.
I
Bag = bad for environment. Tsk tsk Amazon.
I’ve been ordering my groceries on line for years in Sydney, Australia. Has no company in the US done this successfully before?
I am just waiting for Gfood.
#11 Kelli – Gfood is available at all Google offices.
They even have froot loops that are g’s instead of o’s.
Safeway has been doing this for the last 5 years.
#9 Satish – I totally agree… It’s a little off subject but why is Amazon using paper? Cloth bags are both reusable as well as a phenomenal marketing tool. Isn’t the internet community (publishers) loosely comprised of GREEN businesses?
You guys down in the valley got cheated with WebVan experience … up in Seattle, HomeGrocer was God’s gift, and then they got stupid and sold out to WebVan which was a very poorly managed company.
Well, Amazon is there to stay and they’ve beaten the odds many times … having said that, don’t forget that this is a test market … they try and idea and if it doesn’t work, they’ll quit. sounds simple, eh?
Internet ordering of Groceries? Welcome to the 90s.
It is strange that you find this so novel. Online grocery ordering is everywhere in the UK. I live in a small town [population 8,500] and I can order online from both the local supermarkets.
Agreed Pollack. Several UK supermarkets have great online grocery stores. And when I was at university, pretty much all my friends ordered online to save the 5 minute trip to Tesco…
Re: “Bag = bad for environment. Tsk tsk Amazon.” …. he wrote using his PC filled with lead, mercury and other less than green components. Look, the bags are made from 100% post consumer recycled materials and are themselves recyclable. Gotta have something to hold your nuts and berries.
A truck delivery route uses much less gas and produces much less exhaust serving the same number of shoppers driving to/from the store. Don’t just pick one small items to get bent out of shape about – look at the big picture. Right?
I have my groceries delivered and it helps so much. I use Yummy.com (www.yummy.com) or Pink Dot. Yummy’s store is a lot bigger and nicer.
I would not eat if there wasn’t grocery delivery. I think more people will start using these kind of services.
@17 & @18, Delivering groceries by small groceries and supermarkets has been around for decades (orders were placed by telephone and people had accounts that would get paid off every so often).
So, it’s not the concept is novel … doing it at scale and making money at it has been a tough thing to pull off and that’s why it gets the attention it does.
By the way, a couple of chains that have been offering this service fr some years, but don’t often get mentioned are Albertson’s and Safeway.
Well hope the paper that makes the bag is from recycled paper.
Here in Seattle I’ve been using Pioneer Organics (www.pioneerorganics.com) for a while. I’m happy with them.
Online Food Delivery is not inherently a bad business model. Webvan just f__ked it up.
I’ve been using Amazon Fresh for a couple of weeks — the one thing that makes this a great experience is that they offer early morning delivery. So, at 9pm at night I do my shopping online, and by 6am the next morning my groceries are delivered and left by my front door in containers with re-usable ice packs to keep them fresh (and dry ice for the frozen foods)… Using this option they don’t ring your bell, they just leave it by your front door so you can get it when you wake up — That way I don’t have to worry about being home to accept the order, and I can get it all unpacked and put away before I even leave the house in the morning…
So far it’s been a great service – and I expect it to stay that way…
If you charge the right amount of money – to cover your costs and make a little profit – this could work. If I’m not mistaken, there have been food delivery services that have worked very well. I think they’re called pizza.
I made my first order with Fresh Beta and it was awesome. Check out a brief review and some pics @ http://allthing...resh-order.html.
… something got screwed up with previous link… hope this one works:
http://allthing...resh-order.html
I have added screenshots from Amazon Fresh
http://allthing...creenshots.html
Lots of retailers in the US are offering online grocery delivery.
New Season Market in Portland, A&P on the East Coast, Lunds Byerlys , Roche Bros etc. Welcome to Amazon!
I just got my first order…totally bummed. Two eggs were broken and had spilled on some of the other produce. Sorry Amazon, I had to return most of it…I would like them to succeed with this venture BUT I rather make a trip to the grocery store myself. Most of the time, I make my decisions while I am in the grocery store…if the corn look good and fresh I pick it up…or if the cherries look juicy I try a few and bag a few
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