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Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by esikich on Thursday October 29, 2026 @11:37AM (#50290779)
I just paid $20 for a $15 McDonald's order with the annual subscription. It all depends on the restaurant too. I also haven't gone grocery shopping since 2020.

I literally order from all of those companies as do 10s of millions of people if not more.

Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by agoodusername63 on Thursday October 29, 2026 @11:50AM (#50291007)
My man, bragging about paying 33~ percent more for a bottom tier burger joint on top of a subscription is not the statement you think it is.

You couldn't torture that out of me.

Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by angiolillo on Thursday October 29, 2026 @12:15PM (#50291450)
> 33~ percent more

I haven't eaten MacD's in decades, but why does it matter as a percentage? How much you're willing to pay should be dependent on how much it costs you to acquire the items yourself. For example, if the store is a 10 minute round trip and you value your free time at at least $30/hr then paying $5 for delivery is rational, regardless of the item's initial cost. Better than rational even, when considering fuel and vehicle wear-and-tear.

(Of course if you have a kitchen, equipment, and time then buying bulk ingredients and making your own meals is sometimes more efficient, but thats an argument against buying prepared food in the first place, not against getting it delivered.)

Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by zdragnar on Thursday October 29, 2026 @12:00PM (#50291186)
If you're working hourly from home and it saves you 30 minutes, or sick and can't leave the house, or the baby is napping and you don't want to wake her up, etc etc, it's more than paid for itself.

That's not to say it is worth it as an axiomatic rule, but it's something some people will choose from among the options available to them, which may be many or few, as dictated by their circumstances.

Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by nonethewiser on Thursday October 29, 2026 @12:13PM (#50291393)
>If you're working hourly from home and it saves you 30 minutes, or sick and can't leave the house, or the baby is napping and you don't want to wake her up, etc etc, it's more than paid for itself.

Compared to what? Pulling left overs out of the fridge? Or driving to get takeout? Driving to get takeout was never the financially savy decision in the first place. You are simply paying more for enjoyment. So let's not set that as the baseline.

In terms of time, if you spend 40 minutes on a batch making 8 meals you are spending 5 minutes/meal on preparation. You're going to take that much time with your doordash order so there is not even a time saving.

Doordash buys you enjoyment and impulsiveness. You can spend your money on that. But don't fool yourself into thinking its a time or especially a money saver.

Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by yawnxyz on Thursday October 29, 2026 @12:20PM (#50291537)
nah you dont always have the luxury of meal prep (or planning/grocery store runs) when you have a newborn - besides this takes up so much time and energy
Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by nonethewiser on Thursday October 29, 2026 @01:04PM (#50292369)
sure you do I've had several
Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by fwip on Thursday October 29, 2026 @02:15PM (#50293509)
Sure, if you want to eat refrigerated burger meal 8 times this week, you can do it for 5 minutes per meal.
Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by nonethewiser on Thursday October 29, 2026 @12:06PM (#50291298)
>If you're working hourly from home and it saves you 30 minutes, or sick and can't leave the house, or the baby is napping and you don't want to wake her up, etc etc, it's more than paid for itself.

Compared to what? Pulling left overs out of the fridge? Or driving to get takeout? Driving to get takeout was never the financially savy decision in the first place so let's not set that as the baseline.

Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by tredre3 on Thursday October 29, 2026 @12:22PM (#50291568)
The baseline is: I want a burger and I don't want to cook it (or I enjoy this particular restaurant's recipe).

That's it. The comparison is indeed burger delivery vs drive-through/takeout. Cooking is irrelevant in the equation.

Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by nonethewiser on Thursday October 29, 2026 @12:51PM (#50292123)
Right so doordash buys you impulsiveness
Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by ssl-3 on Thursday October 29, 2026 @01:42PM (#50293022)
So what?

Do we not have the freedom to be impulsive?

Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by somehnguy on Thursday October 29, 2026 @02:01PM (#50293300)
Of course you have that freedom. Others also have the freedom to judge or condemn that lack of impulse control and/or laziness.
Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by ssl-3 on Thursday October 29, 2026 @02:12PM (#50293469)
Be kind. Don't be snarky. Converse curiously; don't cross-examine. Edit out swipes.

Comments should get more thoughtful and substantive, not less, as a topic gets more divisive.

When disagreeing, reply to the argument instead of calling names. "That is idiotic; 1 + 1 is 2, not 3" can be shortened to "1 + 1 is 2, not 3."

Don't be curmudgeonly. Thoughtful criticism is fine, but please don't be rigidly or generically negative.

Don't post generated text or AI-edited text. HN is for conversation between humans.

Please don't fulminate. Please don't sneer, including at the rest of the community.

Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith.

Eschew flamebait. Avoid generic tangents. Omit internet tropes.

Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something.

Please don't use Hacker News for political or ideological battle. It tramples curiosity.

Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by mcmcmc on Thursday October 29, 2026 @12:40PM (#50291912)
How do you possibly interpret that as bragging?
Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by apsurd on Thursday October 29, 2026 @02:36PM (#50293834)
what does that even mean?

you’re bragging about being above mcdonalds. on an internet forum.

chill

Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by azan_ on Sunday November 01, 2026 @03:56AM (#50323770)
Valuing your time less than 5$ is not a statement you think it is.
Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by atomicUpdate on Thursday October 29, 2026 @11:56AM (#50291120)
This is why all the “everything is too expensive” complaints fall on deaf ears. The fact that these companies are used by so many is an easy indicator that all the “K-shaped” doomerism is just that.
Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by throwitaway222 on Thursday October 29, 2026 @01:13PM (#50292522)
It's true. The fast food restaurants had all been locked into competition without these services for years. Then they found out people will pay 2x, and not only that, will be a large percentage of their base. So at risk of doordash prices going to 3x, the restaurants raised prices 2x anyway figuring either people will drive in or door dash will split the difference. Which is what happened.
Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by gamblor956 on Thursday October 29, 2026 @01:59PM (#50293275)
For $20 I can get a nice burger at a sit-down establishment, and be finished eating the burger before the Doordash delivery would have arrived.
Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by apsurd on Thursday October 29, 2026 @02:37PM (#50293853)
Different people like different things at different times.
Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by esikich on Thursday October 29, 2026 @05:40PM (#50296492)
It took 15 minutes.
Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by oblio on Thursday October 29, 2026 @04:36PM (#50295524)
> I also haven't gone grocery shopping since 2020.

Do you have regular groceries delivered?

Re:DoorDash to Acquire Instacart by esikich on Thursday October 29, 2026 @05:38PM (#50296466)
Yes.