A Boring Dystopia

I have used it a bunch over the years because I hate talking to people, but I never use delivery so I think it's only a few extra dollars over calling it in in average, plus some places do offer "discounts" and Amazon prime allows grubhub premium for no charge which removes more fees and gives you credit for pickup orders. The discounts aren't much but can bring it down to what it costs by phone and sometimes a little more. I used to throw a few bucks for tip, but i have decided not to do that anymore because I pickup and it's mostly from pizza places which I wouldn't tip if I call it in so why should I this way.

Of course, these days, I barely get takeout or go out anymore because, like the article talks about, money is too tight to reward yourself anymore...

People who don't really understand credit cards or have a cognitive disconnect between cost and value when fulfilling their sustenance need.

When people get hangry they don't make good choices.

My neighbor gets everything delivered, but I have no clue what he or his wife do. If my spouse made the same as I do, we could afford to do all that delivery stuff. But it still makes no sense

If you're living paycheck to paycheck, it takes one unexpected expense and suddenly you're hustling to get food on the table. The cycle then repeats itself.

Cost of living is too high, put it on credit.

Your alternative is starve now.

Either way, this is about to get a lot more bonkers in roughly the next 30 to 60 days as Just In Time delivery... kinda just, stops working, and grocery stores will have to both raise prices and ration items per customer per week to deal with shortages and try to minimize in-store injuries and deaths.

Go look up a compilations of black friday shopping stampedes.

Imagine that, but for groceries, every time a grocery store restocks.... for the forseeable future.

Then you've never been poor and living paycheck to paycheck.

There are times when it's either find a loan from someone or not eat for two weeks because something in your house broke and that's unfortunately a reality for many Americans including myself at one time.

Some people don't have the option, and end up relying on these services. It's similar to the payday loan trap. Being poor is expensive.

Capitalism isn't paying enough for workers to live off of and they system is papering over it with debt. Problem is debt isn't a sustainable way to do it since it has to get paid back. We've been seeing sketchier and sketchier things happening in finance and when these loans don't get repaid (and this article is a sign we're getting close) the whole house or cards comes tumbling down

The idea is that if you are throwing a party or buying something big, then this will be useful for those purchases.

It isn't a good idea, though.

Those benefits are usually your own money + the money of those who fail to make payments since merchants have to increase their prices to compensate for credit card fees.

They indirectly steal from you, launder the funds and present it back to you as a "benefit", but only if you've been a good boy.

This is a similar principle to modern loyalty programs. In exchange for your personal information and your eyes (advertising), you get to pay slightly above the regular price and accumulate ✨points✨ while other schmos get a jacked up price that pays for your points (or the value of your points is built into the price of the items you purchase).