Sainsburys to trial bike deliveries : electric assistance this time

[ferrit worrier]

Just retired and looking for a part time job, my very first job was as a grocery delivery boy while still at school. Should put that on my CV. Thursday, Friday nights and saturday morning were busiest, used to deliver about six or seven orders in about an hour and half thursday friday , and about eight or nine on satuday. Made more in tips than wages. First week wages was 15/- 75p in todays money . Tips about £1.00.

[mercalia]

any one can see she was just sitting there and had never cycled in her life? renta-model?

[pete75]

any one can see she was just sitting there and had never cycled in her life? renta-model?

It would be unlikely to find anyone from a European nation who had never cycled in their life.
BTW all models are hired or rented that's how they earn their living - like people in most jobs really.

[reohn2]

any one can see she was just sitting there and had never cycled in her life? renta-model?

Does that matter?
Surely the point being put across is that the cargo trike in question can be pedalled by anyone in ordinary clothing.

[horizon]

any one can see she was just sitting there and had never cycled in her life? renta-model?

Does that matter?
Surely the point being put across is that the cargo trike in question can be pedalled by anyone in ordinary clothing.

No, I think it puts across the message that anyone young, female and good looking is hopeless when it comes to rding a bike. Which to say the least is both old fashioned and sexist. I was very disappointed with it.

[Bmblbzzz]

Interesting to see they were using tadpole trikes in 1913.

I think the delivery charge is a bit steep for just 20 items, but then you're paying for the time slot rather than the act of delivery. Hopefully they pay the delivery riders properly too, though I suppose it's more likely to be a per-delivery or per-mile rate.

Generally, it's interesting to see the take off of supermarket home delivery. It's sometimes billed as a return to pre-WWII service, but in reality I think it's driven by different factors: then it was driven by the leisure time of middle class women who stayed at home and by available cheap labour, now in contrast it's driven by lack of time as we work longer, commute further and take our kids places after school, as well as by the ease of communicating an order (internet). The availability of labour remains a factor, of course, even if now they're likely to be in their 20 not teens.

[cotterpins]

A charge of 25p an item. I can see a revival in local village shops. Make sure you only buy multipacks. I've a feeling they've misjudged Joe Public in general. Why do you think Pound Shops, 99p and other cheap shops have thrived! I've a feeling they won't need many bikes. Good for Halfords, though. I wonder who will deliver the items purchased from the in-store pharmacies?

[reohn2]

No, I think it puts across the message that anyone young, female and good looking is hopeless when it comes to rding a bike. Which to say the least is both old fashioned and sexist. I was very disappointed with it.

How many people of fashionably gullible and tender years of both sexes,come to the forum asking about bike set up and clothing?
A few IME.
So there's every chance it won't be any different for a young French woman to fall victim would it?

[al_yrpal]

Its not just the delivery person they have to pay, the items have to be picked as well. £4.99 is a bargain. I see Sainsburys have dropped BOGOFs, good for them, that will cut waste.

Al

[thirdcrank]

Whoever has has planned this initial test, they can know little about cycling: surely, the first consideration - as others have implied - is the total weight of the order rather than the number of items.

We know stuff can be delivered by bike because it's been done before, and suitably motivated people can shift a huge amount by bike, but that doesn't mean it will work for long if the people riding the bikes are properly paid and treated. Some time ago, I read an article by Archie Norman, the business guru responsible for rescuing ASDA from imminent ruin. He made the point that customers doing their own shopping save supermarkets a lot of money and a supermarket doing that work for them is very expensive. He pointed out IIRC that what we are seeing now is just companies trying to build up market share in this sector of the grocery trade and to make it profitable, they must eventually charge an economic rate. In other words, people who go to the supermarket and shove a trolley round are presently cross-subsiding the internet shoppers.

It's funny how the problems of the big supermarkets are all blamed on the so-called discounters, whose main attraction for me is that you can get in and out with the minimum delay and no gimmicks (like employing latter-day Granvilles.)

(When I was checking what I had typed, I saw I had put "git in and out..." That's me, grumpy old git, but I'm a customer and so often right.

[tomsumner49]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but thought it might be of interest that Sainsburys are now trialling the use of electric cargo bikes for deliveries in place of their usual vans. Pretty small scale at the moment, I only knew about it as our shopping turned up by bike this week.

https://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/news/latest-news/2018/18-04-2018-electriccargobiketrial

[mercalia]

Flat fee of £4.99 for 20 items, may work in London......

not near Crystal Palace

Or a fair few bits of Forest Hill.

https://goo.gl/images/35x9Nc

Not for nowt did I used to lead a ride called The Peaks of Lewisham around those parts.

On a more serious note, cute as it all sounds, I fear it is yet another sign that Brit society is headed for a neo Victorian age. Unless ...

nor hot days like we have been having

[Cyril Haearn]

any one can see she was just sitting there and had never cycled in her life? renta-model?

Does that matter?
Surely the point being put across is that the cargo trike in question can be pedalled by anyone in ordinary clothing.

No, I think it puts across the message that anyone young, female and good looking is hopeless when it comes to rding a bike. Which to say the least is both old fashioned and sexist. I was very disappointed with it.

I think it puts across that young beautiful females CAN cycle as well as anyone else
I bet there are a few among hundreds of millions of Europeans who can not bi-cycle

[MikeF]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but thought it might be of interest that Sainsburys are now trialling the use of electric cargo bikes for deliveries in place of their usual vans. Pretty small scale at the moment, I only knew about it as our shopping turned up by bike this week.

https://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/news/latest-news/2018/18-04-2018-electriccargobiketrial

Where is the bike parked for the delivery - on the pavement?
Interesting that Sainsbury's think they can offer a quicker delivery service by bike than van.

[The utility cyclist]

Whoever has has planned this initial test, they can know little about cycling: surely, the first consideration - as others have implied - is the total weight of the order rather than the number of items.

We know stuff can be delivered by bike because it's been done before, and suitably motivated people can shift a huge amount by bike, but that doesn't mean it will work for long if the people riding the bikes are properly paid and treated. Some time ago, I read an article by Archie Norman, the business guru responsible for rescuing ASDA from imminent ruin. He made the point that customers doing their own shopping save supermarkets a lot of money and a supermarket doing that work for them is very expensive. He pointed out IIRC that what we are seeing now is just companies trying to build up market share in this sector of the grocery trade and to make it profitable, they must eventually charge an economic rate. In other words, people who go to the supermarket and shove a trolley round are presently cross-subsiding the internet shoppers.

It's funny how the problems of the big supermarkets are all blamed on the so-called discounters, whose main attraction for me is that you can get in and out with the minimum delay and no gimmicks (like employing latter-day Granvilles.)

(When I was checking what I had typed, I saw I had put "git in and out..." That's me, grumpy old git, but I'm a customer and so often right.

I think it's going to be the volume not necessarily the weight that's the problem PLUS if the bikes need a fridge too (if deciding to do temp controlled items which takes up space and remove capacity as well as adding weight overall to the unloaded vehicle.

So whilst extreme something like 20x9 rolls of toilet paper, 20x5l vegetable oil is going to be a non starter so they'll need to use the volumetric weight system to work out which deliveries are possible.

Week before last I bought 6x9 loo rolls plus some smaller stuff and even with a 70L rucksack plus 50L panniers I had to leave a single 9 roll pack behind. The following week I bought 10kg sack of rice, 2x5l vege oil, 3l milk, 4x450g sauces, 3x500g spread, 1kg pork chops, 2 bag of flour plus the all important bags of midget gems, I could have got another 3x5l vege oil in the rucksack on top of the rice but 30kg net load up the 7% slope back home was more than enough.
I hope it takes off but think they need to look at the bikes used for deliveries which are in use elsewhere in the world that can take the bulk and decide if it's just ambient.