TL;DR: it’s so good it freaks me out a bit.
So Amazon started this summer to deliver food too. All the food. They also partner with local stores.
Orders have to be above $35 and the fee a year is $220 (or $299 for non prime users). It stings, but for now free trial…
You can order for the next day and get delivery from before 7am to 9pm. I do before 7am because you wake up and you have your food waiting for you in green bags at the front door. Super neat. You only have to be present when you buy alcohol. They collect your old bags and that’s it. Of course you can order stuff from traditional Amazon too so basically for the first time since the web exists, I have a one stop for everything at my fingertips, with delivery from next day to a couple of days later for non-fresh items.
I mean, it’s sexy as hell. And we’re only two using this service, I can’t even imagine for a family of four how it would change your life. Did I mention that they keep your fresh items with frozen bottles of water that are given for free? Free water! I was sending them back at first. In 2050 people will be like “remember when we were getting free water ordering from Amazon? Those were the days.” Prices are competitive with stores and they have deals and also deliver bulks (10 boxes of granola bars, BAM). Oh, and also once the delivery was 20 minutes late. Full refund. *that’s what I’m talking ‘bout*
Absolutely no one likes going for grocery shopping, it doesn’t matter if it’s close or far, with a car or on a bike. Amazon Fresh is a massive update in quality of life, no doubt about it (and that’s why even if they don’t make a lot of money today because of investments in trucks and fridges, they will). Of course, you can still hang around your favorite stores but it’s no more a chore.
But what about the future? I adore efficiency but I feel conflicted about how it destroys simple lives. I don’t work in retail, automation doesn’t dictate my life I’m safe for a while but what about like, millions of people? How Amazon will deal with new local stores who want to enter the Biggest Store In The World? Will they be ignored, unable to sustain a local business and die because Amazon decided to pass on their services? What about delivery segregation creating more inequality?
We’ll see but you know what usually happens when a company finally has all the power. For now though let’s not get paranoid, Amazon Fresh is really good. I’d pay that annual fee I think. Shopping anytime, anything, anywhere, with next day delivery? If I had a household with a kid, I would have already paid.