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How Blue Frock Became a Massive $ii Billion Disaster

• Thread starter Dr. Merkwurdichliebe
• Beginning appointment Feb 21, 2020

• Highlight
• #1

https://observer.com/2020/02/blue-apron-disaster-silicon-valley/ (http://annal.ph/EJIHN)

How Blue Apron Became a Massive $2 Billion Disaster
By Chris Roberts • 02/20/twenty

If you lot similar to cook simply non to shop or program your own meals, and if you weren't as well hungry, and if you didn't like cooking for as well many friends, so Blue Apron—the startup delivering precisely measured, prepackaged amounts of just enough salmon, green beans, butter and lemon for 1 meal, no leftovers—was for you.

-- Total story in link--

I wonder if John Flynt will write an obituary.

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• #2

Picking people like John as spokesthings might take had something to exercise with it.

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• #3

Picking people like John as spokesthings might have had something to do with information technology.

It is incommunicable to empathize how having Twitter images of their nasty, burned-to-ashes meals displayed on a greasy, filthy stovetop past a tranny con artist with the culinary skills of Grendel didn't lead to a stock price beyond the dreams of avarice.

• #4

Picking people like John as spokesthings might accept had something to do with it.

John is the verbal market for their service though - A complete amateur who likes to recall of themselves as an expert cook just doesn't want to put whatsoever of the effort in to learn to shop, adjust recipes and portion properly. Just follow the instructions and yous can be a michellin star chef and the envy of your peers.

Male monarch Expressionless

Cops are improve when they're mecha.

• #5

John is the exact market for their service though - A consummate amateur who likes to think of themselves as an expert cook just doesn't want to put any of the effort in to learn to shop, adjust recipes and portion properly. Just follow the instructions and you can be a michellin star chef and the envy of your peers.

In a style, I tin can kind of understand the Blue Apron business model. Some people don't know the first thing about cooking and might fifty-fifty be intimidated by the prospect of searching for recipes, going out and buying the ingredients, and putting it all together. Or maybe they're simply lazy and don't desire to leave the house, I dunno. Still, they might experience that if they're basically handheld throughout the process, then maybe they can actually handle information technology. So they'll only order a meal kit and get the verbal amount of ingredients they need forth with all the instructions required, sent correct to their door. And in that location y'all go, a homecooked repast on grooming wheels.

Only like that article points out, the service basically didn't make any sense. Those who like to melt wouldn't carp using the service because they already know how to shop for groceries and don't need someone else to send individual portions to their homes. And those who don't like to cook obviously wouldn't use it. The only thing information technology had going for information technology was grocery delivery, merely now a lot of grocery chains are doing merely that. There'due south literally no reason for Blue Apron to be.

It'd be great if John posted a mournful tweet about its impending demise and included pictures of how he managed to fuck up each meal they sent him.

• #half dozen

Blue Apron podcast alive reads were a big factor in me giving up on 95% of podcasts in full general a few years dorsum, it was the OG Raid Shadow Legends. In some way this feels a chip cathartic.

In full general with these cook prep companies, the finished food only doesn't look good. I watched a Drew Gooden video the other calendar week and he did an ad for Hello Fresh where he really cooked the meal, and on superlative of poor Zoomer cooking skills, the end product was this crappy looking carmine bean quesadilla you could make with just simple understanding of heat and stove, and on top of that for brownies they but sent a package of pillsbury ready to bake you detect in the shop. Even for hardcore agoraphobics just go to the store for an hour each week or ii and stock up and save money.

• #7

In general with these cook prep companies, the finished food just doesn't look skillful.

Information technology'due south not incommunicable to make the dishes expect decent if you take some cooking skills. Only if you do have those skills, why would you go for a service where you have little to no command over the quality and quantity of your ingredients? I confess that I've never quite understood who these food services are for. If someone is already as well lazy to want to cook for themselves, I don't feel like this is going to change things. If you can cook for yourself, then you know that the prices are high for how much you get.

Even for hardcore agoraphobics just go to the store for an hour each week or two and stock up and save coin.

Or apply one of the dozens of other ways to get your nutrient, like grocery delivery services or only paying someone to go do it for yous.

Nosotros had a free offering for Blue Frock in our household and I was largely unimpressed. Dishes tasted underseasoned, portions were barely enough to feed anybody (and then zero run a risk of ever having leftovers for taking to work), and the prices were likewise loftier for the quantity you were getting. All in all, it didn't make me want to pay actress for what I considered an underwhelming dinner.

• Highlight
• #8

I actually tried the freebie bargain, beingness a cook myself, and nigh of my stuff arrived either one-half, mostly or entirely rotten.

• #9

Mmmmm yeah, I dear myself some good Silicon Valley schadenfreude. Hopefully SV startup culture bullshit will exist another prey of this next decade.

• #10

Sort of ability levelling here, just never saw the betoken of stuff similar this... Pretty much every big brand supermarket I know does complimentary home delivery over a certain corporeality, or a nominal fee at most, and I used to be a meat manager for the biggest supermarket in the earth, pregnant stuff that was fine that was marked as best earlier, even if it was fine, I used to mark downwards to 10p, regardless of original price, then if there was anything I fancied, I'd hide it circular the back and then buy information technology. £22 leg of lamb? 10p (plus my 10% discount which I never used because that would identify me). I was and still am skilful friends with who was at the time the produce managing director, and he did the same... 5kg sweetness potatoes that are normally £4.60, 10p, and we used to stash stuff for each other... I once got him an uncut sirloin that would have weighed in at £33 for 10p, and he used to do the same. Now the thing was, Information technology wasn't merely staff who took advantage of this, we had a load of Chinese people who knew exactly when to plough upwards, and would even bring stuff to me to mark down, pushing and shoving each other.... I always used to mark everything down to 10p, non just the recommended past the computer 10-15% off, because even 10p at a major loss was not counted as waste if information technology didn't sell, and then as a manager with next to zero waste, I was getting monthly bonuses most equally much as my bacon... They counted all sales as turn a profit, sure it's inverse now but even this was effectually 2012-four.

This was a huge identify, and Shop managers were on shut to 7 figures, Section managers were on very high 5 figures or even six with bonuses...

Even cooked a total christmas meal, 4 courses for ten people one time with 3 choices of meats, (2 whole Sirloin, 2 Turkey crowns and three full pork loins), all the trimmings etc and the whole thing cost me less than £20... Spent more on the table decorations and napkins than the nutrient in the end and and then did my friend...

Shit, even if I'd paid full price I would have been out far far less than what the blue apron shit were charging, and I would know information technology was fresh... Shit fifty-fifty my piddling corner shop would be cheaper, and they have to charge 100% more than than a large retailer because of more than risk of spoilage and higher cost of supply.

My point is, I can't even imagine who this service was for autonomously from Wu...

I really tried the freebie deal, being a melt myself, and well-nigh of my stuff arrived either half, by and large or entirely rotten.

Non in the to the lowest degree surprised about this...

Last edited: Feb 21, 2020

• #eleven

I beloved cooking at dwelling, and I specially enjoy shopping at the grocery store. Since I do not take children I like to simply slowly make my way through the store listening to a podcast and just get whatever. My in laws have used blueish apron and while it never looked bad, I definitely didn't see the value proffer. The portions seemed pocket-size, and they were always having to add their own seasoning. They cancelled later a few months.

Also grocery delivery is getting adequately cheap and widespread. I frequently get $xx off coupons for information technology and all the major stores seem to be pushing it hard.

As a complete bated/opinion I retrieve cooking is a vital life skill, and its basics should be taught at school. My girlfriend basically cant do annihilation merely bake, I am slowly teaching her how to cook various things because she lived off Subway until we met. Services like Blue Frock don't promote much creativity or aid your skills as a cook.

• #12

As a complete aside/stance I think cooking is a vital life skill, and its basics should be taught at school. My girlfriend basically deceit do anything but bake, I am slowly instruction her how to cook various things because she lived off Subway until we met. Services like Blue Frock don't promote much creativity or help your skills as a cook.

Home economics used to be taught in high schools all over the USA.

• #13

Home economics used to be taught in high schools all over the USA.

Which doesn't lead to adept test scores which means less coin for the bureaucrats.

• #14

The portions seemed pocket-size, and they were e'er having to add together their ain seasoning.

I've never used information technology but no seasoning? I assumed information technology was extremely overpriced, but how exercise you cook without any seasoning?

I imagined yous got little sachets or something....

• #xv

I've never used it but no seasoning? I assumed information technology was extremely overpriced, but how do you cook without any seasoning?

I imagined you got footling sachets or something....

I didn't hateful to imply the food wasn't seasoned, from what I saw it was. But my in laws but added more on elevation of what was already there. I only saw them prepare a few of these and information technology was simply chicken dishes.

• #sixteen

I think the article actually hits the smash on the head with how little Silicon Valley Simps understood the market. Myself and prolly the vast majority of people who grew upwards dirt poor ordinarily shop like this on a given week:
Cabbage ~$2
5lb purse of potatoes - $ii-$ii.l
Whatever meat is on auction and will approximately last the week NMT $5
Eggs $2
Staff of life $ii
Butter $ii.50

Given that this lasted the week, $16 / 7 days is approximately $2.29 a day for food.

ten$ a meal defeats the chief purpose of cooking your ain food: basic economics. At ten$ a meal, 1 repast a day that's $70 a week, and for what? A sub par quality dinner i still take to melt?

My betoken is, Blue Apron nigh certainly arose from the very smoothen brain of a sheltered suburbanite who never had to fend for themselves and certainly didn't know about or notice the habits of near people effectually them.

• #17

Mmmmm yeah, I honey myself some good Silicon Valley schadenfreude. Hopefully SV startup culture bullshit will be some other casualty of this next decade.

You have to imagine that their biggest market was e'er right at that place in San Francisco. A bunch of techbros who don't want to slum it with working-class people at their local supermarket.

Subsequently that, I always noticed that their advertizing reads emphasised minimal waste material. I doubtable at that place are SWPLs out there who actually would rather pay twice as much money for less food so they don't accept to agonize about how they're going to use upwardly the leftover lettuce or throw it away.

• #18

Blue Apron and other like projects always looked ridiculous to me. Always accept an Easy Broil Oven or other kiddie nutrient toy equally a kid? This is what it reminds me of, kiddie food prep for manchildren likewise lazy or too stupid to learn basic cooking/nutrient prep skills and want to LARP as "one of the grown ups!"

• #19

I used Blue Frock for a flake when I was living with a female software engineer and we had more money and less time than we knew what to practice with, and the nearest grocery store was vii miles abroad. The recipes were actually pretty cool and I learned how to melt a bunch of things I wouldn't ordinarily have attempted (I can make ramen now) and information technology turned out pretty well. I tin't imagine information technology working in a household with more or fewer than two people, and you tin become about of the consequence with buying a cookbook.

• #20

Bluish Frock was purely a brand. It logically makes no sense, it'due south essentially competing with other instant single-person meal solutions similar TV dinners and instant noodles, except at a much higher toll with less convenience. No practical person would purchase it, their merely hope was brand recognition from people who saw it fashionable. That is a very, very small marketplace and is non even remotely sustainable, you're essentially turning your entire business model and brand into a fashion trend.

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