Hacker News

points by esikich 12 hours ago | 0 comments

I just paid $20 for a $15 McDonald's order with the annual subscription. It all depends on the restaurant too. I also haven't gone grocery shopping since 2020.

I literally order from all of those companies as do 10s of millions of people if not more.

[–] agoodusername63 12 hours ago

My man, bragging about paying 33~ percent more for a bottom tier burger joint on top of a subscription is not the statement you think it is.

You couldn't torture that out of me.

[–] angiolillo 11 hours ago

> 33~ percent more

I haven't eaten MacD's in decades, but why does it matter as a percentage? How much you're willing to pay should be dependent on how much it costs you to acquire the items yourself. For example, if the store is a 10 minute round trip and you value your free time at at least $30/hr then paying $5 for delivery is rational, regardless of the item's initial cost. Better than rational even, when considering fuel and vehicle wear-and-tear.

(Of course if you have a kitchen, equipment, and time then buying bulk ingredients and making your own meals is sometimes more efficient, but thats an argument against buying prepared food in the first place, not against getting it delivered.)

[–] zdragnar 12 hours ago

If you're working hourly from home and it saves you 30 minutes, or sick and can't leave the house, or the baby is napping and you don't want to wake her up, etc etc, it's more than paid for itself.

That's not to say it is worth it as an axiomatic rule, but it's something some people will choose from among the options available to them, which may be many or few, as dictated by their circumstances.

[–] nonethewiser 12 hours ago

>If you're working hourly from home and it saves you 30 minutes, or sick and can't leave the house, or the baby is napping and you don't want to wake her up, etc etc, it's more than paid for itself.

Compared to what? Pulling left overs out of the fridge? Or driving to get takeout? Driving to get takeout was never the financially savy decision in the first place. You are simply paying more for enjoyment. So let's not set that as the baseline.

In terms of time, if you spend 40 minutes on a batch making 8 meals you are spending 5 minutes/meal on preparation. You're going to take that much time with your doordash order so there is not even a time saving.

Doordash buys you enjoyment and impulsiveness. You can spend your money on that. But don't fool yourself into thinking its a time or especially a money saver.

[–] yawnxyz 11 hours ago

nah you dont always have the luxury of meal prep (or planning/grocery store runs) when you have a newborn - besides this takes up so much time and energy

[–] nonethewiser 11 hours ago

sure you do I've had several

[–] fwip 10 hours ago

Sure, if you want to eat refrigerated burger meal 8 times this week, you can do it for 5 minutes per meal.

[–] nonethewiser 12 hours ago

>If you're working hourly from home and it saves you 30 minutes, or sick and can't leave the house, or the baby is napping and you don't want to wake her up, etc etc, it's more than paid for itself.

Compared to what? Pulling left overs out of the fridge? Or driving to get takeout? Driving to get takeout was never the financially savy decision in the first place so let's not set that as the baseline.

[–] tredre3 11 hours ago

The baseline is: I want a burger and I don't want to cook it (or I enjoy this particular restaurant's recipe).

That's it. The comparison is indeed burger delivery vs drive-through/takeout. Cooking is irrelevant in the equation.

[–] nonethewiser 11 hours ago

Right so doordash buys you impulsiveness

[–] ssl-3 10 hours ago

So what?

Do we not have the freedom to be impulsive?

[–] somehnguy 10 hours ago

Of course you have that freedom. Others also have the freedom to judge or condemn that lack of impulse control and/or laziness.

[–] mcmcmc 11 hours ago

How do you possibly interpret that as bragging?

[–] apsurd 9 hours ago

what does that even mean?

you’re bragging about being above mcdonalds. on an internet forum.

chill

[–] atomicUpdate 12 hours ago

This is why all the “everything is too expensive” complaints fall on deaf ears. The fact that these companies are used by so many is an easy indicator that all the “K-shaped” doomerism is just that.

[–] throwitaway222 11 hours ago

It's true. The fast food restaurants had all been locked into competition without these services for years. Then they found out people will pay 2x, and not only that, will be a large percentage of their base. So at risk of doordash prices going to 3x, the restaurants raised prices 2x anyway figuring either people will drive in or door dash will split the difference. Which is what happened.

[–] oblio 7 hours ago

> I also haven't gone grocery shopping since 2020.

Do you have regular groceries delivered?

[–] esikich 6 hours ago

Yes.

[–] gamblor956 10 hours ago

For $20 I can get a nice burger at a sit-down establishment, and be finished eating the burger before the Doordash delivery would have arrived.

[–] apsurd 9 hours ago

Different people like different things at different times.

[–] esikich 6 hours ago

It took 15 minutes.