I have literally never been able to afford these services, and I didn't use them at the start so I dont know what the VC money days were like. Its already like 50 bucks to feed your family at McDonalds when you get it yourself.
this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2024
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Work Reform
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Haven't gotten delivery since before the pandemic. Get fast food or a restaurant less than once a year. Honestly if this is one of the problems in your life, you are not poor.
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I still find these apps useful/handy when I'm having a party, I'm over at someone's place with a bunch of different people, or I have family visiting or whatever. It stretches longer than people expect, people get hungry, etc., and then we can decide on a place, and everyone can simultaneously scroll the menu and make their order, and it shows up labeled for each individual.
It's indulgent af and expensive, but once in a while for that kind of ordering efficiency, I like it.
For me and my girl or whatever, it's my fun to just take a little cruise around town, get some take out, and then drive it straight home while it's actually still hot.
Weird way to say broke people don't order delivery...
Apps destroyed food delivery
Nah it's worse than that. The economics of the model are bad. It essentially relies on delivery drivers having to survive on tips and nothing more.
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About a year ago I made a rule for myself that if I wanted takeout, I'd go and get it myself unless I was physically incapable of doing that (drunk, high, etc). It means I don't get takeout quite as often but I do still get it a couple times a week and even still my eating out expenses have reduced by more than 50%. Also, many delivery app prices are higher even if you're opting to pick it up yourself. I often save a significant amount by just calling the restaurant rather than making the order through one of the delivery apps.
As someone who works in a restaurant, I can say that the prices for our menu items on doordash are up to ~40% higher than menu price regardless of whether you get it delivered or pick it up. If you're getting takeout somewhere, call instead of using a 3rd party app, or at least see if their website lets you place orders sans doordash/postmates etc
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I know food delivery is becoming an issue in the USA, but here in Czechia it is significantly better. Sure, you cannot tip the restaurant - but delivery tipping has never ever been a thing as far as I can remember (maybe if you pay cash). The delivery costs are usually not jacked up, and the drivers make a living wage.
Am I missing something? The three services we usually use are Wolt, Bolt Food, and Foodora (predecessor was bought by a multinational company and renamed, was a regional thing in the past).
Can it be because of the fact that they do deliveries in the US using cars mainly while in Europe it's mostly with bikes/e-bikes?
Honestly that seems like a huge factor to me. The more car dependent places I've lived the less delivery was a thing.
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Somehow, the delivery services in the US have gotten into a situation that's bad for basically everyone involved. The drivers are underpaid. The restaurants are underpaid. Customers feel they're being gouged. Despite charging a lot without paying much to the people who actually make and deliver the food, the companies are losing money.
Arguably, the only people who are happy with the money involved in any of this are the salaried programmers working for these companies. That only because they could make just as much anywhere else. The owners can hope that line will go up enough that they can sell the company and take a big payout. This cannot last, and while you shouldn't cry for them, it probably won't last long enough for the owners to get their payout.
"Somehow!" Like every other unregulated industry. Weird!
cost of fuel, insurance and car maintenance have increased
As someone who drives for one of these companies, cost of fuel is only really an issue sometimes. When it gets closer to $4 a gallon, it stops being worth it. I do my own car maintenance so this really isn't too much of an issue either. Car insurance though? You bet those fuckers have made plays to try and jack driver's prices up. Some companies outright won't insure you if you're a driver without getting commercial insurance, which, from when I was shopping was over a grand a month in my state. (Mid-size sedan.)
I don't understand the people who get McDonald's on these apps
Right? McDonald's has their own app!
(/j) Although I do use the McDs app, only to order ahead and then go pick up in person
I am so sick of food places replacing delivery drivers with Uber eats. Now my order takes two hours, arrives cold, and the tip vanishes into the ether. Drivers paid less, restaurants charged more per delivery, and a worse customer experience.
Hmm, kinda reverse experience for me. The people who have their own drivers are the worst. No accountability, does whatever the fuck they want.
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Bubble my ass, these companies were only profitable for a few quarters out of the last decade. VC is shifting there capitol around
Call me crazy, but all the various food delivery apps should be consolidated into one and run by the government. Make it part of the post office. It helps businesses, drivers would be paid fairly, and it provides an extremely useful public service.
Exactly! These are valuable services for people who can’t drive.
What happens when the restaurants aren't satisfied with the government service and decide to go with some third party? Or run their own, as many still do?
Same as what happens when people use FedEx instead of the post office. They pay more for premium service.
I don't see the issue with a private/public option
OP wants it made public to go prevent abuse. If you have both we're back to square one
If the public provides a good service and price then the private will have to be at least equally affordable and and good service in order to compete
Unless it's subsidized, it's very unlikely it will be able to compete on price
USPS delivering me Taco Bell would be fantastic
If they add tomatoes when I asked for no tomatoes, do the Post Office police get involved?
Yes
I'm in.
Only if they find a way to make it possible for the courier to go back to the restaurant to fix order issues. If there is no model to make that work, then these services should never exist.
I think with a unified restaurant listing system and order verification by drivers, these could be minimized (no system will ever be error free). As it is now, some delivery companies will list menus without consulting with the restaurant and that is a big source of mistakes.
I feel like making it part of the state is not the right course here. Rather, consolidate it into larger cooperatives (maybe not just one, but one for each area or city or state or something), which are collectively owned by all the restaurants. They all have an interest in having delivery personnel available. It seems like a collectively owned coop fits well for that.
Maybe have the government manage the software/servers that individual co-ops use so that part is uniform. As long as the co-op aren't in direct competition, I see no issue. With competition there is too much immediate pressure to screw over delivery drivers.
Unfortunately one of two major US parties and a chunk of the population believes that government fundamentally can't work. And they'll run for office to prove it.
It is a little like saying bridges are unsafe and then taking a sledge hammer to a bridge for years until it falls apart. "See? If you hit it a bunch and don't pay for maintenance or repair anything, eventually it falls apart!"
And then a guy like Louis DeJoy gets in there....
Any system will fail if it is directly sabotaged.
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Great, do short-term residential rental properties next