XPost: rec.arts.sf.written, rec.arts.sf.science   
   From: bap@shrdlu.com   
      
   On 16/01/14 21:10, Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor) wrote:   
   > On 1/16/14 2:19 PM, Bernard Peek wrote:   
   >> On 16/01/14 12:18, Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor) wrote:   
   >>>>>      Not even vaguely close. I do my shopping in person because   
   >>>>> there is   
   >>>>> no way I'm trusting some guy I don't know to check every piece of   
   >>>>> produce and make sure it's in good shape, and even if I did, do I   
   >>>>> trust   
   >>>>> the shipping company or delivery people? No. The remote location   
   >>>>> ordering approach is great for things like books, or gadgets, but not   
   >>>>> for fresh food.   
   >>   
   >> It's only a few years ago that people said shopping for books online   
   >> wasn't possible because you had to be able to browse the shelf and read   
   >> the contents.   
   >   
   >      Big difference: I can quite literally sample the book. I can tell   
   > how it "tastes". I cannot do that with an online grocery. Also,   
   > delivering me an electronic copy of the book is, with a good reader,   
   > nearly identical to getting the physical copy, only quicker. Electronic   
   > copies of red bell peppers are not the same as actual red bell peppers,   
   > and I have no way of picking *THAT* particular bell pepper from the   
   > grocer's current shelf, rather than the one in the corner that maybe   
   > should've been removed last week.   
   >   
   >> Internet shopping for groceries has taken off in a big way   
   >> in the UK. It's perfectly normal to have a complete stranger select your   
   >> fresh food for you.   
   >   
   >   
   >      But not for me, and I doubt it ever will be.   
      
   Based on the way things are going in the UK you may be an outlier.   
   Conveniently the news is telling me the figures now. Currently 9% of UK   
   grocery sales are online, expected to reach 20% within four years.   
      
   As an author interacting with random parts of the world is part of your job.   
      
   There's a different shortcoming in the system for me. I always check the   
   shelf of stuff that's going out of date today. It's often got stuff that   
   I wouldn't pay full price for.   
      
   --   
   bap@shrdlu.com   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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