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Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by brink on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @05:13PM (#19258804)
I quit Blue Apron for a few reasons.

   1. My plastic trash output doubled overnight when I signed up.
   2. Excessive amounts of carrots and other "cheap, but filling" substances.
   3. My life doesn't need another subscription service to think about and manage.
   4. Going to the store once a week isn't that much of a hassle, the food quality is higher, and it's cheaper.
Edit: The variety was nice though. Trying something different every time was an adventure, though most nights I wasn't feeling adventurous. Most nights, I didn't really feel like cooking something I may or may not like.
Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by TuringNYC on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @07:21PM (#19259757)
>> Going to the store once a week isn't that much of a hassle, the food quality is higher, and it's cheaper.

Not sure how common my take is, but not only is going to a store not a hassle -- going to a grocery store is an absolute pleasure. It is a timeboxed task with a sense of accomplishment at the end that takes me away from my computer and gives me exercise (I usually walk.) I tend to do 2x a week to break up the task and do it more often because I like it. Shorter cycles also helps with freshness and error correction.

Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by guymcgwire on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @09:15PM (#19260301)
Agree 100%. I don't use grocery delivery or meal kits and it's not because of cost or food spoilage or inaccurate orders. I don't use them because going to a brick and mortar grocery store is awesome. My kids really love going to the grocery store. They haven't yet been conditioned to believe that they should be embarrassed of or bored by certain activities. For them, it's an exciting opportunity for discovery. They're delighted by new products they haven't seen before.

I can't remember the exact statistics, but the vast majority of people prefer b&m grocery shopping. In many cities and towns across America, the most fun thing you can do each week is to go to the Walmart and shop. It's a social experience. It engages all your senses. It's fun. I believe that's partly why brick and mortar grocery purchases are still around 97% of total grocery sales despite grocery delivery services being available for over two decades.

I imagine at some point in the future, someone clever will figure out a way to replicate the in-store experience online, but there's nothing that's even close right now (sorry AR/VR).

Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by dwild on Wednesday February 27, 2019 @10:46AM (#19263913)
> I don't use them because going to a brick and mortar grocery store is awesome.

I agree with you, but the meal order kits, at least to me, doesn't solve "going to the grocery store".

They solve the issue of too much choice and too little time to make a decision. That push us to just try to same usual meals. At least with meal kits, not only you try new stuff, that you may have no tried for many reason (Does my supermarket carry this ingredient? Do I have it already in my pantry? Will I need to buy 10x too much of it to try this meal that I may not like?), but you also do it quickly.

I remember when I tried Goodfood late last year, there was a recipe I was interested in, but it was from their "family" meal plan. I still wanted to do it, so a month ago I went to get the recipe. I couldn't find a few of the spices at my local supermarket and it required a little bit of Sherry Vinegar, which sure isn't expensive and may be used in the future, but it's still way more than I need and will go to waste if I don't reuse it/like it.

I'm going to try a service that someone made in this thread, Eat This Much, and I'll see if it's works too, but I feel like it's not enough and many of theses issues will come up.

I still haven't closed my account over Goodfood, I still plan to order a few meals from time to time, to add recipes to my usual meals list. I feel like that's the kind of usage that make sense. Sure it's more expensive, sure the shipping require more waste, but it doesn't hurt if it just happens from time to time and maybe my Sherry Vinegar that I may waste in the long run isn't much different either.

Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by systematical on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @08:29PM (#19260090)
Agreed twice a week. I purchase two dinner meals each trip along with other items. I eat out the other 3 days. I can load up my large back pack and a few reusable bags and I am easily able to carry everything.

I really don't mind grocery stores and I've never understood the meals thing. But I'm also a pretty boring millenial on my s6 and 17" massive laptop. So who knows.

Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by oliwarner on Wednesday February 27, 2019 @05:47AM (#19262375)
I don't disagree that —if situation permits— grocery shopping can be a good levelling exercise, to step out of oneself and (eg) compare the price of various things at different quantities...

But context is important. A lot of people can't drop everything while they're shopping. If you're rushing, don't know what you want or have a furious toddler in tow, the experience suffers significantly.

That all said, I'm surprised so many people have to turn to Blue Apron (et al) just because shopping isn't convenient for them. Don't your shops offer online services? In the UK, all the major supermarkets offer delivery and collection services at minimal cost. If you buy the same thing every week, you can reduce the total exercise to just a few minutes of engagement time.

Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by biocomputation on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @07:45PM (#19259884)
Totally agree, and I don't know why more people don't say this. I actually enjoy going and looking at the food I'm going to buy. Most stores have nice extras like coffee shops and small cafes that can turn the 'chore' into a nice outing.
Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by freddie_mercury on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @08:00PM (#19259968)
Most people don't say it because most people don't feel that way.

Not sure where the mystery is.

Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by flak48 on Wednesday February 27, 2019 @01:46AM (#19261393)
The non-bot interpretation of the comment you replied would be that he/she was wondering why more people don't feel that way.
Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by freddie_mercury on Wednesday February 27, 2019 @04:57AM (#19262194)
Do we really need deep discussions explaining why people have different preferences in life?

I'm sure there are people who wonder why the OP doesn't enjoy spending time shopping for clothes.

Most supermarkets in America do not have nice cafes.

Most people go to a cafe if they want to go to a cafe, they don't go to a supermarket.

Many people have to drag kids along and keep them under control when grocery shopping.

It is a repetitive task.

For most people there is no creativity or joy in it.

Most people do not live within walking distance of their supermarket.

Most people wouldn't walk there anyway, since they are shopping for a family of three or four.

Most people don't see it as a break from other things, they see it as one more thing that has to be fit into a busy weekend (or even worse, an evening after work).

And many more.

Really the entire subthread reads like yuppie single men wondering why other people don't have the same preferences they do and being completely unable to figure it out.

Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by monksy on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @05:45PM (#19259071)
> Excessive amounts of carrots and other "cheap, but filling" substances.

This is why I hate potatoes soo much. There are wayyy too many restaurants that depend on potatoes for margin.

Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by chrisseaton on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @05:52PM (#19259124)
What kind of restaurants are you thinking of?

I've never eaten in a restaurant and thought they're bulking on potatoes.

I find restaurants steer very clear of potatoes because they don't have any wow factor, and with the volume of food that goes to waste in most restaurants to produce a perfect little plate are they really worried about how much the raw materials are costing them?

Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by ac29 on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @06:01PM (#19259216)
Plenty of places in the US will happily drop 500+ calories of french fries on a plate of food. Granted that is mostly limited to "American" food.
Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by bobthepanda on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @06:36PM (#19259463)
There are other equivalents; Cantonese places will try to load up on bean sprouts to boost the weight of the dish.
Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by chrisseaton on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @08:43PM (#19260164)
> to boost the weight of the dish

This claim doesn't make any sense. Who buys restaurant dishes by weight?

Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by bobthepanda on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @09:20PM (#19260323)
I misspoke and meant to say volume.

That being said, you can buy some Cantonese food by weight: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siu_yuk

Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by pandapower2 on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @11:47PM (#19260945)
Although weight may still have some validity in terms of making you feel full and satisfied.
Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by nitrogen on Wednesday February 27, 2019 @04:18AM (#19262054)
There's a buffet near where I work that sells by weight.
Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by ryguytilidie on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @07:55PM (#19259944)
Steakhouses. Any place that primarily serves Sandwiches/Burgers and fries.
Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by whateveracct on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @08:36PM (#19260122)
Pretty sure those places also feature potatoes heavily because people like to eat them with those entrees.

I know I love mashed potatoes with my steak. And fries with my burger.

Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by updateYourMind on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @05:31PM (#19258969)
I can't read your list on mobile
Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by QuercusMax on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @05:37PM (#19259004)
Is HN ever going to fix this issue? It's really obnoxious, and feels like it could be fixed with a stylesheet change.
Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by ahakki on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @06:13PM (#19259318)
You really shouln't use the fixed width style for lists, it's basically only useful for code.

instead you can just make a list with normal paragraphs so that lines can wrap normally.

1. Item One Das Handelsgericht Zürich hat in einem Massnahmeverfahren der Raiffeisen Schweiz gegen Inside Paradeplatz und Lukas Hässig entschieden, dass der Artikel eines anonymen Autors vom 20. August 2018 zu löschen sei.

2. Item two Das Handelsgericht hat festgehalten, dass nicht klar sei, ob unter den gegebenen Umständen der Text wirklich wie behauptet von einem ehemaligen Kadermann der Bank stamme.

3. Item three Inside Paradeplatz und Lukas Hässig wie auch Raiffeisen Schweiz akzeptieren diesen Entscheid.

Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by Wowfunhappy on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @06:57PM (#19259615)
Code also ought to be readable on mobile. Doing so will admittedly always be a compromise, but what we have now is very far from ideal.
Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by starpilot on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @08:02PM (#19259978)
Nobody uses the code tag for code. Seriously.
Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by shafyy on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @06:20PM (#19259351)
Züri!
Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by antidesitter on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @06:04PM (#19259244)
Agreed. It is beyond me why the admins refuse to change a couple of lines of CSS, when this is an issue that has been raised again and again by the community.
Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by updateYourMind on Wednesday February 27, 2019 @06:59AM (#19262665)
They can be pretty stubborn. When they added the [-] next to comments, everybody told them, on day 1, that it made no sense to have it on the right side and it would be easier to minimize comments on the left side. They did nothing.
Re:Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? by js2 on Tuesday February 26, 2019 @05:37PM (#19259007)
Quoting brink (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19258804) to help others on mobile:

1. My plastic trash output doubled overnight when I signed up.

2. Excessive amounts of carrots and other "cheap, but filling" substances.

3. My life doesn't need another subscription service to think about and manage.

4. Going to the store once a week isn't that much of a hassle, the food quality is higher, and it's cheaper.