Please explain to me why my brilliant idea wouldn’t work/doesn’t exist yet

[Dollywilde]

DH and I do do a ‘big shop’ either online or in the big supermarket, once every 10-14 days or so. Though obviously we need to supplement that with top ups of the basics - bread/milk/eggs/salad bits.

I’ve recently had DD (12 weeks old) and suddenly I’ve realised just how hard it is to ‘pop’ into the shops when we’re driving back from somewhere. It’s one thing when we have a quiet day and I can make ‘going to the Co-Op’ the focus with a walk etc but if I’m on the way back from somewhere the idea of parking up, going to the boot, getting out the pram, assembling it, getting DD out of the car seat, going into the shop, getting what we need, then the whole thing in reverse is just exhausting! Also often DD is asleep in the car and I know the whole process will wake her up whereas sometimes I can sneak her into the house without waking (sometimes!)

So here’s my idea: a drive through, but for basic groceries. Obviously I wouldn’t expect to be able to get complex or fancy stuff but you know when you stop at a petrol station after hours and they serve you from the Perspex window and the shop assistant grabs the basics you need? Like that, but a basic shop with multiple windows like the drive through at McDonald’s etc.

There must be a reason why this doesn’t exist yet. Is it that for most people, parking up and getting out of the car isn’t too tricky? But that’s true of McDonalds drive through and they still exist. I’m sure if there was a market for it it would exist... so MN, tell me, why doesn’t it?

I like your idea, it could become a reality in the future.
But until very recently people have seen shopping as a social outing, often involving the whole family, so that's one reason why your idea hasn't come about yet.
(In the meantime, try to always keep basics like bread in the freezer, or some long life bake at home bread and a carton or two of long life milk in the store cupboard, to save on your trips to the shops.)

@CandyLeBonBon oh sorry for misreading the tone! I just didn’t want to come off as hugely PFB 😂

Niche need I think - when my dcs were the same age I thought the exact same thing but I'd forgotten I'd 'invented' it until reading your post!

I think it's a good idea but I think it would work best as an add-on to a McD's drive-through or similar; an "essentials" or "top up" box. Don't think it would be worth setting up an entirely new retail infrastructure just for bread, milk and loo roll.

You’re in new baby mode OP. The reality is that the vast majority of shoppers simply don’t need this service.

This is what I miss most about living in UAE. You can call your local grocery store to deliver almost anything at any time

But you don't need to faff with the buggy. When they are tiny you just take them into the shop in their car seat. When they are a little bit bigger, and support themselves, you can carry them on your hip or pop them in the trolley. (non) problem solved.

When mine were tiny I invented a delivery service for meals which were suitable for blw. Then I realised that most people would only have a use for this for a few weeks of their life.

@EmmaStone

There are drive thru pharmacies in the US

Now that's an idea...

I’d use it OP. I bloody hate dragging the kids into a wee shop to grab bread and milk. It’s such a faff. I could use your drive through window on the way home from school.

I accept I am v much focused on the ridiculous logistics of newborn life. That said my dad has reduced mobility and would probably appreciate this, like the Pp with arthritis. Plus I do think humans are lazy and would take up the option of staying in their car if it existed. However I will accept the counter arguments and stand down my latent (if sleep deprived) entrepreneur brain

I’ve always wanted this (and really wanted it when I was a smoker). More for newsagent type stuff though - so things you don’t need to browse and choose from.

I doubt it has much legs, but if you did low it near me, I’d be a customer!

I visited Dallas 20 years ago and they had drive through pharmacy, atm, grocery store and coffee shops. You could literally do your entire day without ever having to get out the car.

[quote Dollywilde]@SpaceOP I guess that makes sense. But I do think that we are an inherently lazy society and actually a lot of people would choose to drive through for a ‘one or two bits’ shop if it were available, and it would become worthwhile. I wonder if it depends on where you live - I think it’d be more utilised on the outskirts of towns etc rather than in zone 2 London. Maybe even just at service stations?[/quote]
I think it WOULD be utilised. That's not the issue. There's definitely a market for it. The challenge is to make it cost effective. You said yourself that you don't want to pay the extra deliveroo cost.

I'm always interested in what's in a small shop - even just the local corner shop has a surprisingly large stock. So if you were to ask someone to run round for you getting things, that would take time. And it's the cost of labour and storage (both rent, and the need to buy in stock in bulk) which are the biggest challenges/costs for retailers.

And you might say, but surely if they just keep it really basic - bread, milk, eggs etc. except... even just in the milk options there's a huge selection skimmed, semi, full fat, organic, long life etc. And that's before you get to the other types of milk. Arguably, on the assumption that cows milk is the most popular, your drive through would not sell oat and almond and soy milk, but it's still challenging to work out what to stock - 1 pint bottles? 4pint family size? Organic or non-organic? And because we're all used to having what we like, these decisions are actually important. I do not buy non-organic milk unless I have absolutely no choice. So, if the drive through doesn't sell organic milk, the chances are that I'll come up with an alternative plan than using them.

And then how do you service these cars arriving? What if queues build up? do you lose customers because you can't serve fast enough? Do you have to find somewhere where a queue of cars waiting to buy bread and milk can be hanging around without causing traffic/neighbour problems?

It's not that it's a bad idea. I think it would be brilliant. But I think the logistics of it are very difficult.

It might be easier to build a relationship with a local independent grocer, I'm sure if you picked a quiet time and agreed you'd txt ahead with what you need many would be happy to bring it out to you in a bag?

My local ‘small’ supermarket doesn’t have trollies so taking the car seat in the trolley wouldn’t work alas, but can definitely see how the seats in the trolley at the big shop help when kids are older.

In the states they have drive thru pharmacies, banks and off licenses and that's just what I saw in florid do wouldn't be suprised if a version of the OPs idea exists somewhere.

As for deliveroo/ubereats etc. Round here the shops that deliver using these services bump the price up considerably. I'm talking £3 for a basic loaf of bread.

@Dollywilde we now have 2 deliveries a week. I am fairly disorganised and hate shopping, but very little becomes a desperate need when we have a loaf of bread, 4 boxes of cereal and 24 pints of milk delivered every Tuesday and Friday. Yup, my DCs really like cereal (and there are many of them - cereals and children). Tesco do also bring us actual food to make actual meals too...

Are there other places with little robots scooting all over town? Anybody used one? It seems very cool, wondering why it hasn't spread.

I think the fact that it happens in the States makes sense, especially in states where there is space (so rent is less of a cost issue) and a relatively wealthy population (who don't mind paying slightly over the odds for the service).

@user115632569541

Are there other places with little robots scooting all over town? Anybody used one? It seems very cool, wondering why it hasn't spread.

I hope it spreads. I’ve seen the MK robots on YouTube but I couldn’t live there as it’s one of those places that gives me the heebiejeebies (no offence to MK residents!)

Yes I suppose drones will be making these deliveries before too long.

[quote devildeepbluesea]@Dollywilde stick the car seat in a trolley! Even little stores have the odd trolley![/quote]
I can't believe your the first person to suggest this?! I thought everyone with a small baby shopped like this

@AdaColeman

I like your idea, it could become a reality in the future. But until very recently people have seen shopping as a social outing, often involving the whole family, so that's one reason why your idea hasn't come about yet. (In the meantime, try to always keep basics like bread in the freezer, or some long life bake at home bread and a carton or two of long life milk in the store cupboard, to save on your trips to the shops.)

This. The only time I ever really do a 'pop in' shop is when I've decided I'd really like a bottle of wine... We always have bread in the freezer and rarely run out of milk but when we do there's UHT in the store cupboard (under stair cupboard which has extras of everything we use regularly) because I'm also a bit of a pepper and like to have enough food for a few weeks. My neighbour calls me her corner shop because when they run out of something she sends her DH round to mine to borrow it!

But OP, I do like your idea though they'd have to up the prices to cover the costs.

I had a doona car seat. No faffing, one click and you are mobile

why do you need to take a pram into a supermarket? Put your baby in a pappoose. When she's big enough to sit o]up she can ride in the trolley seat.