Time Wars

Bridgette* is fuming.

Her two adult children pay a small amount of board every week and in return she makes sure the fridge and cupboards are choc-a-block full of food.

Both know how to cook.

But they refuse too.

Instead, they’d much rather order UberEATS because it’s easier.

And then when they feel like a $2 chocolate while watching Netflix, they tap DoorDash on their phones and it’s delivered to them in minutes.

As for Bridgette, she’s not sure what annoys her more – the wasted food in the fridge or the fact that the restaurants and convenience shops her kids order from are only a short walk away but they get home delivery anyway.

Bridgette argues this is a hangover from Covid, but I disagree.

Covid just accentuated a behaviour that was already in train. It forced people into home deliveries and now it’s become the norm rather than the exception.

Consequently, we’ve morphed into a society with fit fingers and lazy legs and businesses have been forced to acquiesce with our wishes.

They now compete with promises of faster deliveries for everything…food, booze, clothing, toys, tech, etc, because we’re willing to pay a bit extra for it.

Put simply, we’ve gone from price wars to time wars.

And look out if our delivery doesn’t arrive on time!

The irony is, we’re happy to pay a premium for express deliveries but scream the house down about higher fuel prices.

I’m on Bridgette’s side. Perhaps it’s time to trade some of our expectations for appreciation.

Just a thought.

Have a great weekend!

Adam

* Bridgette is not her real name. She’s a personal friend who allowed me to share her story.