How do you justify continually using take out delivery services?
How do you justify continually using take out delivery services?
For those that continually use services like Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash, etc., how does justify using the cost?
With fees and tip added, it's almost double the cost, the food arrives cold and wait time is longer than you picking it up yourself.
Because I don't want to go outside.
I can't drive; epilepsy ain't great for that. Some places I can reliably get the bus there and back in a reasonable time to eat it warm, but other further places are a gamble.
I recently started using Doordash.
My mother in law doesn't see that well. She lives in an apartment about 30 miles/48 km away. She is able to get around her apartment, and do things like take showers and use the bathroom, but she doesn't see well enough to cook, and wasn't ever any good at cooking anyway. She is supposed to have another family member living with her and making sure she gets fed, but said family member is too interested in doing drugs and chasing men.
So I've been sending doordash to her apartment for lunch when Im at work, along with leaving simple food she can prepare by herself. The wife and I are working on getting her into an assisted living facility. She doesn't need a nursing home, she needs people to talk to and a place where she can eat.
It's really handy for people who need food, but for some reason aren't able to go get it. Thankfully this situation is temporary for me.
Value is subjective, and some people value convenience more than the cost of delivery.
Living in Germany, so tips aren't an issue here and fees as re usually miniscule, so my justification is that I'm a lazy motherfucker with an income that is high enough to allow this kind of stupid spending (not high enough to compensate for the cost though, but that's not what we're talking about right now:P)
Double the cost?! Jesus, if it were that high here I wouldn't. I basically order from two restaurants when I do, for one of them that uses one of these delivery apps it's around 20% more since they list higher prices per dish than on their menu and have a 1.50€ delivery fee on top, but the restaurant I usually order at where you can order delivery directly has a flat 1.50€ delivery fee with same prices as the menu so that's around 7% more than going in person (usually I order for around 20€).
It doesn't arrive cold since they put it in one of these isolation boxes. Especially in the winter I think that's better than me getting it myself which is a 10 minute bike ride, without an isolation box. I'm gonna have to try that next summer though. Never hurts getting a bit of exercise and I actually never checked until now and assumed it would be more like 30 minutes lol
To go pick it up myself, I have to: get warm clothes on my children, load them into their car seats, brush snow off the car, drive all the way there, get my children out of the car and into the restaurant, carry the food and corral my children back to the car, get them back into their car seats, drive all the way back, remove all the children from their seats, and then get their winter clothes off and put away. I'll pay $15 to not do that.
I don't live in America. Costs are reasonable. Dilevery is often free (probably hidden in the price of food, but food is only slightly more expensive, like 10% tops). Service fees are manageable, like 2-3 euros. Perhaps were still living the golden age of food delivery here and the increases will eventually come.
Started during covid to avoid going outside, plus I had one of the big players in food delivery as a client, so I got a monthly 20€ voucher. That got me hooked.
I got used to it, became lazier, completely got cooking out of my routine and I the process gained 30Kg that I'm now slowly trying to get off for the past 6months or so.
In a nutshell, I got addicted to junk food and was too lazy to go get it. Also had enough money to allow me to do it, even if I shouldn't for health and economic reasons... Could be saving for something like the down-payment on a house but nope. Spending it on junkfood+delivery (luckily tipping isn't a thing here).
Trying to break that habit now.
As a bonus: I ordered a lot from BurgerKing. Until the end of 2022 they had free delivery above 12€. I'd easily get to the 12€.
Around January 2023 they changed the website to offer delivery ABOVE 15€ and that was crap because my orders usually didn't go that high. Turns out they fucked it up when coding it and if you managed to get exactly 15€ it would completely bypass this check and give you free delivery.
Someone needs to go back to basic math >= :)
Unfortunately they fixed it in early November. Good thing though as it might discourage me from ordering even further.
I have covid
Lately? I don’t. Uber, DoorDash, all of ‘em can’t bother to pay people what they’re worth, meanwhile customers are overcharged for literally everything.
Furthermore, my experience in Austin, TX is that drivers can’t bother to actually read delivery instructions… or can’t because they can’t read English. This is fine, but translation apps exist and 9/10 drivers just can’t be bothered.
My experience is also that, half the time, drivers can’t be bothered to actually double check whether the restaurant actually bothered to give them everything I ordered, or they’re taking shit for themselves because they aren’t getting paid enough. Whatever, that’s fine, most of the time Uber Eats would refund the stuff that was missing… right up until they stopped outright. I got tired of paying for food I straight up wasn’t getting.
Never mind that Uber seems to be going out of their way to avoid paying anyone a living wage or even call the drivers employees in the first place.
It’s just not worth it. I take less time to get the food myself anyway, and spend less doing it.
I don't use delivery services but my grandfather does almost nightly. He's got the cash and my grandmother needs 24/7 care and can't leave the bed, plus it's difficult to find a caregiver who will stay late in the day around dinner time, so he typically just orders dinner to be delivered.
I have medical problems and it's often hard to go out, or even impossible. I still enjoy restaurant food for its variety. Also, if I'm not feeling well enough to go to a restaurant, I'm probably not feeling remotely well enough to cook. And I can afford it.
Delivery is a life changer for the disabled...if you can afford it.
I know people like delivery services but as a long term food service worker these mobile orders just fuck everything up and I hate them.
So that's why I don't use them. I don't want to help fuck up some poor workers day by being lazy
I hate it but I'm constantly burned out from my my work so getting delivery is pay to win solution to "I'm hungry". Funny thing is I'm actually good cook but just lazy. If I were to make something it would be better than usual takeout. I try to avoid it but still find myself doing it more often than I would like. Not daily tho.
I used to justify it with "I've had a shit day, I deserve to be able to have something for the convenience" - not to mention, I don't have a car so realistically it was "Do I want fast food or not".
Then I started to realize that every day tends to be a bad day for me, due to a multitude of reasons. I live paycheck to paycheck (which is why I don't have a car in the first place) and the amount I was spending on takeout was way too high.
Now the only time I do so is on Fridays because my workplace lets us spend $25 on their tab just for joining the weekly staff meeting. Aside from that, I might order a takeout once, maybe even twice, during a pay period as a "congrats for making it through last month" but I'd like to even stop doing that ideally.
Generally I find the wait times aren't really longer. The perceived time maybe, as I can ring ahead and then go pick it up, but for me it's just the usual calculus of what could I alternatively spend the time doing and is it worth the added cost. It's the same as do I call a tradesperson or fix something myself. Replace a washer on a tap? Sure I will do that. Install a new toilet? Nah, get a plumber.
If money is tight and I've got the time then I'm going to cook myself. If both are tight then there's always ramen.
It's faster than delivery to pick up, but still considerably faster to make the pizza myself. I'm lazy, and cheap, so I make my own pizza. Bread dough for pizza is easy to make, no need to knead, just mix, and prep time is a matter of minutes while I stretch between bouts at the computer. I have never seen the point of the delivery services.
It's not like I never tried it. At a friends house, they took an age to arrive, cost the price of a weeks food, and the order was wrong. Next week of gaming, I brought my own food and shared it. Total prep time less than that of trying to get five people to make a decision on the app, and we knew what was on the pizzas. Same goes for lots of takeaway/delivery options. Never got the hang of making noodles though. I buy those.
I don't, ever, but if the deliverer can serve multiple orders at once, you could argue that it's a little more efficient and eco-friendly. Not nearly as eco-friendly as cooking at home, or making the trip on your bike, but better than making a round-trip yourself.
I don't justify it because I almost never do it. I may get a pizza delivered once every 6 months or so but that's it. I don't think I've ever used uber eats or similar because I think they're a complete ripoff.
I have much better ways to waste my money.
Sometimes I'm hungry and not sober. Nothing is in walking distance and no way in hell would I drive like that so some days I pay too much for junk food despite the drawbacks.
Only when I'm alone and I want to treat myself without having to take out my PJ.
I don't use them after inflation. I go to restaurant home page, and call the restaurant and drive to pick it up.
I used to use home delivery services but like you said, prices went crazy and food arrives cold or very delayed most of the time. I rather drive a bit then and pick it up.
If I'm ordering it at work it's because I'm at work and can't pick it up myself. I sometimes do that for lunch when I'm working overtime to treat myself. If I'm ordering it at home it's usually because I'm indesposed in some way. In both situations picking the stuff up myself wasn't a feasable option but I still wanted the stuff enough that I was willing to pay more for it.
For example I'm pretty sure I currently have RSV so last night I door dashed some food from one of my favorite resturants and doubledashed a pharmacy for some pedialyte and cold medicine. I could have gone out to grab the stuff myself but I would have potentially infected everyone I came in contact with. By going through a delivery service I didn't risk infecting anyone and I didn't have to drag my miserable snot laden wheezing self out of the house.
I've also only ever personally had one quality issue with door dash which wasn't that major anyways. Otherwise everything has always arrived perfectly fine.
I don't. I have nothing to justify to noone.
I consider it occasionally, then remember I'm paying a ton more to save like, 15 minutes. Then I just go get it.
Well, I have the money and I prefer having different meals multiple times a day without spending time on it. People usually forget that time is also worth something. Additionally, sometimes restaurants have some dishes which are just hard to cook at home, whether that depends on the ingredients or the cooking procedure.
Speaking of tips, it's not a thing here in Georgia (the country). We tip only and only if the service worker went above and beyond to provide a better service, or to fulfill some request they weren't supposed to. I am never going to support, or be a part of a business model (and doesn't matter who it benefits and how) in which paying the exact listed price for the service is considered shameful and/or disrespectful. And in any model, I am definitely not tipping in the
food arrives cold
situation.
I don't. Heck I cut down on getting stuff in general being its twice what it used to be. doubling it again for delivery and its 4x what it was just a few years ago. I don't know how anyone affords it.
I experimented with those food delivery services in 2019 and 2020 when I was wealthy and it was a new novelty, then I stopped being a lazy rich bitch and I go out and get my own food now.
The only times I ever deliver is when I cannot pick up. At work? Playing dnd? Then the delivery fee is almost worth it.
Otherwise we eat a frozen pizza or pick the food up ourselves.
I don't. I order at restaurants that are close to my place and I go fetch the food myself.
I don't have the energy to cook towards the end of the work week so might as well relax while they make their way to me.
I would rather cook myself than going out to pick up food.
Fuck no. I am poor as fuck, I can't tip bobody for nothing. Frozen pizza is the lazy meal for me. Because it's 8 dollars not 80.
The cost is negligible, the time-saving is real. The convenience is high.
I think a lot of people agree with my position, because the services are still in business.
At least here, delivery is faster than going in yourself.
I usually don't when it's just for me. But if I'm feeding more, it can be better with more people. But not often do I have to feed more than three and it makes sense.
On the rare occasion I use them it’s because I’m either hung over or legitimately sick. One of my credit cards comes with dash pass so I generally only pay an extra 2-3 bucks plus the driver tip.
Only if there's a significant offer of savings. Talking about like a free burger if you spend $10, or 40% off, and at that point, after fees/ tip it costs about what it'd cost for me to go get it. Otherwise, I just go get it.
I couldn't. I stopped ordering deliveries when they started becoming a significant part of my regular spending.
It was supposed to be a Friday night treat for the fam, but the novelty wore off and it was turning into a massive money pit.
Now we cook at home, save $240/mo, and eat better. My kids don't seem to miss it, so I judge that a win.
It's especially crazy to me since rn Kroger etcetera is trying to get people to order by doing it for free over a threshold. Costco has been doing that forever but they want you to spend $75 and you have to get costco sized amounts
Making workers take tons of little unsafe drives too is what blows my mind, like why deliver 4 sandwiches one at a time instead of a loaf of bread etc. Wild
I don't. I have intermittently delivered on some of these apps and I think it's a hilarious practice that forces you to understand how poorly the US is designed for delivery
Travel for work all over and don't have a car or other reasonable transportation in random cities. It costs less for delivery than 2 taxi/Uber rides and I dont have to risk getting lost in a weird place I don't know. Hotel room service is not good in most places
I can't that's why i don't
I don't. It's ridiculous with delivery fees and tips. I have a freezer and a Costco membership, and I'm learning to cook which is actually gratifying.
Normally I use it when I don’t have time to cook something or go pick it up.
I typically cook at home. I’m a decent enough cook that it’s cheap and it taste better.
Unless I’m going fine dining. My cooking is better than most restaurants.