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This new topic is offered for those members who might wish to think (and post) about the shopping experience on Mars.
My inspiration is an invitation that just arrived in today's email, from my local bank.
Apparently, someone at the bank decided to take a chance on the "Instacart" concept.
https://www.instacart.com/?utm_source=i … rand_email
I decided to take a look at the site because the bank offered $20 off on the first transaction, and at this point in my life, I'm looking for savings of pennies, so $20 seems worth investigating.
The delivery fee is $4, which seems quite reasonable, since the market where I shop most frequently is five miles away, and a trip there involves a dangerous trip by automobile on an interstate highway, as well as the normal hazards of trying to drive three blocks in a dense urban environment.
However, the feature of the "Instacart" concept that caught my eye was the presence of "shoppers" in the configuration.
This looks (to me at least) like another of the rapidly growing family of gig-work opportunities that I see coming into being around me.
Every day (these days) I see folks of all ages earning a buck or two by walking the dogs that live in the neighborhood. I would guess that the population here is aging-in-place, and the (often large) dogs they've been hosting are starting to look like work when they need exercise.
Bringing this opening post back to Mars .... It seems to me that delivery of needed supplies would necessarily be done by an "Instacart" system of some kind. It is difficult for me to imagine the highly sophisticated folks who will be in the initial expeditions choosing a personal "shopping" option when automation is available to take care of what would otherwise be a major time waster.
I recognize that some folks enjoy the experience of "shopping", and perhaps there will eventually be a venue for that pass time on Mars, but I'll bet it won't be in the early stages.
(th)
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