From: http://www.viennabeef.com/history-hot-dog-culture
Sometimes it is difficult to notice a paradigm shift ~ a profound change in a fundamental way of life ~ when it happens right in front of you. The Internet sort of crept up on us and changed our way of life, as did the portable phone/camera/web connection. Being able to shop on-line and get merchandise delivered by mail was another shift. And now, I recently experienced grocery shopping online with truck delivery of groceries directly to my front door. But wait! That's not so new!
From: http://www.viennabeef.com/history-hot-dog-culture
This is a bit before my time and the location shown above is Chicago, but even during my childhood at the end of the 1940's I remember horse-drawn carriages delivering dairy-fresh milk, butter and eggs to our house in Orange on a regular basis, and later the same deliveries came by truck until they were replaced by supermarkets. But even when telephones came along and you could call in an order ahead of time, it was nothing like shopping for a huge range of products throughout an entire supermarket by Internet.
Being confined to home during the past weeks of bone-chilling cold and mounds of snow blocking the streets from my paradigm shifting mode of transportation on my electric tricycle, I discovered the Peapod by Stop & Shop Web site. It allows the comfort of shopping on-line for all the same things contained in most super markets. It is based in Clifton,NJ, but they make regular deliveries to East Orange and beyond. Shop Rite is limited in the areas they serve, and East Orange is not yet on their list.
So I gave it a try and found out that the Peapod company delivers on Tuesdays and Fridays to our area. It takes a little getting used to shopping for groceries on-line, but while they didn't have everything I was used to shopping for locally, they did have 80% of what I needed. You have to order $60 or more, but most people are used to that when they shop for the week. Then there is a $10 delivery charge ($7.00 if you order $100 or more) but that is less expensive than taking a taxi to and from the local store. If you are a coupon shopper, the driver will collect your coupons at the time of delivery and they will be deducted from your bill somehow - I didn't try that for my first time. The store kept in touch with me by e-mail in the days before delivery - allowing me to add or delete purchases right up until the day before delivery. Then they narrowed down the time of delivery so I would know when to expect the truck, and even sent me an e-mail when the truck had arrived outside my door.
Photo by Frederick Goode- on his phone
The driver then put together my entire order in the back of his truck, bagging everything and handing it out to me to transfer to my shopping cart. He was very friendly and this brought the humanity back into what had been an automated process to that point. No money changed hands - it had all been handled by credit card in advance, including a tip for the driver.
Photo by Frederick Goode- on his phone
Frozen foods stayed frozen in special containers on the truck, the milk was refrigerated and the laundry detergent was not. It was a very pleasant experience and reminded me of running out to the horse and buggy to pick up our family dairy supplies from the milkman... except for the absence and smell of the horse.
It looks like the cold weather will keep me house-bound for a few more wintry weeks, so I will continue to get my groceries this way until Spring. I don't think this will completely replace local supermarkets, but there is certainly a need for this service, especially for our senior citizens and for those who don't have transportation.