Google to Sell Groceries Online

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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May 9, 2000
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Well, why not? Google offers just about everything under the sun, so why not grocery delivery straight to your door? The new system is going for a test run in San Francisco to see if the Google Shopping Express will actually be a viable option to pursue to other parts of the country.

It is an interesting twist in Google’s cunning plot to take over the world. Google wants to increase consumer reliance on the internet, even when it comes to mundane chores. The hope is that Google’s shopping push will attract even more merchants to buy online ads.
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Sweet! Fuck that fiber shit that Kansas City got, San Francisco gets groceries!!! Yeah who's jealous?


Seriously, is going to the fucking supermarket that much of a chore that we need home delivery?
 
I can see the box of perishable groceries sitting on the front doorstep cooking in the hot sun.
 
tophatfield said:
I can see the box of perishable groceries sitting on the front doorstep cooking in the hot sun.
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Thats not how these groceries are delivered. But I think getting your groceries online is a huge waste and incures a ton of unnessary extra costs and trash.

Do these groceries come with targeted ads as well?
 
The most relevant groceries in your grocery list are paid suggestions of course.
 
Tankerton said:
Yeah, I don't get that -- their profit margin is razor thin.
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A bunch of people using Google whatever regularly for their shopping, get used to and trust them. They want something non food, Google sells it too and you're already at Google, why not get it delivered at the same time? Kind of in the way supermarkets sell you TVs.
 
I just can't see this being a growth market.

In 2011 the web accounted for only 1.4% of grocery sales, despite the industry existing since the late 1990s!

http://www.internetretailer.com/2011/03/31/web-grocer-peapod-gains-traction

The web has cut into double-digit sales totals in most other markets, but perishable foods are a tough nut to crack because the shipping costs really can't be maintained when you turn the shipping model upside-down. Restaurants and grocery stores get deliveries in-bulk, but consumers do not, so how do you pay for all the extra refrigerated warehouse and trucks? You find people willing to pay a significant premium (as well as deal with the complexities of BEING HOME when they make the package drop), and that's why the market is limited.

How can Google possibly see this as a growing market?
 
defaultluser said:
I just can't see this being a growth market.

In 2011 the web accounted for only 1.4% of grocery sales, despite the industry existing since the late 1990s!

http://www.internetretailer.com/2011/03/31/web-grocer-peapod-gains-traction

The web has cut into double-digit sales totals in most other markets, but perishable foods are a tough nut to crack because the shipping costs really can't be maintained when you turn the shipping model upside-down. Restaurants and grocery stores get deliveries in-bulk, but consumers do not, so how do you pay for all the extra refrigerated warehouse and trucks? You find people willing to pay a significant premium (as well as deal with the complexities of BEING HOME when they make the package drop), and that's why the market is limited.

How can Google possibly see this as a growing market?
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You go on their site. They advertise other products.

That Uranium Ore will need a detonator.
 
Cube said:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470939031&pf_rd_i=507846
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And they have that great special purchase of uranium ore AND the unicorn meat for only $52.94 ... I just want to know if you can buy Faerie Dust and Unicorn Tears or if Apple consumes the worldwide supply to make their products :D

Back on topic though, I wouldn't mind buying non-perishable items remotely, if that were an option, for fresh stuff I would still prefer to get that from a store ;)
 
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Tankerton said:
Yeah, I don't get that -- their profit margin is razor thin.
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So? People that buy an item from them aren't buying that item from someone else who could make money. Sometimes that's all that matters when you put together a business strategy. Your competition is losing more money than you are the fact that a customer bought item X from you instead of them; this is typically how it works assuming you priced your item well.
 
It is about having as many thumbs in as many pies as possible. Leading to greater system integration.

This current idea is a safe test. It will cost next to nothing. If it makes nothing, then it does not matter. Plus, they got plenty of money that needs spending on R&D.

(Thumbs in pies. (Not heads up bottoms.))
 
kbrickley said:
...for fresh stuff I would still prefer to get that from a store ;)
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I totally agree. When I buy fruit and vegetables, it's not just the price, but how fresh and good things actually look to me. I check every apple for bruises, melons for ripeness, and if the green beans don't look absolutely primo, I just don't buy any that trip. And I always look back on the shelf to see if there's fresher milk than what they put at the front.

Makes you wonder how much effort goes into filling your order... they probably just grab the first items they find.
 
sfsuphysics said:
Seriously, is going to the fucking supermarket that much of a chore that we need home delivery?
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For those of us that have disabilities and/or mobility issues, can't drive/can't afford to drive, and for whom public transit isn't a viable option...a resounding YES!
Though I can't say that I'm exactly thrilled about it being Google, since there's no telling what they'll do with the info they mine from this.
 
OK, does nobody remember Webvan, one of the poster children for the early 2000's dot-com bubble?

Webvan failed because the executives in charge didn't know the first thing about the grocery industry, and the same would be true for Google as well.
(Unless those pictures of Sergey Brin riding the subway (wearing google glass) were actually a snapshot of his daily commute to his secret alternate day-job as a grocery store manager)

Google should focus more on bringing Google Fiber to more places in the US, and stop wasting time trying to compete with Amazon.
 
Hmm, can't say that I don't find the thought of getting my groceries without having to deal wit the grocery store appealing. However, I'd settle for the option to just pick out my groceries online, have the store put them all together, then just stop by and pick them up. My inlaws have that option out in New Jersey. Some things I would rather shop for, specifically perishable items like fruit, eggs, milk, etc. I could place the order, go to the store an pick out those few things, then grab the rest of my order and be off. Why yes... I will pay a small "service charge" for this luxury of doing my grocery shopping in under 10 minutes at the store...
 
farscapesg1 said:
Hmm, can't say that I don't find the thought of getting my groceries without having to deal wit the grocery store appealing. However, I'd settle for the option to just pick out my groceries online, have the store put them all together, then just stop by and pick them up. My inlaws have that option out in New Jersey. Some things I would rather shop for, specifically perishable items like fruit, eggs, milk, etc. I could place the order, go to the store an pick out those few things, then grab the rest of my order and be off. Why yes... I will pay a small "service charge" for this luxury of doing my grocery shopping in under 10 minutes at the store...
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agreed...I find shopping for just about anything to be a pretty painful experience.
 
sir-gold said:
OK, does nobody remember Webvan, one of the poster children for the early 2000's dot-com bubble?

Webvan failed because the executives in charge didn't know the first thing about the grocery industry, and the same would be true for Google as well.
(Unless those pictures of Sergey Brin riding the subway (wearing google glass) were actually a snapshot of his daily commute to his secret alternate day-job as a grocery store manager)

Google should focus more on bringing Google Fiber to more places in the US, and stop wasting time trying to compete with Amazon.
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It would definitely be wise of Google to bring in people who understand the logistics of this type of service. If done right, and properly orchestrated...it could be a huge deal, if done wrong, well you already said it...another abandoned Beta project.
 
CorruptedOne said:
agreed...I find shopping for just about anything to be a pretty painful experience.
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I don't enjoy shopping at all. Just because I'm female doesn't mean I was born with some kind of "shopping gene." :rolleyes:

I always keep a running list, check the sale flyers, and go with a "get in and out as quickly as possible" mindset. Once everything I went for is crossed off the list, I'm outta there.

I buy non-perishable essentials in bulk when they're on sale. There is absolutely no reason ever to have to make a special trip to the store just to buy TP or kitty litter/cat food, etc. Some things you just don't let yourself run out of.

Shopping is right up there with laundry and housework. You do them out of necessity, not joy.
 
This is great, because I'm too lazy to walk.

The store has one of those things where you can park and wait for them to bring your pre-ordered groceries out. No one uses it.
 
Lethal said:
I don't enjoy shopping at all. Just because I'm female doesn't mean I was born with some kind of "shopping gene." :rolleyes:

I always keep a running list, check the sale flyers, and go with a "get in and out as quickly as possible" mindset. Once everything I went for is crossed off the list, I'm outta there.

I buy non-perishable essentials in bulk when they're on sale. There is absolutely no reason ever to have to make a special trip to the store just to buy TP or kitty litter/cat food, etc. Some things you just don't let yourself run out of.

Shopping is right up there with laundry and housework. You do them out of necessity, not joy.
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You would be the ideal Aldi customer. They only sell the generic brand for most items (so everything is super cheap), and they don't even have shelves, they just roll out pallets of non-perishable food and cut the tops and fronts off the top boxes, so you can grab a single can or a whole case, and the Aldi cashiers are the fastest I have ever seen, they literally throw the cans across the bar code scanner.
 
sir-gold said:
You would be the ideal Aldi customer. They only sell the generic brand for most items (so everything is super cheap), and they don't even have shelves, they just roll out pallets of non-perishable food and cut the tops and fronts off the top boxes, so you can grab a single can or a whole case, and the Aldi cashiers are the fastest I have ever seen, they literally throw the cans across the bar code scanner.
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We don't have Aldis in SoCal. I think they own Trader Joe's though? TJ's is always a nice shopping experience. :)
 
sfsuphysics said:
Sweet! Fuck that fiber shit that Kansas City got, San Francisco gets groceries!!! Yeah who's jealous?


Seriously, is going to the fucking supermarket that much of a chore that we need home delivery?
Click to expand...

sir-gold said:
OK, does nobody remember Webvan, one of the poster children for the early 2000's dot-com bubble?

Webvan failed because the executives in charge didn't know the first thing about the grocery industry, and the same would be true for Google as well.
(Unless those pictures of Sergey Brin riding the subway (wearing google glass) were actually a snapshot of his daily commute to his secret alternate day-job as a grocery store manager)

Google should focus more on bringing Google Fiber to more places in the US, and stop wasting time trying to compete with Amazon.
Click to expand...

What are you guys talking about? Grocery services should supply plenty of fiber to their customers! :D
 
sfsuphysics said:
Sweet! Fuck that fiber shit that Kansas City got, San Francisco gets groceries!!! Yeah who's jealous?


Seriously, is going to the fucking supermarket that much of a chore that we need home delivery?
Click to expand...

Elderly people who can't shop use a service in my area called To Your Door. They also pick up carry out orders from restaurants and shop, pick up perscriptions and so forth as well.
 
There are a range of delivery options. If you make regular purchases, there are various subscription options.

I can see how some might avoid ordering fruit and veg, but there are many other products. Some have online discount, so it might work out cheaper.

As mentioned, some elderly may use it (although I am elderly, I am at least twice as strong/fast as the young. Plus I eat mainly amino-acid powders anyway).

http://www.tesco.com/deliverysaver/?icid=DS_hp_lhnav
 
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