Uber variety: Speed isn’t necessarily the biggest factor in delivery, according to Susan Anderson, Uber’s global head of grocery and retail. In an interview with Fortune review. Anderson said that with so many fast delivery services entering the market, wait times are decreasing, but consumers are largely interested in more variety. She said fast delivery services can up their game by increasing the range of products available within 30 minutes to an hour. “It’s going to become more and more important, and that’s what people will start to put dimensions on,” Anderson said. Fortune. The report notes that the food delivery market is growing rapidly and has doubled in the last two years in the UK. Anderson’s interview follows the release of new features aimed at helping delivery drivers find products in stores. –Tim Inklebarger
Take this, Loblaws…and this and this: You have to spend money to boycott money. Earlier this year, a group on social media called for a boycott of Loblaws stores due to continued high grocery prices while the retailer posted record profits. Hosting the protest was a rap song and a day stealing from Loblaws, and now comes a big poster plastered on a bus shelter in Calgary, and it looks like it wasn’t a cheap production. The ad looks like the real deal and is a copy of what Loblaws does with its No Name private label. The word “peasants” appears on a yellow background and above a box of chocolate cake. On the box it says “Let them eat cake” and at the bottom of the box the suggested serving is for the bakers to “eat the rich”. For French-speaking enthusiasts, there is also text in French. This is also not the first time that an enemy of Loblaws has participated in this cause. In February, artist Christopher Lambe created a multitude of shirts, buttons and magnets displaying the word “Roblaw$.” A handgun and shopping cart replaced the Loblaws logo, and the grocer’s slogan, Live Life Well, was replaced with Live Life Hungry. Remind me to never open a grocery chain and charge high prices. —Bill Wilson
There is all this: You never know when you might get that midnight craving for a balut duck egg. An Asian grocery store recently opened in Columbus, Ohio, and shoppers won’t believe what they find there. In addition to fresh balut duck eggs, which are yours for just $1.79 each (hey, if you want to eat exquisite, you have to pay the piper), the Asian supermarket offers live tilapia and catfish , spiced vinegar, fresh lychee fruit (for this lychee fruit salad, of course), green papaya, yam leaves, and a variety of other hard-to-find grocery items. There’s also an entire wall devoted to herbs and a meat section that features tendons, stomachs, chicken feet, beef backbone and whole pig heads (because why would you want to be fooled?). Two table-service restaurants also serve Asian cuisine on property, and the store also hosts free cooking demonstrations and tastings. As we highlighted in this column last week, the craze for Asian supermarkets is alive and well… and very unusual. —PC
Return the baskets: Shopping baskets can be used for many things, like, uh, carrying groceries and, well, holding other things. Clients just need to have them, and some will risk a criminal record. In fact, portable shopping carts are a popular item that some Colorado grocery stores have abandoned when it comes to offering a carry assistant. “Everyone kept going with them,” one grocery store worker said on social media. “Some people take them, others use them to build a house,” said another. Hold it. A house? For a mouse, or materials to build a house? Some attribute the network of thefts to Colorado’s recent ban on single-use plastic bags. Shoppers would take away the baskets when they forget their reusable bags. Others say it all started happening during the COVID-19 pandemic, because why not make him the scapegoat of the century? Fear not, Colorado grocery shoppers King Soopers said they will continue to offer the carry-on cart to those carrying necessities, and simply refuse to allow individual locations to not have enough on hand for those who need it. OK, I’ve written this entire article and I’m still struggling to address other needs that shopping carts fulfill. A place to park your laptop if you prefer to stand while working from home? A cage for your pet rabbit? There’s a reason I’m not an engineer. —PC
A touchdown for Gopuff: Speaking of growing competition in the grocery delivery space, Gopuff made a big announcement this month thanks to a new partnership with seven-time world champion quarterback Tom Brady. Investor Gopuff aims to bring significant awareness to the company’s brand. “Since my first use of Gopuff, I have been amazed by how fast and smooth the deliveries are, providing so many different options at my fingertips,” Brady said in a press release. “I’m excited to work with the Gopuff team to continue to drive innovation and help create an even better experience for their customers.” The new sponsorship will take the form of “unique products available exclusively to Gopuff customers,” the company said. Brady will curate a new health and wellness category on the app, and Gopuff will launch a “Brady Bag” collection, among other promotions. –TI
