Watch as a Roomba is helplessly “trapped” by the legs of an office chair. No, nothing was stopping this Roomba from turning around and zipping off in the other direction aside from its own stupidity.
The fact that a Roomba can’t escape such a devious non-trap is evidence against robots enslaving humanity anytime soon. Or is that what they want us to think?
Apparently a ghost outbreak occurred near Mission and 17th St. today, but it was already contained by the time I arrived at the scene. The ghosts are gone, all that was left was the Ghostbuster’s car.
Scary stuff. Stay safe, everyone!
No word as to whether this is related to Slimer’s visit to Valencia back in 2010.
When people think of same-day grocery deliveries they tend to think “Oh yeah, I remember Webvan.” Or maybe they remember that one time they ordered from Kozmo.com before that went out of business.
Just because the dot-com boom went bust doesn’t mean same-day delivery service is impossible. For example Safeway and Costco both have their own same-day delivery services. In fact, Amazon.com bought Webvan and now delivers groceries in Seattle under the name AmazonFresh. It’s now rumored that AmazonFresh may soon be expanded to California.
But you don’t have to wait! There’s already a number of intriguing new services offering same-day grocery delivery right here in San Francisco, right now in 2013. Here are the services I’ve tried.
Instacart
These guys deliver groceries and various personal and household items from Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Costco. You pay a modest fee per delivery, which varies from store to store. Delivery windows are one hour with a minimum three hours after you order, and they do a good job of warning you if the delivery will be late. The last delivery of the day is at 10 pm.
In general Instacart’s customer service is very good, but their website and ordering process are in a state of flux so be prepared for some beta-ish hiccups now and then. When items are out of stock and the store doesn’t have your replacement, the shopper will often give you a call. Caveat: they can’t deliver alcohol due to state law.
Overall the service is smooth for a new company and the delivery prices are very reasonable (usually less than $4.) I’ve started using Instacart once or twice a week.
Grade: A-
Google Shopping Express
This new service from Google is still in a closed beta. They have an interesting variety of stores, the only grocery options being Nob Hill Foods, Target, and Blue Bottle (beans only.) The website seems buggy considering it’s from Google.
What ultimately makes Google Shopping Express a weak service isn’t the website; it’s the five hour delivery windows. There’s only three each day to choose from. That’s it. Maybe that’s fine for Comcast, but this feels like a huge step backward for same-day delivery services.
Google relies on 1-800-Courier to handle the deliveries so perhaps that’s the weak point. It’s hard to see the appeal of this service.
Grade: C-
SF Room Service
Contrary to the name, SF Room Service is a liquor store that delivers. They have a decent selection of alcohol along with a small selection of groceries, household and personal items. They do have a minimum of $30 but I don’t believe there’s any charge on top of that. Thursday through Saturday they deliver until 1:30 am, all other days until 12:30 am.
The only caveat is that their website seems like an afterthought. It doesn’t always reflect their inventory and there’s no option for replacements, so there’s a good chance you’ll get a phone call. Still, their service is good and the hours are tough to beat.
Grade: B+
Rewinery
It’s hard to think of anything more NorCal than bike messengers delivering a well-curated selection of wines. All they sell is wine, and all orders can be delivered within an hour via pure pedal power. Delivery fees are pretty reasonable, I don’t think I’ve paid more than $6.
I wish they delivered other stuff, but who doesn’t like wine?
Grade: A
(Disclosure: I get a small discount if you sign up for Instacart or Rewinery through these links.)
John Law’s Doggie Diner head trailer is a mobile landmark in San Francisco. This evening they happened to be leashed on Valencia outside Stage Werks.
Anyone who’s lived in San Francisco for a while knows the story behind the doggie heads; they were the mascot of a local fast food chain called the Doggie Diner. After the chain went out of business in the 80’s the heads seem to have ended up various places. For example one of them is mounted on a pole in the median of Sloat at 45th Ave.
You never know when or where the doggie head trailer will appear. It’s kind of like Frank Chu, except that Frank Chu’s signs tend to make more sense than the concept of eating food that was cooked by a dog. Yuck. But hey, I’m not in marketing.
A bicycle wheel leaned up against a fire hydrant with a partially used pack of Red Vines on top. Pretty much says it all about San Francisco, doesn’t it?
Remember when I told you that Martin’s Emporium, the skull shop on 16th St between Guerrero and Dolores, was going out of business?
Turns out I lied. Well, okay I didn’t lie so much as that was really their plan at the time. But after two years the For Sale sign is gone from the window. According to their Facebook page, Martin’s is coming back!
I know, it’s been difficult living without a source of skull jewelry and trinkets. I hope you’ve been maintaining a detailed shopping list.
Eat24 is an online restaurant ordering service that bills itself as the OpenTable of delivery. Their website reminds users that no pants are required for delivery, but the unusual approach to public relations doesn’t end there. The above Tweet suggests another use for their service; satisfying munchies brought on by excessive nighttime intoxication.
While some companies might delete such a tweet and find an intern to pin it on after sobering up, Eat24 has left the tweet intact. And I say good for them — nobody wants to read another bland company Twitter feed.
So let me ask: could this be the best company tweet ever?
Q: What’s wrong with this picture?
A: Neither of the root vegetables pictured are yams. Both, in fact, are sweet potatoes.
(Spotted at the Super Val 16 Market)
Hold on here. Unlimited mobile phone service for a tiny fraction of what I’m paying now? That sounds too good to be true.
Let’s take a closer look.
Ah, there’s the rub. That’s the price for seven days of phone service. (Because who needs a phone longer than a week, right?)
$13.99 per week is what us normal people call “$60 per month.” Suddenly that amazing deal doesn’t sound so amazing, does it?
(Spotted at the dollar store at Mission and 17th.)
Has this ever happened to you — you’re walking down the street, minding your own business, when you see something out of the corner of your eye. Is it… no, yes? It’s a salsa lid. Stuck into one of those underground PG&E electric box covers.
And now suddenly you realize it’s time for a burrito. Sure you just ate an hour ago, but that salsa lid is calling out to you. It’s planted the suggestion into your mind. You’re already thinking about which kind of salsa to get (tomatillo, FYI.)
PG&E, why are you doing this to us? Every time we walk over one of these things you’re triggering our burrito reflex. You know it, I know it, it’s no secret.
Stop making us fat, PG&E.
Travel, movies, comedy, tech, and whatever I find on the streets of San Francisco.
Contact: mrericsir “at” gmail.com
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