| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : JULY 26, 1999 ISSUE | ||||||||
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| BUSINESS WEEK E.BIZ -- UPSTARTS
Webvan Service Is, Well, Promising Personally, I have high hopes for Webvan. Really high hopes. As a working mom, the idea of ridding my life of even one trip to the grocery store sounds almost as heavenly as sleeping in on Saturday. Fat chance on the extra zzz's. So I'm banking on Webvan. The minute the upstart went live on June 2, I was there clicking away. It took me a while to figure out how to navigate through all the different food categories on the Web site. But once I got the hang of it, I found it to be pretty straight-forward and logical. I've now ordered four times and the results are, well, promising. Here's the good news: The quality of Webvan's food--from strawberries to swordfish to redleaf lettuce--is excellent. I've done my best to put the online service to the test by ordering loads of perishables and have been pleased each time. The prepared foods, which I have yet to try myself, sound tasty, too. They are cooked and created by Webvan's own chef, who will share the recipes in an area known as Sensations. You can get everything from basic soups and pasta to tarts made with Black Forest ham and Havarti cheese. Perhaps more remarkable, though, is the delivery. Uniformed couriers have arrived at my doorstep each time within the 30-minute window that I chose. They've always been helpful and courteous, even unpacking my orders for me. And it hasn't cost me extra. Webvan's prices are generally no more than I'd pay at my local store--and in some cases, they're better. A box of De Cecco pasta, for instance, costs $1.99 at my local market, while Webvan charges just $1.58--a 26% savings. What's more, Webvan waives delivery fees on orders over $50, while most of its online competitors require an order of $75 or more. Now for the not-so-good news. Webvan goofed on half my orders. Both times, I did not get items I had asked for. And one time, my raspberries came smashed. I was credited for the items, but I still ended up making trips to the store to get them. So much for convenience. I've also had trouble getting everything on my shopping list. Webvan says it plans to carry twice as many items as a typical store. But the selection on some basic things and the variety of fresh produce and fish isn't up to snuff. For example, I couldn't find several kinds of baby food I typically buy. Nor could I get yellow and orange cherry tomatoes or salmon steaks. I suspect--rather, I pray--that Webvan will quickly work out the kinks in its system. Already, I'm finding more selection than I did when I first logged on. If Webvan keeps this up, it will have won me over as a customer for life. If it doesn't, it's back to the grocery store. By Linda Himelstein _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP |
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RELATED ITEMS Can You Sell Groceries Like Books? TABLE: Webvan vs. Traditional Grocery Store Webvan Service Is, Well, Promising INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online | |||
