Why are some stores going to all "pick-up" or "delivery"?

Seriously, I'd be more than happy if all stores did this. Other than my corner store, I don't remember the last store I visited. It's certainly been years since I did.

In the UK, High Streets are dying. High Street, in this context, are where the shops used to be. But the stores are rapidly closing, and the reasons to visit are reduced. Also, it's recognized that the old High Streets represent prime locations. They generally have the roads needed to bring shoppers, so they're a good place to live.

In my town they're busy tearing down a lot of what was once the shopping area and they're building apartments in their place. There simply is no need for a big space full of goods in prime real estate.....
 
That has been normal here for many years, debodun,
it is another way to shop, you don't need to use it if
you don't want to, I have never used any of these, as
in the beginning, they used the store's own brands if
the one you asked for out of stock, but you can say,
no substitutes.

Also, if you spend £40, the delivery is free, the click
and collect, has always been free in supermarkets,
but some other places like sports shops and shoe
shops charge for that service.

Mike.
 
Mike said:
That has been normal here for many years, debodun,
it is another way to shop, you don't need to use it if
you don't want to, I have never used any of these, as
in the beginning, they used the store's own brands if
the one you asked for out of stock, but you can say,
no substitutes.

Also, if you spend £40, the delivery is free, the click
and collect, has always been free in supermarkets,
but some other places like sports shops and shoe
shops charge for that service.

Mike.
Click to expand...

I am never going to a grocery store every again. Good grief I hated those places. Now I have everything delivered as and when I want it. I tend to use ASDA because they have a good service here. Minimum delivery is £40, and there is a small charge for the delivery, depending on the time of day you want it, or how in advance the delivery date is. Delivery costs somewhere between £2 and £6.

Since I use them all the time, sometimes ordering for an early morning delivery on the same day, I pay £6.99 per month and all deliveries are free, no matter how many I have.

It also cuts down on impulse buys. But mostly, it just keeps me sane.
 
I do not like shopping at the grocery store, either. I use delivery but sometimes forget something and go to the store. They are usually so busy and parking lot is full. Too many people rushing around with no concern about others.

Just going to stores is a nuisance anymore.
 
I can't order online or have things delivered because that requires "plastic". I like to do my own shopping so I can examine the product first hand - someone else isn't picking it out for you.

I looked at the Staples web page that is closest to me and no matter what I looked at, the options were something along the lines "delivery in 3 business days" under the items picture. Same with WalMart, although they had shorter delivery times and an option to pick-up.
 
Mike said:
That has been normal here for many years, debodun,
it is another way to shop, you don't need to use it if
you don't want to, I have never used any of these, as
in the beginning, they used the store's own brands if
the one you asked for out of stock, but you can say,
no substitutes.

Also, if you spend £40, the delivery is free, the click
and collect, has always been free in supermarkets,
but some other places like sports shops and shoe
shops charge for that service.

Mike.
Click to expand...
No delivery charge sounds like a good deal! I always have to pay for delivery no matter how much I spend. I can get a delivery for $2.00 if I am willing to wait for the delivery to be later in the day.
 
I order nearly everything online, mostly from Amazon. Delivery is free and very quick,sometimes the same day.

But for grocery shopping, I still prefer to go to the store. I did try home delivery once, during Covid's beginning panicky period, when I was trying to avoid crowded places. The order was badly messed up. I ordered grapefruit and got oranges instead. I was completely out of eggs, and didn't get any, because they said they "didn't have any." (Not true.) I wanted a box of Ritz crackers, and maybe this was partly my fault as I didn't specify what size. I got an enormous box enough to last me a year or more. I ended up throwing out half of them because they went stale. A few other items were not what I wanted either.

So the next time, I just put on a mask and went shopping.
 
Mike said:
That has been normal here for many years, debodun,
it is another way to shop, you don't need to use it if
you don't want to, I have never used any of these, as
in the beginning, they used the store's own brands if
the one you asked for out of stock, but you can say,
no substitutes.

Also, if you spend £40, the delivery is free, the click
and collect, has always been free in supermarkets,
but some other places like sports shops and shoe
shops charge for that service.

Mike.
Click to expand...
I don't think Deb is talking about groceries MIke....

Here in the Uk as Mike says it's been happening for a long time.

Instead of the big box stores making space for stock.. and paying for it to be transported to their stores, and the staff having to move it, and risk injury , they now leave it all in the original warehouses which is where they get delivered from.. so you can't go and buy a washing machine for example straight from the store as we once did with many of the bigger stores, we either have to order it online... or go into the store, and order it.. and then it has to be delivered from the warehouse...

ETA most of the big box stores will have one each of every item on display on the shop floor so you can examine it yourself, but you can't buy that one...
 
It sounds like they are just telling you what is available in stock and what will need to be shipped to the store or your home. 🤔

I need to force myself to begin shopping more from home so when the day comes that I run out of options it won’t be such a steep learning curve.
 
Aunt Bea said:
It sounds like they are just telling you what is available in stock and what will need to be shipped to the store or your home. 🤔

I need to force myself to begin shopping more from home so when the day comes that I run out of options it won’t be such a steep learning curve.
Click to expand...
you took the words right out of my mouth Bea...I was just going to say the same to deb.....because it's going to happen and it will happen soon..and you really need to be au fait with the practice of buying online and using plastic, before that happens or you going to be a target for the worst type of scammers...they can smell a greenhorn a million miles away
 
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I think there will always be small grocery brick and mortar stores for those who prefer to shop that way, but eventually a large portion will be delivery. I think in time, most big box stores may phase out their large retail presence, and they will instead have large warehouses, and satellite warehouses, and the deliveries will come from those warehouse hubs.

A huge amount is spent on a retail presence, from building them, electric and lighting, heating, cooling, shopping carts, checkouts, cleaning, staffing and wages, benefits, stocking shelves, trucking costs, and on and on. Once robots come to dominate the warehouses, and food no longer has to be trucked and stocked and presented for purchase, stores will save millions by just having drones or autonomous deliveries to customers right from the warehouses. It won't happen right away, but I think we will see that gradual shift.

Those who prefer hands-on shopping will have that option, but for those who don't, it solves a lot of problems for the stores, and saves massive amounts of money to deliver straight from a warehouse where bots are working around the clock filling orders, with minimal requirements. If it does happen, the cost of groceries should go down, but time will tell if that happens.
 
There aren't very many places I need to go, so I stay home more than I should as it is. Going to the store for things I need twice a week is something I do. The alternative is, I'd have to think of something else to do to keep me active, and offhand, I don't know what that would be. It's a chance to get out of the house for a purpose, not just aimlessly driving about with no particular place to be.

I have fun days now and then, when I stay gone all day to a larger city, but there is generally some cost to things like that, even if minimal, while Walmart is less than 2 miles away, and I enjoy looking at the products, and sometimes what's new in the electronics dept., even if I'm not buying something in that department. This being a small community, I sometimes run into people I know and we talk a bit.

Also, I eat fresh vegetables, and I want to pick those out personally, not just the first yellow squash or onion a clerk happens to grab. And, as I posted once in some other thread, my list is flexible. Although I pretty much stick with it, if I see a sale on a different product from what is on my list, I sometimes switch what items I buy.
 
I've always heard that paying staff is a store's biggest expense so of course they would like us to order online and eliminate the clerk and cashier jobs. Stock clerks can fill a dozen orders at once and have it bagged and ready to wheel out to the delivery man or the customer.

They've already managed to get most of us to check out our groceries ourselves at the self-check. Then we bag it ourselves and wheel it out to our cars. This all saves the store lots of money.

So between being able to cut down staff and tripling the prices, just because they feel like it, it's all a win-win for them.
 
Because of all movement lately, after Covid and some places here
don't accept, cash, while others don't accept cards, I opened some
extra bank accounts, I have my main one where my pensions go in
and all utility bills and others that are fixed, come out of, then I got
another current account, for using in shops and supermarkets, I put
money into that one if I need to top it up, I have a third, one that is
only for internet or phone shopping, that one is usually quite low,
I only add to it when I am buying something remotely, the fourth
one is my funeral fund, which is a glorified savings account.

The first 3, I have mainly for the cards.

So Deb, think about opening a second account, for a debit card, it
makes life easier, at least it does for me.

Mike.
 
debodun said:
I can't order online or have things delivered because that requires "plastic". I like to do my own shopping so I can examine the product first hand - someone else isn't picking it out for you.

I looked at the Staples web page that is closest to me and no matter what I looked at, the options were something along the lines "delivery in 3 business days" under the items picture. Same with WalMart, although they had shorter delivery times and an option to pick-up.
Click to expand...
Same with the plastic for me. I avoid it as much as I can. I transfer everything over to glass, metal and other things. Especially food and especially in the fridge.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
There aren't very many places I need to go, so I stay home more than I should as it is. Going to the store for things I need twice a week is something I do. The alternative is, I'd have to think of something else to do to keep me active, and offhand, I don't know what that would be. It's a chance to get out of the house for a purpose, not just aimlessly driving about with no particular place to be.

I have fun days now and then, when I stay gone all day to a larger city, but there is generally some cost to things like that, even if minimal, while Walmart is less than 2 miles away, and I enjoy looking at the products, and sometimes what's new in the electronics dept., even if I'm not buying something in that department. This being a small community, I sometimes run into people I know and we talk a bit.

Also, I eat fresh vegetables, and I want to pick those out personally, not just the first yellow squash or onion a clerk happens to grab. And, as I posted once in some other thread, my list is flexible. Although I pretty much stick with it, if I see a sale on a different product from what is on my list, I sometimes switch what items I buy.
Click to expand...
This is why much as I hate grocery shoppng, that I do my own rather than have it delivered. We get the option to ask the picker online to pick out the longest date the freshest fruit s etc .... but they're not diligent at it, they're not picking for one person at a time, they're picking for 4 or more, so they don't have time to check everything.. so I prefer to just go and do my own, unless I'm incapacitated ...
 
I see that often now and it looks like it's more time and trouble than it's worth. I see young people standing around on their phones going through orders and other problems. Meanwhile, I peacefully walk past them, buy my stuff and go home.
 
debodun said:
No in-store shopping. You order online to either pick it up in a designated store area or have it delivered.
Click to expand...
Is the internet killing the high street? Many of the big name shops have vanished, all that's left is a mix of charity, discount and coffee shops. Each of those often have closed-up shops next door, strewn with graffiti and with the homeless sleeping rough in the porch.

The decline of the high street is alarming. You can blame the internet, austerity, or even political incompetence. However, the reality can be boiled down to a simple equation. The average working person has less disposable income to spend which, in turn, causes less money to spend, making shoppers more careful about where they spend their money.

It probably needs political influence but when shops, restaurants, and even town centres up their game and try to attract consumers to their premises with products at affordable prices, it could make retail shopping an enjoyable experience, but I am not holding my breath.
 

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