Editor can do his own shopping, thank you

By: 
Lee Pulaski
City Editor

In the novel “1984,” the common theme of the book that kept the characters in fear was the mantra: “Big Brother is watching you.”

Fast forward to 2019, and now Big Brother is delivering your groceries — and sticking them in your refrigerator.

News broke on Monday that Walmart is expanding its grocery delivery service and offering customers from 1,400 stores the option of unlimited deliveries on groceries for a monthly fee of $12.95 or annual cost of $98. The move will allow Walmart to be competitive with Amazon, Shipt and Instacart, which also offer grocery delivery services.

Walmart officials were cheering in news stories online, saying they see it as something that really resonates with customers. In my view, it’s yet another reminder that big businesses are sticking their noses way too far into our personal lives. If we’re at the point where we’re too lazy to even drive to a store to purchase our food, then our farming ancestors must be spinning in their graves.

Do you like the idea of someone doing your shopping for you? It was once a concept that only applied to rich people who could hire some poor soul to do what they had very little time for, but now it’s something that you and I can potentially afford.

I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll pass. Why, you ask? Oh, where to begin?

First of all, I’m not sure I trust a random employee who is likely shopping for dozens of people in a day to take his or her time to select the best of the best. Business Insider reported that it’s relying on more than 45,000 personal shoppers to deliver on these orders, but in a country where hundreds of millions shop at Walmart, it doesn’t seem prudent.

If you’re in a rush to get an order done, you’re not likely to pay attention to bruised fruit or milk that’s expected to expire in two days or has expired already. They’re going to throw in any can of refried beans, not checking to see if it’s been dented or whether the seal is broken. If I’m expected to eat and drink the stuff that’s in the store, I prefer to check and make everything is quality.

While I’m sure the hospitals would help me deal with any food poisoning issues, I’d rather not give them any business until it’s absolutely necessary. Besides, I doubt the doctors are going to take time away from a bleeding accident victim to address my horrible cramps and frequent vomiting as a result of the food poisoning.

There’s also the issue of the grocery delivery. In a time when even small-town folks have to lock their doors to keep predators out, why would I trust someone I don’t know personally to come through my door if I’m not home, put the groceries in the refrigerator and waltz back out without swiping my television or other belongings? In my case, the delivery person would run the risk of my dog taking a chunk out of his or her leg.

If it’s truly a time crunch to go inside and pick up what you need, it seems more prudent to use the curbside pickup that’s available at 3,000 Walmart stores, including Shawano’s. You’re there to double check that the bananas are ripe but not black, that you have everything you ordered, and you don’t have to pay a $98 annual fee. If you want to come into my home, I’m going to make sure you don’t dirty up my carpets, murder my pet or take everything but the refrigerator.

The grocery delivery service seems like the latest in a series of attempts to nose into our lives. We’ve already got Alexa, Cortana and Siri potentially listening to our conversations and recording our most intimate moments while working undercover as voice assistants to help answer burning questions like, “How hot is the sun?” or “What kind of noise does a platypus make?”

Then there are cell phones that are used surreptitiously by people to record private conversations, snap scandalous photos of people in various states of undress and more. We already have technology influencing us and what we do; do we really need to have strangers entering our homes and putting food into our refrigerators on top of that? No, thank you.

I know I can’t be the only one who feels like I should be the one picking out the meat, fruit, milk and other items I need to stay alive and healthy. I frequently see people looking over apples and other fruit for defects or grabbing a box of Hamburger Helper from the back because the boxes in front have been dinged. While I’m not as paranoid as some of those people, I don’t see any need to abdicate my choice of what items I purchase just to give someone a job.

Modern conveniences can be a benefit, and when they’re good, I’ll utilize them. The grocery delivery option, however, is getting a hard pass from me.

Lee Pulaski is the city editor for the Shawano Leader. Readers can contact him at lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com.