The Order-from-Home Lifestyle Pros and Cons

Before the pandemic, plenty of people liked ordering things from home. Think about Amazon’s runaway popularity. Individuals and families used Target or Walmart to deliver items. They could get food deliveries from Uber Eats, GrubHub, Door Dash, and many others.

When Covid-19 appeared, though, these services exploded. Their popularity shot up, and they saw enormous profits in 2020 and 2021. However, even now, with the coronavirus not so prevalent, these services continue raking in profits for CEOs and owners.

Many people live the order-from-home lifestyle, and perhaps it interests you too. We’ll talk about it in the following article. We’ll discuss both its perks and some potential drawbacks.

The Drawbacks

First, let’s talk about the possible drawbacks that go along with the order-from-home lifestyle. Let’s say you rarely get anything in person from brick-and-mortar store locations these days. Instead, you get the stores to deliver what you need directly to your apartment, house, or condo.

UPS drivers caused 62 fatal accidents from 2019-2021. During that same time, FedEx Ground caused 86 fatal crashes. Federal Express caused 10 of them.

What’s the lesson we should take from these stats? Essentially, it’s this: more companies deliver more products than ever before, which means more of their vehicles are on the road. Also, with people demanding more deliveries, there’s pressure on these companies to drop off what you want as fast as possible.

More big trucks driving faster equals trouble. Amazon has a particularly problematic business model. Many workers claim they have to stay on their feet in warehouses for long hours, enduring brutal conditions. They must meet packing and shipping quotas, and the company fires them if they can’t keep up.

On the roads, Amazon drivers don’t do much better. They must deliver packages on their routes so fast that some claim the company makes them urinate in bottles or other available receptacles rather than stopping at bathrooms. It’s harder for some people to continue supporting a company that has such inhumane policies.

The Pros

On the flip side, the order-from-home lifestyle delivers serious convenience along with dinner or whatever else you need. If you’re not very mobile because of advanced age or a chronic health condition, you don’t have to go to a brick-and-mortar store location anymore in most instances. Instead, you can contact one of the many home delivery services that will bring you just about anything.

If you have an immunocompromised condition and still worry about the coronavirus, you can order from Amazon, UPS, or FedEx. You can get the Omaha Steak Company to deliver frozen steaks to your door. You can get your pharmacy to deliver your medication right to you most of the time.

You can wait for the delivery driver to leave your items at the door before opening it. That way, if you worry about Covid-19 or any other infectious diseases or viruses, there’s almost no chance you’ll risk exposure.

You can order a birthday gift for a loved one, and it will come in the mail. If you get in a fight with a spouse and want to apologize, you can order flowers.

You can get many grocery stores to deliver food to you as well. Your order can include both refrigerated and frozen foods. Your grocery store might charge a nominal fee for small orders, but they’ll usually deliver for free if you order a large enough amount. Sometimes, you must join a club and get a membership before using this option.

Should You Join the Order-from-Home Revolution?

Each person or family must talk about whether they want to join the order-from-home movement or not. Maybe you don’t like what you hear about Amazon or one of the other companies, so you decide to boycott them. That’s noble, but it probably means you must go to a brick-and-mortar store the next time you need something.

You might pay more for the item at the brick-and-mortar store than you’d pay if you bought it from Amazon or a similar home delivery service. Also, if you get Amazon or another company to deliver to you, you’ll save gas. If you have an electric vehicle, you avoid this issue.

However, you still need to take the time out of your day to go to the store, and maybe you’re busy. Perhaps you need to pick up the kids at school or clean the house.

Every individual and family must carefully decide how much to use delivery services, if at all.  

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