Are we really too busy to shop for groceries??

[steve-in-kville]

Order online. Curbside pickup. Now delivery??

Are we really that busy with life we can't shop for groceries anymore?

First it was Walmart offering curbside pickup. Then Giant Foods. Then Weiss Markets. Now even our local Dutchway is offering curbside pick up. Giant Foods will deliver in our area as well.

Think back a generation or two. You went to the local butcher for meats, the mill for flour, maybe a local market for fruits and vegetables. Depending on the area, you may have visited a market every day for that day's worth of food.

What is this world coming to?

[Szdfan]

I love Walmart curbside pick up. It's not because I don't have enough time to go grocery shopping, it's because I hate going into Walmart and have few other options in my small town.

When I lived in Germany, the corner grocery store was very much still a thing and my mother went almost every day. The difference from the US is that Europeans have small refrigerators and not as many cars. My town used to have small grocery stores within walking distance in each of the neighborhoods. The car and the ability to drive a distance to a Walmart or other "big box" store killed off the small, independent grocery store.

Our entire society is structured towards efficiency at the cost of other priorities. Grocery curbside pickup and home delivery is more efficient for many of us than going to a store everyday. I think changing this trend means making intentional choices to live differently as much as possible.

[Valerie]

Order online. Curbside pickup. Now delivery??

Are we really that busy with life we can't shop for groceries anymore?

First it was Walmart offering curbside pickup. Then Giant Foods. Then Weiss Markets. Now even our local Dutchway is offering curbside pick up. Giant Foods will deliver in our area as well.

Think back a generation or two. You went to the local butcher for meats, the mill for flour, maybe a local market for fruits and vegetables. Depending on the area, you may have visited a market every day for that day's worth of food.

What is this world coming to?

I believe my experience and observations as a cashier at a very busy drugstore which is also a grocery store, would help you see the advantages.
We have MANY elderly customers who have a difficult time walking- in fact they use the cart as their stroller. Even with that they struggle- and then there's needing stock people to help them load their groceries. I feel so much compassion for them. THIS service would benefit them IF they learn how to do it- therein lies the problem with THIS group. I see the elderly have paid assistants with them- to help them shop. Some may not be able to drive anymore so curbside wouldn't work for them, but it may help their working families quickly pick their needs up without walking throughout the store. I see the 'sandwhich' generation stressed out trying to work, take care of their own families, and helping their aging parents.

Then there's mothers with infants/young children. They are more savvy at the ability to order this way- and then they don't have to drag their children into the store- trust me, I hear them crying throughout the store. The other day I held a toddler, while the mother of 3 young ones was busy TRYING to load her groceries- the toddler kept either fussing, whining, grabbing things etc- so I just went over & picked her up (the mother shops often so she was grateful). To her, this service would SO help- her husband travels ALOT for business. Also, since children are distracting or beg for things- ordering ahead eliminates dealing with that on an already stressed out parent.

My 2 cents. I am just saying it isn't necessarily a matter of too busy or laziness- there are real needs that this would help
The sick/disabled- some people are not well or have injured themselves- walking around a larger store (which most are since the 'corner' stores barely exist anywhere anymore) is just too much for them. They may be able to drive but not walk around a large store.

[temporal1]

i hear ya, steve. i’ll add a bit to your consternation.
i witness and have experienced Szd’s points, too.

after getting the diagnosis of diabetes, i got a stern “talking-to” from a retiring nurse, she was not apathetic! she had a message and wanted to make sure i got it before she left her work.

she told me, EXERCISE is as important for health as ANY medication!
she urged me to “go to walmart, go to shopping malls, WALK! WALK! WALK!”
she knows i live in the country - “drive there, go out of your way, stay longer, don’t take shortcuts!”

it was pretty interesting. memorable. for real, bless her heart.

strangely, when visiting my family on Seattle’s doorstep, A FEW YEARS AGO, i witnessed my healthy+strong daughter using home delivery for groceries. milk, veggies, cereal, you name it.
she loves it. (i will add, her personality is of one who would employ servants, if she could).
she did not know about my diabetes lecture.

these services have nice insulated packages for cold items. sometimes they use dry ice, etc.
AMAZON is a leader, but, stiff competition.

i drive by the curbside pickup at my local walmart, WALK and WALK, silently praying they keep their brick+mortar stores. recall, walmart receives loads of criticism for causing lots of small businesses to close! now .. ??

this walmart offers lots of wheelchair/carts, and, of course, handicap parking.
these services are used! i wouldn’t be surprised if users have been advised to get out and use them!

(i notice Valerie is speaking to this, ^^ i agree, many need physical help. no argument here.)

the nearby university is a long established center for physical rehab, important work.
personally, i believe the handicapped are the only group deserving of special gov status and protections, altho, they appear to be the least noisy, least demanding ..

since 2008, in my county area, i cannot count the brick+mortars of all sizes+descriptions that have closed, and, still more are closing. it’s so sad. i can’t tell you how sad. some new businesses are coming. Chik-fil-A recently opened. Costco is planned for next year, i think. not an even exchange.

in my county is a large state university. i never dreamed we would lose nearly every bookstore. unthinkable! even Christian bookstores. i think one remains. not in its former glory. businesses that remain have downsized, offer smaller inventory and services.

one reason i love visiting my family is: exercise. and, it’s so natural!
up+down stairs, doing chores, running errands. i sleep on the floor, because i can, and because, great exercise.
i don’t take shortcuts, unless i have to. i don’t employ servants, i am the servant!
and, i’m sincerely grateful to be able to serve.

i try to impart this attitude to my family. i hope my daughter may wistfully remember one day, and see the value in it. my grdaughter sometimes is puzzled and will ask, “grammy, why do you (do this thing) for me?” i assure her, “because i enjoy helping others. i enjoy giving .. and, i know you do, too!” (she does, she doesn’t think about it.)

my blood sugar “magically” normalizes when i’m with my family. those stairs! the hills to climb!
the difference is undeniable. the retiring nurse was right!

my experience.

ps to Valerie regarding busy young families:
young families are supposed to be busy! they’re supposed to be tiring and demanding.
all these challenges are important ways of communicating, learning self control, interacting with family and society. i would help, as you do, even this is communicating many valuable messages.
this is what humans are built for, not ease and isolation. we love our easy ways. it’s healthier to work as hard as you’re able.

parents go through the work, ^^ then may get the reward of being grandparents.
when our children were young, i noticed, “the best job” is grandparenting!
i’m here, now. and, i love it. i embrace the work of it.

this trip, after 4 months, i fought tears leaving. they need help, nothing is better for me than helping. 2000 miles are in the way.

[ohio jones]

i sleep on the floor, because i can, and because, great exercise.

You've tried sleepwalking?

[mike]

I love Walmart curbside pick up. It's not because I don't have enough time to go grocery shopping, it's because I hate going into Walmart and have few other options in my small town.

When I lived in Germany, the corner grocery store was very much still a thing and my mother went almost every day. The difference from the US is that Europeans have small refrigerators and not as many cars. My town used to have small grocery stores within walking distance in each of the neighborhoods. The car and the ability to drive a distance to a Walmart or other "big box" store killed off the small, independent grocery store.

Our entire society is structured towards efficiency at the cost of other priorities. Grocery curbside pickup and home delivery is more efficient for many of us than going to a store everyday. I think changing this trend means making intentional choices to live differently as much as possible.

Don't you think it also helps you spend less? We storekeepers design our stores to attract impulse buying. With curbside pickup, or delivery, you obviously miss our cool seasonal displays and other lovely customer traps.

[temporal1]

i sleep on the floor, because i can, and because, great exercise.

You've tried sleepwalking?

no, but, much to her parents’ chagrin, my grdaughter occasionally indulges.
she once made her way outside, to their car.

mike:
Don't you think it also helps you spend less? We storekeepers design our stores to attract impulse buying. With curbside pickup, or delivery, you obviously miss our cool seasonal displays and other lovely customer traps.

definitely. and, i enjoy finding new things, comparing, etc. thank you!

[Aurien]

I love Walmart curbside pick up. It's not because I don't have enough time to go grocery shopping, it's because I hate going into Walmart and have few other options in my small town.

When I lived in Germany, the corner grocery store was very much still a thing and my mother went almost every day. The difference from the US is that Europeans have small refrigerators and not as many cars. My town used to have small grocery stores within walking distance in each of the neighborhoods. The car and the ability to drive a distance to a Walmart or other "big box" store killed off the small, independent grocery store.

Our entire society is structured towards efficiency at the cost of other priorities. Grocery curbside pickup and home delivery is more efficient for many of us than going to a store everyday. I think changing this trend means making intentional choices to live differently as much as possible.

If Walmart were my only choice for grocery shopping I would do curbside pick up as well. Even at the best of times Walmart is a sensory overload for me. Too big, too bright, too loud, too many people.

[Aurien]

I love Walmart curbside pick up. It's not because I don't have enough time to go grocery shopping, it's because I hate going into Walmart and have few other options in my small town.

When I lived in Germany, the corner grocery store was very much still a thing and my mother went almost every day. The difference from the US is that Europeans have small refrigerators and not as many cars. My town used to have small grocery stores within walking distance in each of the neighborhoods. The car and the ability to drive a distance to a Walmart or other "big box" store killed off the small, independent grocery store.

Our entire society is structured towards efficiency at the cost of other priorities. Grocery curbside pickup and home delivery is more efficient for many of us than going to a store everyday. I think changing this trend means making intentional choices to live differently as much as possible.

Don't you think it also helps you spend less? We storekeepers design our stores to attract impulse buying. With curbside pickup, or delivery, you obviously miss our cool seasonal displays and other lovely customer traps.

I don't have a store in my town that does curbside pick up so I haven't tried it. I receive emails from a health conscious blogger though who is trying to follow a more limited grocery budget and she has recently tried doing curbside pick up. She did a breakdown of going into a store for groceries vs. picking things up curbside and found that she does save money by not going into a store.
Curbside pick up sounds like an appealing option to me since I'm one of those people who is drawn in by "customer traps."

[Szdfan]

since 2008, in my county area, i cannot count the brick+mortars of all sizes+descriptions that have closed, and, still more are closing. it’s so sad. i can’t tell you how sad. some new businesses are coming. Chik-fil-A recently opened. Costco is planned for next year, i think. not an even exchange.

in my county is a large state university. i never dreamed we would lose nearly every bookstore. unthinkable! even Christian bookstores. i think one remains. not in its former glory. businesses that remain have downsized, offer smaller inventory and services.

I think we've made a lot of choices as a society to get to this point. We want efficiency. We want choice. We want cheap prices. All of these desires or choices have undercut local businesses. Before Walmart, people out here drove an hour to Pueblo to do a lot of their shopping (still do). Walmart killed off many of the local businesses. Now Walmart is trying to compete with online sources like Amazon. The Internet has brought new levels of efficiency into play. This is how capitalism works.