Have you heard of “Amazon Fresh”?
“Welcome to Amazon Fresh. Skip the trip to the grocery store and spend more time doing the things you love with AmazonFresh grocery delivery service…
We’ve made shopping for groceries simple. Here’s how: Shop our great selection… Reserve a delivery time… Get it fast and fresh…”
Amazon Fresh is the innovative idea from its like-named parent company that delivers fresh groceries to your house. Currently only in specific, targeted areas of the country, for an annual fee ($299) and a few clicks on your computer, Amazon Fresh will cater to all your grocery needs, bringing beets, beer, meat, nuts, seafood, bread, etc. all straight to your front door… so you never have to exit your front door.
Listen to a few testimonials…
“After just 2 weeks, I don’t know how I ever lived without Amazon Fresh…They have such a huge variety, everything you’d find at a regular grocery store and much more. So many organic produce options. I haven’t had to go to the grocery store in weeks!”
“… The only reason it gets 4 stars instead of 5 is that if some of your items will not be available for several days, it does not allow you to split your order… it still beats the heck out of going to the grocery store on Saturday morning!”
“I just used this service for the first time this past weekend and am already spreading the word to my friends and family. Online ordering was so convenient and efficient!… I may never step foot in a supermarket again! Thank you Amazon.”
First, a couple thoughts before I get to my main point this day…
One, I love all things Amazon. At Christmas time especially, they make shopping more efficient and convenient while still being cost-effective.
Two, when I think of young moms attempting to cram multiple kids into the mini-van, trekking off to the grocery store for a seemingly too long, chaotic adventure of the day, I get it. That’s tough. Amazon Fresh is indeed a breath of fresh air.
But something within the progression of the online grocery delivery service got me thinking, as this is not solely the mindset of Amazon. Kroger, Walmart, Safeway, etc. are each also targeting specific test markets.
I was thinking of the stated benefits… this idea that I never have to leave my house… I don’t have to mess with the hustle and bustle of the store… I don’t have to deal with the kids and the crud and the crowds and other perceived annoyances of life.
I don’t have to deal with other people.
And then I look at the vitriol which continues to digress in social media. On some days, it seems we are headed to some sort of evil, awful civil war, as we increasingly justify the lack of listening to others. Our patience has grown thin. We want nothing to do with another.
Why? Because they aren’t like us.
They don’t look, act, think or do something like us.
Maybe the first step in civil, wise, interactive discussion is being again willing to walk out our front door… and deal with the kids and the crud and the crowds… walking along and in step with others. The more we isolate instead — intentionally avoiding the perceived annoyances that come with unlike others — the more our communication deteriorates as well.
Respectfully…
AR