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by downvoteme1 2110 days ago
There is a whole lot of middle america that would love this. For all of Amazon’s extensive collection, a lot of users still spend a lot more on groceries and household goods monthly than on Amazon.

I think this will be popular in those places where Walmart is the retailer of last resort which encompasses a lot of mid-west and even the south.

2 comments

> There is a whole lot of middle america that would love this

Unfortunately, middle america is spread out that I doubt any kind of delivery system would be effective there. Biggest benefit might be avoiding the checkout lines, but even then, in middle america those lines aren't that bad.

Sounds like this mostly benefits dense suburbs.

Even with the $35 min? Amazon doesn’t have a min. I can order $4 item and have it show up the next day.
In theory you can order a $4 item with free shipping. In practice Amazon is charging $3-$4 to the seller for "fulfillment" aka shipping, plus some other fees. An item that should cost $0.50-$2 probably costs $6-$8 instead.

Walmart has less depth but if you can get store prices you're in a significantly better starting place.

This is nowhere more obvious than when comparing Monoprice vs Amazon.
I think that's the deal breaker for me. If I order $35 worth of stuff I already get free 2-day shipping. I use Prime because I don't have to think about order totals or shipping - it just shows up the next day.
The problem is a ton of items Amazon sells aren't Prime eligible. And that seems to include any lower prices items. Then you're back to getting a cart minimum, which at that point you might as well drop Prime entirely.
Buying habits are different when you live outside a city, or when you have a family. A $35 minimum doesn't feel like a deal-breaker to me.
I think this also falls on generational lines; ordering a handful of things at once and getting one package is my goal.

On demand 1 thing at a time can be nice ordering something niche online, but when you have a whole fresh grocery, just add some steak or toilet paper.

No the $35 minimum on Walmart.com doesn’t require a subscription. Walmart+ is for scheduled delivery from the store closest to you (so it’s only stuff available in that store). Great for groceries