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Comment by ostrichpepper2 | Hacker News Reader

I'm surprised by the press that Instacart is getting. Peapod has been doing something similar since 1996 and I'm sure others have, too. What makes Instacart different or "iconic"?

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Same day delivery from multiple, name-brand stores. Peapod ships food in giant trucks from central warehouses. Instacart sends drivers in cars to Whole Foods to get apples, and then those drivers come to our office --- 1-2 hours after we order.

We use Peapod somewhat regularly at home. Instacart is very different.

I see. Thanks. I'm a former Peapod user and that is very different indeed.

One problem is that they aren't in my area (downtown Atlanta). If after 18 years, they still haven't gotten here, then it is a safe bet they aren't coming. On the other hand, Instacart has emailed us, telling us they are going to start serving Atlanta in the near future. They are hiring people in Atlanta, so I'm gonna say it IS a safe bet Instacart will be operating in Atlanta.

So, different from Peapod? yes. "iconic"? He really only said "on its way to becoming iconic." Who knows, I think the guy is just trying to say something shocking. Nobody can predict markets that well. Not even Gary Tan. Amazon Fresh is coming to Atlanta soon too, so we will see.

It's located in SF.

Peapod doesn't do same day delivery.

I should have read their FAQ first, but I didn't see it. Their fastest delivery was 12 minutes. :^)

I'm wondering the same. Coming from the UK, home delivery for groceries is old news. Is it the geographical size of the US that's making this a harder problem over here (US)?

they do 1 hour delivery, and you can combine orders from several shops. whether that matters for most shoppers, I don't know. Their markup is more than UK food home delivery

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