Re:Instacart has raised another $200M at a $4.2B valuation
by ssewell on Monday February 12, 2018 @02:23PM
(#16361203)
Amazon Prime Now is already starting this (https://goo.gl/fSF4DR) in select markets. I used this last weekend and the delivery was perfect! You can opt to have an out-of-stock item either left off or replaced with a similar item. They will even send an SMS to request confirmation if they need to use a substitute product, giving you an opportunity to provide more feedback.
Re:Instacart has raised another $200M at a $4.2B valuation
by dangrossman on Monday February 12, 2018 @02:37PM
(#16361342)
That's exactly how Instacart works as well. The shopper is able to call or text the customer to discuss substitutions.
Re:Instacart has raised another $200M at a $4.2B valuation
by elithrar on Monday February 12, 2018 @03:04PM
(#16361554)
Correct - as well as choose from "best replacement", "replace with specific item", and "don't replace".
Since Instacart remembers these choices across orders, I've found this useful for making sure I get what I need.
The whole model of the shopper walking the isles to pick the products is wrong. It's inefficient and a recipe for disappointment, because what you see on their web page is just a guess at what the store has and the shopper can find.
I too have used Instacart probably 10 times, but never will again. It is also all but guaranteed that Whole Foods will drop Instancart like a hot potato for their own in-house service, so the valuation is completely wrong in my opinion.