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It Will Be Here When?

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It has been a real eye opener moving here from the middle of nowhere on the Northern Plains. The weather here is far more changeable and unpredictable. Pickup trucks are fewer and smaller. Lots more bugs.

Sioux Falls is our “big town ” for shopping. It is only 24 miles away as opposed to Bismarck, our former “big town” that was 100 miles away. Trips to Bismarck were few and far between. Even so, we really don’t want to be running to SF all the time for things we need that we can’t get in Luverne. That means more ordering on-line.

We have been astounded by the speed on-line orders are delivered to us. The other day I ordered some bookends at about 10:00 am. They were delivered by 6:00 pm the same day. Other orders come overnight and are delivered between 5:00 am and 8:00 am. Is this normal? Does this happen elsewhere? I think if folks back in western ND knew this was possible, they would protest the wait times for their deliveries!

I wonder, though, how long deliveries across the country will be quick and speedy. The other day I got an email from a produce company in Oregon I often order celery root and savoy cabbage from. They were offering a $500 bonus to any customer who could recommend a CDL trucker who could deliver their produce. There seems to be a trucker shortage. Hmm. I wonder why?

Do you get orders delivered fast? Tell some delivery stories. Know any truckers?

19 thoughts on “It Will Be Here When?”

  1. I don’t order as much online as YA does. I will say though that I never order anything online if I really really want by a certain time. As big and efficient as Amazon is, the number of times that an item does not actually show up the next day (like they say it will) is pretty high. I think the most interesting delivery story here is probably YA’s. She had something that left Illinois and came to Minneapolis and then went to Houston and then went to Puerto Rico and then came back to Minneapolis. The online tracking for that was fascinating.

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  2. My brother-in-law in Missouri is a trucker. For many years he was a long haul trucker for Koch Brothers. They did not treat him well so I assume they don’t treat other drivers well either. So for the last 15 years or so he’s been a short haul trucker in Missouri for Walmart. This means he spends very few overnights away from home and Walmart is very good about making sure that truckers don’t do any lifting or moving of merchandise on either end. And this is good for him because he did hurt his back driving for Koch Brothers.

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  3. I order quite a few things online. Chewy orders used to arrive the next day, but that changed during the pandemic, and hasn’t returned. They’re much slower these days. I really liked Chewy when my order arrived the next day. I don’t think their selection of products is as good anymore either. I took Maggie over to Pet Expo in Mankato last week. She absolutely loved the experience, and shopped just like a little kid – sniffing and nibbling on all the big knee bones on the bottom shelves, and looking at me as if to say, “Mom, PLEASE?” I think I’ll make a point of taking her over there every so often. Great pet store if you’re ever in Mankato.

    I’ve waited a week or two for some things. I order from Etsy quite a bit – those can take up to a month because items are hand made, and often come from overseas. I like certain basic clothing items from Lands End. They are very slow. Those orders sometimes take two weeks.

    I ordered a patio umbrella from Wayfair recently. I got it two days later. It seems to be a good quality umbrella. Wayfair’s service is excellent too.

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      1. She was all smiles and wags! She was timid and shy about the helpful staff person who knew to offer a treat with her hand extended while looking away from Maggie. After a few treats and some sniffs, Maggie was friendly with her. It was fun to see her really enjoying it. She went from being fearful when we went through the front door, to being curious and happy. It was great!

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  4. I rarely buy anything that needs delivery.
    I don’t personally know any truckers but I enjoy cooperating with big rigs on the highway. “I’m flashing my headlights to signal that I’ll help you change lanes. Keep on truckin!”

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  5. Rise and Shine, Baboons,

    I order some things that require delivery. Delivery dates and goals are all over the place, though. I no longer expect them to meet what they say (OpEd–not a good comment for consumers to make because it indicates the erratic nature of this service). The only thing I notice consistently is that there are more electric vehicles delivering. Yeah! I have been trying to shop more in store of late when I can, but so many stores have vanished. And I still dislike shopping. Delivery is such a crap shoot with wrong addresses and the stealing of merchandise. It is becoming unreliable.

    Several years ago I knew several people who tried trucking/delivery for the Big A. It was pretty anxiety producing and a nightmare, so that career was over quickly. The same was true for people working in the warehouse. I stopped ordering from them because of their employment practices and abusive environments, as well as Bezos’ status as a billionaire. There are always smaller vendors trying to compete.

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  6. OT: Re: Renee’s preferred ravioli. Family Fare in Northfield didn’t have the ravioli, but there were two other kinds in that brand. They had a porcini risotto and an Italian garlic gnocchi. I wanted to try the risotto, but I have to eat pesto every day, so I went for the gnocchi.

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      1. I still have some frozen from last year! I’ve already made two batches this year. It’s ok, I don’t mind eating it every day. I use it in sandwiches and wraps, mini pizzas made on whole grain wraps, the traditional orzo pasta with tomatoes and Parmesan, and omelets.

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  7. I use online buying as a last resort – I’ll even to go Walmart first, so I don’t have many stories in this neck of the woods. I occasionally will buy a book online if it’s in none of my local bookstores, or the library. However, I’ve been grateful when I was able to find something online that I wouldn’t have been able to obtain..

    I do know someone who worked in an Amazon warehouse, and it was not a happy experience – she moved on as soon as she was able.

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  8. We order some things online when it’s hard to get them nearby. Amazon (though we’ve been cutting back there), Etsy, eBay, L.L. Bean, Costco, and a few others. Delivery is usually fast, but there are exceptions, and fast doesn’t mean you’ll get your item in perfect condition. We’ve had a fair share of smashed boxes, battered envelopes, and a colander that arrived bent out of shape.

    The most memorable delivery happened last winter. I ordered a maple leaf cookie cutter to replace the one that mysteriously went missing. (I assumed I’d find the old one as soon as the new one arrived, but that didn’t happen.)

    The package was delivered in the evening in the middle of a winter storm with snow and high winds. The delivery person sent a photo of the package sitting on our snowy steps, but by the time I got to the front door, it was gone. I cleared the snow off the steps, checked all around the area, but it was gone. It was a lightweight, small envelope and the wind must have taken it away.

    I went to bed fuming (I really wanted that cookie cutter) and went out again in the morning, which was bright and sunny. I finally spotted the package, half buried in snow where it had blown at least 50 feet down the driveway.

    I had an uncle who was a long-distance truck driver, but that was many years ago, when I was a kid. My impression was that it was a pretty good job; my uncle seemed to like it. He belonged to a union (Teamsters, I think) and made a good living.

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