🚀 go-pugleaf

>I'm posting this to see if there is interest enough in this type of
>service to pursue it.  Actually, not for me to pursue, but for a relative.
>
>Here's the senario:  you are out of groceries (or soon to be out) and you
>really don't want to go to the store because first of all, you have to go,
>second, you have to walk all around the store, then you have to wait in
>line to pay.  You think to yourself, "It would really be nice if I could
>have them delivered to my house."
>	So how many of you would actually use an online service (a
>webpage) where you can order groceries (mainly non-perishables) over the
>internet and pay with a credit card and have them shipped via UPS or FedEx
>2nd or 3rd day?  What if they were about 30%-50% less than grocery store
>prices?
>	I know college students have neither much money nor much time, so
>it wouod be ideal for them.  But for those who are not students, would you
>use it?
>
>Thanks for any feedback you can give me.
>-- 
>Christopher Eaker
>Civil Engineering Student in the Cooperative Education Program
>Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
>Lab Instructor for EGR1170 AutoCAD Lab

  Have you ever heard of AmWay. This idea was tried 20 or 30 years ago. The
only difference is that they didn't have the internet as a medium. The ordering
was done via telephone. Many people think that Amway only sold cleaning
products, but they were initially trying to market all household products,
including foodstuffs. It worked well for the elderly that were unable to get
out to the store. A local delivery person would delivery the goods to the home.

  The American love affair with the automobile and the thousands of little
convenience type stores killed Amways grand plan. The large supermarket chains
were against the idea from the start. They realized that if it got a foothold,
they might lose millions. The marketing strategy used at the checkout register,
(P)oint (O)f (S)ale marketing, would have been a bust. People, inevitably
forget something when they get to the register. So the supermarkets puts the
most common items at the register, so the consumer can have a "last chance" to
buy. 
  Another problem that arises is the inability to comparison shop. The consumer
would be locked into the items offered at one location or store. If store #1
offers the item at XX dollars, and store #2 offers the same item at 1 dollar
less, will store #1 ofer the item at the lower price or will the consumer pay
the higher price for the convenience? The difference could be considerable.

D. Taylor