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Walmart Wants To Deliver Groceries Straight To Your Fridge (consumerist.com)

New submitter Rick Schumann writes: Walmart has a new marketing idea: "Going to the store? No one has time for that anymore," Walmart says. They want to partner with a company called August Home, who makes smart locks, so a delivery service can literally deliver groceries right into your refrigerator -- while you watch remotely on your phone. Great, time-saving idea, or super-creepy invasion of your privacy? You decide. Here's how the company says it would work:
1. Place an order on Walmart.com for groceries or other goods.
2. A driver for Deliv -- a same-day delivery service -- retrieves items when the order is ready, and brings them to the customer's home.
3. If no one answers, the delivery person can use a one-time passcode that's been pre-authorized by the customer to open the home's smart lock.
4. The customer receives a smartphone notification when the delivery is occurring, and can choose to watch it all play out in real-time on home security cameras through a dedicated app.
5. Delivery person leaves packages in the foyer, then brings the groceries to the kitchen, unloads them into the fridge, and leaves.
6. Customer receives notification that the door has locked behind them.

105 of 179 comments (clear)

  1. The Grocery delivery game again? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    This seems to be a common failure in internet business when they get into grocery.

    Same day delivery, across wide geographic area. specialized technology, higher staff amount, and trying to keep it affordable.
    Food is a necessary thing, and it is something we don't want to kill our budget on. So we are more than willing to go out of the way to buy food at the store, especially if it will save us some money.

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    1. Re:The Grocery delivery game again? by MangoCats · · Score: 2

      We participated in a test market of this concept in 2003. Place order online, food arrives direct from the distribution center in refrigerated truck next day - friendly service man puts on paper booties so as not to mark up your floor and delivers the groceries straight into your kitchen - letting themselves in is a new twist, but otherwise the same concept.

      It could work, I feel like the grocery chain we trialed with aborted the program because it would have lessened their brick and mortar presence in the market area - potentially stunting their growth. The charge per order back then was $10 - on a $300 or $400 order of groceries, I'd say that's more than worth it.

      I think WalMart will abort the program because they'll lose "K-Mart effect" tack-on sales. Go to the store for milk and juice enough times and most people will end up also buying a $50 lego set for the kids, a $60 PS4 title, a new HD tv set, and a couple of potted plants for the balcony.

    2. Re:The Grocery delivery game again? by mikael · · Score: 1

      British supermarkets do this all the time. You can order home deliveries of fresh, frozen and chilled items. Companies like Tescos, Sainsburys and Waitrose all offer the home delivery or pick up and collect. The trick is that you normally have to book before 11.45pm, but you can get delivery starting at 7am. Smart people make a booking with a few basic items, then come back and make the full order. They can do kitchen deliveries, but some people just prefer front door delivery.

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    3. Re:The Grocery delivery game again? by RobotRunAmok · · Score: 2

      Feeding a vegan family of six, for starters.

    4. Re:The Grocery delivery game again? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      That is about right. I normally factor $80 a person per week for my food budget.
      Normally you can get some economy of scale with additional people, being able to buy in bulk.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    5. Re:The Grocery delivery game again? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Those stores are out of business in the US

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    6. Re:The Grocery delivery game again? by Mashiki · · Score: 1

      Used to be common here in North America right up until the 1970's too, every grocer and grocery store did it until they started competing against each other for more profit. Though it's starting to make a comeback, mainly in retirement communities. It was common here in Canada to have a milkbox on your house for food or small grocery deliveries right until 1979 and was considered a feature of the house.

      --
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    7. Re:The Grocery delivery game again? by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      We still have a milkman who delivers dairy products to our door once a week.

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    8. Re:The Grocery delivery game again? by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      The key word was "fresh".

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    9. Re:The Grocery delivery game again? by mikael · · Score: 1

      It was the same in the UK before the wars. The village shops (butchers, fishmonger, bakery) would all have their delivery boys/girls who would use a bicycle with basket to deliver items. In the cities, the lady of the house would make her weekly order and items would be delivered by van. Department stores had their catalogs and items would be delivered overnight from the warehouses in London, by overnight train and delivered next day.

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    10. Re:The Grocery delivery game again? by Mashiki · · Score: 1

      We still have a milkman who delivers dairy products to our door once a week.

      There's a few people in the area that do this for the dairy's as a small business. You can even get them in glass bottles if you want. The price difference really isn't huge between picking up a gallon at the store or have it delivered either.

      The other upside since dairy is a huge industry here is you can get raw milk(unpasteurized) which is nice. I mainly use it for cooking or making my own cheese, it's also a nice reminder of my childhood since that's what I grew up on. There is a taste difference, but you've gotta be careful of the dairy since some are lax or use fully automated machines which aren't as careful as people in terms of limiting how bacteria can get into the milk. Generally if they're drinking their own milk, they're extra careful during prep and take extra steps that you don't see with other farms. That's not even getting on the "those ever-so nice smells of the country." Whether it's the smell of manure, or the sweet smell of hay.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    11. Re:The Grocery delivery game again? by Mashiki · · Score: 1

      And for a lot of kids their first jobs too, there's a few towns in Canada that do something similar but "health regulations" make it far more difficult then anything else to get it off the ground. So it really only happens where there's a density and need. Almonte, Ontario and Ingersoll, Ontario both have these services.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
  2. Delivery driver, then tells friends by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Delivery driver, making minimum wage and being treated like shit by Wal-mart, then tells his friends about the shit he saw in your house and 3 months later you get robbed. No thank you. What the fuck are these companies thinking and how fucking lazy are people? I'd only allow this if I was rich as fuck and had hired help to do this. Which at that point, they would be my employee, well compensated and not some untrustworthy Wal-mart meth head employee. But then the rich have been doing this for centuries already.

    Smart locks are exactly the opposite too. If it's connected to the internet, it's hackable. End of story. Not to mention, a simple kick and the door opens anyway.

    1. Re: Delivery driver, then tells friends by easyTree · · Score: 1

      For an additional $5, after putting the groceries away, the driver will make himself a sandwich and a drink then wash the dishes.

    2. Re:Delivery driver, then tells friends by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Smart locks are exactly the opposite too. If it's connected to the internet, it's hackable. End of story. Not to mention, a simple kick and the door opens anyway.

      So you have no problem with smart locks then. I mean who would hack a lock when they could just push through it?

  3. What about ... by Calydor · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What about pets? Will they make sure to keep the door closed so the cat or dog doesn't bolt? Will they refuse to enter the house if there are pets?

    What about grabbing something small in the fridge or elsewhere in the house? Does everyone have 360 degree surveillance in every room of their house now?

    What about disputing the purchase if you don't get the things you bought? Something missing, wrong items etc.?

    What about delivery guys taking pictures with their phones while they're in your house to, off the top of my head, either shame you on the net for old appliances, dirty dishes in the sink etc., or maybe to plan a future burglary now that they have ACCESS TO YOUR HOUSE to look around?

    What about just doing your grocery shopping yourself? Is the world really so stressed now we can't do that?

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    1. Re:What about ... by The+Good+Reverend · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Most of these issues aren't unique to grocery delivery - many people use maids/cleaning services, so I'm sure there are standards in place that many people are comfortable with.

    2. Re:What about ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      maids and cleaning services tend to have staff security checked and a consistent set of workers. Your average Walmart will churn through employees on a weekly basis and I seriously doubt they will do any real security checks on delivery boys/girls.

    3. Re:What about ... by Kernel+Kurtz · · Score: 1

      maids and cleaning services tend to have staff security checked and a consistent set of workers.

      In the end that is probably the make or break point for this sort of service as well.

    4. Re:What about ... by Khyber · · Score: 1

      "Does everyone have 360 degree surveillance in every room of their house now?"

      As quickly as you idiots are allowing the rest of the population to willingly surrender their rights with camera in everything and everywhere by doing nothing to educate the populace.....

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      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    5. Re:What about ... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      What about just doing your grocery shopping yourself?

      That still requires other people to grow the food, package it, and put it on the shelf for you. In principle, these are no different from delivery, and you only think they are because you are used to them being done for you.

    6. Re:What about ... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      I have a housekeeper who comes twice a month. She has two methods of dealing with dogs:
      1. A bag of treats
      2. Pepper spray

      With my dog, the first method worked with immediate effect.

    7. Re:What about ... by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      maids and cleaning services tend to have staff security checked and a consistent set of workers.

      You should use "and/or" here. A lot of people hire maids on Craigslist and pay cash; I've done this in the past. But the key word here is "consistent": when you hire some individual who works for themselves, you're going to get that same person every week, not some new random person you've never met. You'll probably meet that person several times, and get to know them a bit at least. It's not like a delivery service where you can have an entirely different person for every delivery.

    8. Re:What about ... by EzInKy · · Score: 1

      Most of these issues aren't unique to grocery delivery - many people use maids/cleaning services, so I'm sure there are standards in place that many people are comfortable with.

      Could you please define the term "many"? No one I know of does.

      --
      Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
    9. Re:What about ... by Calydor · · Score: 1

      Hey, I don't mind delivery to my door if that's an option - but there's no way I'm ever allowing strangers to just walk into my house without my being present.

      There's no way my dog's allowing it, either.

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      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    10. Re:What about ... by Somebody+Is+Using+My · · Score: 1

      Forget all that:

      How the hell will the delivery guy fit food into my fridge? I can barely fit stuff in there and it usually requires a clean-out first before I can tetris the new stuff into the machine.

    11. Re:What about ... by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      All slashdotters have a maid. She lives right upstairs!

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    12. Re:What about ... by Calydor · · Score: 1

      I always use maid services when I play The Sims.

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    13. Re: What about ... by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Think about it, if people don't have time to get food then they don't have time to eat it either.

      That's absolute fucking rubbish.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  4. Worst idea ever. Ever. by TiggertheMad · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wow, I would never let an unknown person have unsupervised access to my home. Especially someone employed by Walmart.

    Aside from all the new security issues that are opened up by generating one time access to a digital lock, doesn't this raise all sorts of red flags for people?

    What happens when law enforcement decides that they want to sneak in an poke around? We going to have another of situations where they can make it fly just because the Supreme Court hasn't gotten around to pointing out that it isn't legal just because it is novel, like we have with feds intercepting internet and phone data?

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    1. Re:Worst idea ever. Ever. by TiggertheMad · · Score: 4, Interesting

      What is that last sentence referring to? Does Walmart have some sort of security history or hiring practices that you are alluding to?

      Walmart is notorious for paying it's employees terrible wages and benefits. Am I to assume that if they cannot be bothered to pay people a basic living wage that they are going to devote much effort to vetting them and making sure that the are not criminals? Moreover, how much it security is a skinflint company like Walmart going to invest in to make sure that the one time pass codes they are using are properly secured aren't falling into the wrong hands?

      If you were a professional criminal, and you learned that Walmart had or could create onetime keys for half the city, wouldn't you be very interested? This is a terrifying idea, made more so because of who wants to do it.

      --

      HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
    2. Re:Worst idea ever. Ever. by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 1

      Is there something we can do to get you to fuck off in some sort of permanent sense? Your comments are consistently rude, uninformative, and humorless.

      --
      Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
    3. Re:Worst idea ever. Ever. by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 1

      Were you trying to prove my point?

      I'm really not sure how you can equate someone deciding that your commentary is valueless to oppression. An extreme emotional reaction, compounded with a non sequitur. You're really an intellectual tragedy, aren't you?

      I've been reading your posts here for something like the last ten years. You rarely rise above the noise floor. What you're posting lately is not even intended to be discourse. This forum would be improved by your absence.

      --
      Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
  5. Where do I sign up? by sizzlinkitty · · Score: 1

    I would love a service like this... except my great danes would eat the driver as he enters the house. I would need to figure out some compensating controls / mitigation to allow driver thru my house and into the kitchen area safely. I already have camera's all over my house and everything important is behind additional locked doors / cabinets. It's just one more than I don't have to worry about... why not?

    1. Re:Where do I sign up? by jpaine619 · · Score: 1

      Because you are a lazy fuck?

  6. Zero trust by Citizen+of+Earth · · Score: 1

    Is there a notification when the delivery driver is stealing your stuff?

  7. Conspiray Theory by Noishkel · · Score: 1

    If we are getting food in highly secured containers shipped straight to your home can we get a locking refrigerator like in the movie Conspiracy Theory? Because I'd probably into that.

  8. Can't streamline groceries more than... by TheZeitgeist · · Score: 2

    ...something like Costco. I remember Amazon Fresh in LA and all their dry-ice totes and such. They can't compete with something like Costco doing that. They need a warehouse with freezers for perishables etc. just like Costco. But unlike Costco, Amazon then pays to have delivery fleet take inventory from warehouse to customer. Costco, on the other hand, has the customer PAYING A YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION to wander into the warehouse and do the delivery part for Costco on their own dime and time. Going to take pretty fancy drone to beat Costco at that game.

  9. My headline was better! by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    Walmart Wants To Invade Your Home -- To Deliver Groceries

    As some others have already commented: Walmart is the LAST place anyone I know would buy groceries.. what's to keep the driver from casing your house while you're not home.. and so on. Utterly clueless idea from Walmart.

    Also, how many of you only go to one store for all your food shopping? I sure don't, and I don't know anyone who does, either.

    1. Re:My headline was better! by demonlapin · · Score: 1

      Walmart has pretty cheap groceries. You're not going to find fine cheeses or Prime meat, but if you just need staples... the produce is limited in variety, but generally inexpensive and of good quality. You find yourself in Podunk, USA, and want some Sriracha? Walmart has it. Want to buy everything in one trip? Walmart sells it.

      As for shopping at one store, I generally do 90% of my shopping at a very generic grocery store. Every once in a while, I need a specialty ingredient, or higher quality meat, or whatever, but yes, one store cuts it for the vast majority of my shopping.

    2. Re:My headline was better! by Khyber · · Score: 1

      "Walmart has pretty cheap groceries"

      Son, you don't know a fucking thing if you think WalMart has cheap groceries.

      Lemme tell you about Maxi Foods, where you can get 6 pounds of onions for $0.99. Asparagus is $1.99 a pound. A 10 pound sack of potatoes is barely a buck.

      If you think WalMart has cheap groceries, you're the kind of person Whole Foods would love.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    3. Re:My headline was better! by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 1

      Also, how many of you only go to one store for all your food shopping? I sure don't, and I don't know anyone who does, either.

      I shop exclusively at my local QFC, as it pretty much has everything I need. Do you shop at multiple stores for price or selection? I can't think of what I'd need that isn't available at that one store, and there's no way I could save enough to justify the extra 30-60 minutes per trip it would take to visit the second-nearest grocery store.

      --
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    4. Re:My headline was better! by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      Walmart is where poor people buy groceries. Not where people who have their own houses and smart locks and smartphones and surveillance cameras buy groceries. I think this service has seriously misjudged its' market. Middle class people do shop at walmart, but usually for other things, not for groceries.

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    5. Re:My headline was better! by demonlapin · · Score: 1

      And the grand national footprint of Maxi Foods is... what? If I can get really cheap food by making a 2500-mile commute to the store, well, it's not so cheap anymore, is it? You can get avocados off the farm for 10 cents apiece in the right parts of California, but that isn't much help to someone who lives east of the Mississippi. Walmart is cheaper than the local stores, cheaper than the available major chains, and much cheaper than the farmers' markets. You can get much cheaper rice, and Sriracha by the foodservice pack, at the Asian markets, but the fresh stuff isn't much (if any) less expensive than at the regular stores. They just have specialty ingredients.

    6. Re:My headline was better! by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      Why should I go to Walmart for groceries when there is Winco, or Food Max, or any of the other non-membership stores like them, that have all the basics at the lowest prices? Specialty things I get in more expensive stores because that's where I can get them. Besides Walmart is evil.

    7. Re:My headline was better! by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      As I said above: Winco. Or stores like it. Winco is nation-wide, too. There are THREE of them within 20 miles of me. You, friend, have it figured out, though.

    8. Re:My headline was better! by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      Most common things from Winco, because they are always cheapest. Most fresh produce and red meat from a more expensive store, for better quality. A few specialty items from Whole Foods, because they're who carries them. I'd go broke or go without buying everything from one store only.

  10. Seriously? by gweihir · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What I do when shopping for food is a) I decide on what I want to cook and eat. This is based on what is fresh, looks good, is in season and generally appeals to me. And b) it is low-stress time that I take off from all other things and concerns. The last thing I want is for this to be taken away and automatized. May as well automatize away going for a walk. This is seriously messed up.

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    1. Re:Seriously? by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      I'm with you on that, except when you consider this is Walmart. Shopping at Walmart is a stressful draining experience, and their food often doesn't taste quite right anyway so why bother trying.

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    2. Re:Seriously? by swillden · · Score: 1

      You might consider, perhaps, that not everyone is like you. In my house, grocery shopping is done with a pre-compiled list which everyone in the house adds to, and shopping is a chore. Assuming it was cost-effective and I was convinced that it was safe, I'd love this service. They wouldn't need a smart lock on my house since we basically never lock the doors anyway. Also, I wouldn't need to watch them on my phone because I work from home and my office window looks out on the front driveway, so unless I were in a meeting I'd greet them and help them bring the stuff in and put it away.

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    3. Re:Seriously? by EzInKy · · Score: 1

      You got that right! Have you ever been in a Walmart and asked for a butcher to cut your meat to your specifications? Real food stores have no problem with special orders. And as for their produce, you have to be a masochist to risk your life on what they have on display. What Walmart needs to do is employ real butchers and real produce experts, not staff who see customers as an interuption of their day.

      --
      Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
    4. Re:Seriously? by EzInKy · · Score: 1

      Assuming it was cost-effective and I was convinced that it was safe

      Big assumption there considering these are people who are willing to work for the lowest wages possible.

      --
      Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
    5. Re:Seriously? by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      While our shopping model is closer to yours (a centrally-managed list everyone can add to, and we plan shopping around the meals we want to make) ... I'm more like gweihir in terms of attitude.

      A few years ago, I started taking on most of the grocery shopping when my wife started having some nagging health issues. I've found that I actually enjoy it - it's like a little private time where I can think my own thoughts. It's like going for a walk, but in a grocery store.

      Note that I tend to do most of my shopping after 9pm though (we have a 24-hour Winco nearby). If I go during the day, it's much more crowded and harder to relax.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    6. Re:Seriously? by swillden · · Score: 1

      Assuming it was cost-effective and I was convinced that it was safe

      Big assumption there considering these are people who are willing to work for the lowest wages possible.

      Couldn't have such lower-class people breathing your air, surely not.

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  11. Can people get any lazier? by mea2214 · · Score: 1

    To use this system I have to setup an elaborate camera and door lock system just so I don't have to rub elbows with the proletariat at the grocery store.

  12. WCPGW by cstacy · · Score: 1

    Here's how the company says it would work:
    1. Place an order on Walmart.com for groceries or other goods.
    2. A driver for Deliv -- a same-day delivery service -- retrieves items when the order is ready, and brings them to the customer's home.
    3. If no one answers, the delivery person can use a one-time passcode that's been pre-authorized by the customer to open the home's smart lock.
    4. The customer receives a smartphone notification when the delivery is occurring, and can choose to watch it all play out in real-time on home security cameras through a dedicated app.
    5. Delivery person leaves packages in the foyer, then brings the groceries to the kitchen, unloads them into the fridge, and leaves.
    6. Customer receives notification that the door has locked behind them.
    7. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

    1. Re:WCPGW by Khyber · · Score: 2

      Awesome, another IoT network I can hack and use for spying upon people!

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    2. Re:WCPGW by EzInKy · · Score: 1

      7. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

      Walmart pays its employees the least amount it can, which of course encourages them to make as much as they can through other means simply to eak out a living. Anyone who has anything of value in their homes would be wise to boycott this "service".

      --
      Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
  13. The next step by Ogive17 · · Score: 1

    My company is going to deliver the food directly to your mouth.

    --
    "Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is worthless."
    1. Re:The next step by Lanthanide · · Score: 1

      The US Military has already gotten that beat, too. With rectal feeding (google it), they put food directly into your ass! So you don't even have to put up with the hassle of chewing and swallowing - even more convenient than what those soylent people are doing.

    2. Re:The next step by cstacy · · Score: 1

      Red Hot Catholic Love

  14. Meanwhile, in the UK. by queazocotal · · Score: 1

    National grocery delivery is available from several supermarket chains to most of the population (admittedly, the distances between customers in the USA makes this impractical in more rural areas, where it is not in the UK)

    The driver from several of these services will drop the groceries off in your kitchen.
    You do however have to be there.
    I have had no problems with quality in >100 orders.

  15. Passcodes secured by Equifax? by CQDX · · Score: 3, Interesting

    No way ever will I do this.

  16. Re: Like letting an Uber driver in your home by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    "A fucking database" indeed.

  17. Golly, Miss Molly... by ILoveFatCashews · · Score: 1

    I'm old enough to remember when the milkman delivered milk and eggs to a silver box next to the door step. If the milkman was inside in the kitchen, he was banging the lady of the house and not the fridge door.

    1. Re:Golly, Miss Molly... by cstacy · · Score: 1

      I'm old enough to remember when the milkman delivered milk and eggs to a silver box next to the door step. If the milkman was inside in the kitchen, he was banging the lady of the house and not the fridge door.

      Some say milkman's come back...

    2. Re:Golly, Miss Molly... by cstacy · · Score: 1

      So the come belongs to the milkman? Why else would you put an apostrophe there? Your comment makes no sense.

      Because the quotation, which you are not familiar with, is using a vernacular abbreviation of "has". In proper English it would be written "Some say that the milkman has come back", but that's not how the character spoke the line.

  18. No no no no by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 1

    3. If no one answers, the delivery person can use a one-time passcode that's been pre-authorized by the customer to open the home's smart lock.
    4. The customer receives a smartphone notification when the delivery is occurring, and can choose to watch it all play out in real-time on home security cameras through a dedicated app.
    5. Delivery person leaves packages in the foyer, then brings the groceries to the kitchen, unloads them into the fridge, and leaves.

    Oh HELL no. Not a fucking chance, no no no.

    If YOU want to let strangers into your home and let them scope it out, be my guest, but fuck all if I'm going to be up for that.

    I give it 6 months TOPS before there's a rape, a robbery, pilferage, or it's found out that Joe Deliveryguy was casing homes in his neighborhood.

    In conclusion, NO. No, no, no.

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
  19. Not good enough by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    I need Walmart to deliver groceries straight into my belly.

    --
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  20. What about a simple solution? by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What about the fact that all this is unnecessary if you put a secured, padlocked cool box (possibly even one with active cooling) outside your door and let them put the groceries in that? It's probably a lot cheaper than installing a smart lock plus video surveillance throughout your house and has no security implications. It might not keep them cool all day in the summer but if you arrange delivery for a 3-hour window before you return home it should do fine. Milk used to be delivered door-to-door in the UK and it was fine for an hour or so with zero refrigeration or insulation.

    Of course this solution does not involve high tech locks, flying drones, autonomous delivery trucks or robots so it's clearly less amazon-y but who knows, perhaps it might work?

    1. Re:What about a simple solution? by kenai_alpenglow · · Score: 1

      Not everyone lives in a crime-infested neighborhood, so that may not be an issue for the "non-thinking" poster. On the other hand, it sounds like something very ugly (or very expensive if not ugly). I'd bet HOAs would have a fit. But then, not everyone lives in a HOA-infested neighborhood.

    2. Re:What about a simple solution? by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 1

      Do you bother thinking before opening your mouth? Do you even live in a semi-urban area?

      Yes I have lived in many over the years, admittedly none of which sound anything like as bad as yours, which is why I indicated that it would need to be secured and padlocked (or did you miss that before your medication wore off?). This requires some work and expense but I suspect a lot less than installing a special smart lock plus network connected, computer controlled video surveillance throughout your house which is what we were comparing it to. Besides, based on your own description of your neighbourhood even going to the store yourself does not sound safe since you could get mugged for your groceries on your way back from it.

  21. Backdoor by MountainLogic · · Score: 1

    I seem to remember that someone used to make fridges that had a back door that went against a cutout in your outside wall so the milk man can put your milk in your fridge without entering your house. Also, some houses had little (12" x 12") double doors in the wall that the milkman could put our milk into and you could take it out from inside the house. We are talking decades ago when there were such a ting as milkmen rattling down your street at 5AM delivering milk. At they used wireless communication - you just put a note in an empty milk bottle asking for more milk. Oh, and yes they delivered in glass bottle that were washed and reused instead of making more trash. Never mind, it was a galaxy far, far away...

    1. Re:Backdoor by HiThere · · Score: 1

      Yah. And the key point is that even then, when people were more trustworthy (in general), he didn't have access to the inside of the house.

      P.S.: The reason that people were more trustworthy is that people grew up in small towns where everyone knew everyone else, and transportation was slow. In fact SLOW. So if something bad happened the pool of suspects was small. (You may recall that people who grew up in such environments traditionally distrusted strangers. This was reasonable. Some people lived in cities, but around 90% of the population didn't. And strangers were suspected of being people who had been ostracized by the people who really knew them.)

      --

      I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
  22. Re:Like letting an Uber driver in your home by taustin · · Score: 1

    I do feel obligated to point out that the same is true of Uber drivers, and there have been Uber drivers prosecuted for rape, nonetheless.

    Your "logic" isn't.

  23. Creepy. by pubwvj · · Score: 1

    1. That's creepy.
    2. Is Walmart willing to take on the liability for theft?
    3. Dogs.
    4. Dogs.
    5. Dogs.

  24. Re: Like letting an Uber driver in your home by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    +1

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  25. Amazon panic ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

    ... my local H-E-B and Kroger stores are providing curbside pickup.

    You go online and pick your items. They gather those up and store (see what I did there) them on shelves and in refrigerators in an add-on room and then park in a special spot so a handler can put them in your vehicle.

    When Amazon buys its own delivery fleet ... it's game over.

    --
    It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
  26. Been done by unteer · · Score: 1

    My family used a service like this, called Streamline, for years in the 2000's before they went bust. Streamline installed a garage door keypad opener and even provided a refrigerator in your garage. This gave them access to whatever was in your garage, sure; we never had a single issue. When they went bust they even let us keep the full size refrigerator!

  27. What's Old is New by Koby77 · · Score: 1

    I live in an older home built in the 1950s. It has a box on the side of the attached garage that can be opened from the outside or the inside; it was designed for the milkman delivery. If homes could be designed with a larger compartment, enough to contain a refrigerator, then this could work fine.

    1. Re: What's Old is New by Kjella · · Score: 1

      I think this is mostly a Catch 22, it's not worth putting up a delivery box until most services work with it and it's not worth offering until most houses have one. Refrigerated/unrefrigerated, electronic lock, tiny surveillance camera on the outside triggered when door is open, local+smartphone notification, but the service would also have to know to use it, accept that as an alternative to signed delivery. The handover point would be the closed door, which should solve the problem of the door left open. The liability if there are other items in there might be an issue though. For apartment buildings some sort of shared facility would probably be more efficient, but then you'd need some kind of rent/reservation system, deal with say leaky packaging, rotting food nobody picked up etc. and so on. It could work but I fear the main problem is whether it'll work with your random Internet order. If you got a partnership with USPS, DHL, UPS etc. to use the box at all addresses that have one. Then I think the refrigerated version would come as an extension to that.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
  28. unworkable by amiga3D · · Score: 1

    No. Way too many potential problems. No.

  29. Re:Like letting an Uber driver in your home by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

    After all, what is the risk of the groceries delivery boy graping you in the mouth?

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  30. Re:Like letting an Uber driver in your home by Khyber · · Score: 1

    "The whole idea a completely irrational paranoia"

    Spoken like an idiot that has never hired a maid service.

    Please, come back when you've actually tried these services and have been either ripped off or had criminal acts performed upon you before opening your mouth again.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  31. Sure.... if you want to void your theft insurance. by mark-t · · Score: 1

    Of course, I suppose they could just skyrocket your premiums, and increase your deductible, but otherwise I could all but guarantee that there is no way you'd ever see a single penny a theft claim if you were to come home and find your place had been robbed while also being a subscriber of this kind of service.

  32. They want to WHAT?! by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    Walmart wants to deliver groceries straight to your fridge.

    Well, fuck that. I mean, how fucking lazy can you be?

    I'll wait until Walmart wants to deliver groceries straight to my mouth.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  33. vacation by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    With concerns over finding healthy meals to make as opposed to instant meals, I always find the 'chore' in grocery shopping is figuring out what to buy and how much of it. Once you figure out what to buy, going and getting it is almost like a vacation away from home. So I don't really understand services like this.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    1. Re:vacation by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      Yeah I guess useful in places where you have to commute. I work from home.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  34. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Let me get this straight:

    You want me to let Walmart employees ( who are among the lowest paid workers there are ) into my home which is full of things that might be of financial interest to such a person ? Are you insane ? Even WITH live camera surveillance, not a fucking chance.

    This is a burglars wet dream. Get inside, take a peek to see if anything is worth the trouble and come back later ( or get your buddies to do it for alibi reasons ).

    As for the " smart lock ", more nope on that. If you haven't learned anything else, you need to learn that if it's internet connected, it's a security issue waiting to happen.

    1. Re:HAHAHAHAHAHAHA by macbass · · Score: 1

      Agreed! My sentiments exactly.

  35. Whats old is new again by stabiesoft · · Score: 1

    When I was a boy we had a guy called a milkman that came a few times a week to deliver dairy. I remember friends had a guy that I think delivered fritos/pretzels etc. If I remember right I think bread got delivered too. But all that changed when these new fangled supermarkets became a thing because they were cheaper. Exactly how Walmart (king of cheap) plans to implement door to door delivery at a reasonable price baffles me. Either the food is literally going to be garbage, like the produce no one else wanted, or the price is not going to fit the walmart profile. Now whole paycheck, they might succeed. But then the delivery guy is going to have to double as a massage therapist so the customer can get what they get in the store.

  36. Re:Like letting an Uber driver in your home by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Spoken like an idiot that has never hired a maid service.

    I've hired maid services, contractors, plumbers, electricians, appliance delivery guys, dog sitters, plant waterers, and I'm sure many others - all of whom I've let into my house while I'm not there by giving them a key (or leaving a key for them and giving them instructions as to where I left the key). I've never been ripped off, raped, or burgled as a result.

    And this service is absolutely no different than what I've just described - except by giving them a key to the lock, they could technically make a copy (or just take the key), and come back and rape, murder, and burgle me all night long, whereas with this, I'm able to see them enter, see them leave, and know that they can't get back into the house because they had a one-use code that allowed them in.

    Seems like it's an improvement on a system that largely works just fine already without all the safeguards you think you need. Perhaps the issue is that you don't know how to hire reliable, reputable people to perform these services for you, while other people do.

  37. Re:Walmart groceries by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

    Walmart is almost literally the worst place to buy groceries.

    Is "almost literally" the same as "barely figuratively"?

  38. Re:mmm... food from Walmart by kenai_alpenglow · · Score: 1

    Ahhhhh, aged beef! with extra spice.

  39. I'm not that freakin' lazy or busy. by macbass · · Score: 1

    HAhahahahahahahaha! no way dudes, no way.

  40. I'd rather have self piloted car pickup by jader3rd · · Score: 1

    I think how this is really going to work out will be some standard where your self piloted car will interact with robots at the store to pick up your order, drive back home, and then notify you when it arrives.

    Anything more than what we have now with humans isn't worth the effort.

  41. On the upside... by Macdude · · Score: 1

    On the upside, Walmart employees will now be able to make a substantial secondary income by ratting you out to the police.

    https://yro.slashdot.org/story...

    --
    "Grab them by the pussy" -- President of the United States of America
  42. Re:Like letting an Uber driver in your home by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    a completely irrational paranoia, which, incidentally, is one of the things that does make it more likely that you will be the victim of a crime.

    Why?

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  43. Re:Like letting an Uber driver in your home by gweihir · · Score: 1

    When you are paranoid, you miss actual signs of danger, because your system is overloaded.

    --
    Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  44. Re:Like letting an Uber driver in your home by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    Source? Other than yourass.com or thinair.org

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  45. Re: Like letting an Uber driver in your home by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 2

    Look, this isn't an argument.

  46. Resistance Is Futile by cstacy · · Score: 1

    This is an old story; it's been in the news for months that Walmart and others will be using "drones" for these kinds of home deliveries.

  47. Re:Like letting an Uber driver in your home by gweihir · · Score: 1

    Pay for my time to do a literature search and you will get sources...

    --
    Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  48. Re: Like letting an Uber driver in your home by KingBenny · · Score: 1

    yea like art thou kitten me ? its really not september fools day so its real ?
    they have a thing called 'wink' here too , recently they advertise that they are using "local drivers" to bring your groceries (its a delivery service used by several bigger chain stores) and i asked them what references these drivers had b/c as good as i agree with most of my neighbours, there's some inbreeds here i wouldnt trust within 30 foot of my food unless they were chained and gagged ...
    but i dont they have that
    i suppose thats the claim against uber too, right ... well NO WAY i'm letting anyone deliver unless they frackin registered and accountable, and minus"noway" i let anyone into my house LMAO
    maybe its an american things like that doors song where the backdoor man is allowed to eat your chicken ... if anyone did that here the risk of being shot would be severe ... mostly eaten by dogs i suppose but still

    --
    Free speech was meant to be free for all... how can anyone grow up in a nanny state ?
  49. The plus side by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 1

    If people start doing this, that will increase the soft targets for burglars, and reduce the odds of them trying harder targets like my house.

    --
    Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.