Them was the good old days

One of Canada's largest grocery chains, Sobeys, has partnered with a British firm to begin a home delivery program in many eastern cities.  It will start by 2020 in Toronto.  When you step back and think about the idea, in many ways it seems like a solution looking for a problem.  The ostensible reason for home delivery is millenials seem to have no time to spend shopping and are looking to outsource the onerous task.   As a barely technology literate baby boomer, the whole thing seems like more trouble than it is worth.  Leaving aside the fact the entire UK could fit into one of Canada's smaller provinces and the British company's business model is predicated on a densely populated model, where is the constituency for this service.   I can remember the milkbox on our back porch back in the 50's and the glass milk containers sealed with a small piece of cardboard.  The deliveryman was one of several who dropped off milk and pastries to a clientele widely separated geographically and not nearly as mobile as the following generation would be.  As more local stores opened, the delivery model became less and less profitable.  Why should it suddenly become relevant again in an era when there are seemingly stores on every street corner.  I'm mystified even by the local Hannaford's "to go" program which essentially shops for you after you send in the order.  You still have to go to the store, pay the bill and pick up your groceries.  The time savings seems negligible to me.   It will be interesting to see if Sobeys new initiative is economically viable.