Gaby's Blog: Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Assignment 7A, Part 1

Every day, countless individuals are faced with a task that may seem daunting and mundane to many: grocery shopping. Grocery shopping is known to be a chore many people put off because it seems to take a long time and requires a bit of effort. Many individuals also are faced with the fact they only need one item, like milk or cheese, and don't want to drive to the grocery store, get out of the car, wait in line, and then drive back home only for one item. If drive-thru grocery stores existed, people would be less hesitant to make the trip because they can expedite the process.

The who: Individuals who grocery shop
The what: They are in need of expedited grocery shopping options
The why: Grocery shopping is a daunting task for those who have a busy life and need quicker access to certain items.

Testing the who: This opportunity is available to individuals all around the world, particularly North America, where fast-food and expedited services are an ordinary commodity. I would extend the "who" in particular to families with multiple individuals in one household. Sometimes, parents need milk at snacks at home for their children but don't have enough time to make a trip, so a quick drive-thru option could be very appealing.
Testing the what: Individuals with limited time and planning need an expedited way to acquire certain grocery items. However, this would cause to problems to already-established grocery stores who do not have drive-thru options. The idea of whether to implement a drive-thru in local grocery stores or to build separate grocery stores with trademarked drive-thrus is a trouble.
Testing the why: Some people may view this option lazy because they believe picking up an item from a grocery store is not necessarily a mundane or daunting task.

This individual felt that going grocery shopping was a chore that had to be planned out for a specific day of the week. When asked if she thought it was daunting, she said that it was not daunting, but moreso inconvenient because she disliked having to search for parking and stand in long lines at the store. She stated this to be just like any other chore that she had to do. She said "It's not fun, but its also not something extremely boring and extremely inconvenient. You just have to do it and put up with it if you want to have food at home." When presented the idea of drive-thru grocery stores, she said "why not? If we have to do it might as well make it even quicker."

This individual expressed her liking for grocery shopping. She described it as therapeutic, because she always takes her time at the grocery store and enjoys learning about different items available at different stores. She also said that her typical shopping trip consists of 4 trips to 4 different stores, because certain stores have items that she likes that other stores do not carry. When presented with my idea, she said it was unnecessary but agreed that it would appeal to people who have busy schedules, as she is an online student and stays home for most of the day so she does not see the need for it.

This interviewee mentioned he did not do much grocery shopping, because he hated the task. He said he mostly ate out because he did not know what items were necessary to buy for what he wanted to cook. He also said he wasn't a very good cook, so his own cooking did not seem appealing. However, when presented with my idea, he said he would most likely buy groceries because the process would be quicker and less inconvenient. He believed the opportunity was present and that he would be a frequent drive-thru customer of the idea was implemented.

This individual did not have a particular opinion about grocery shopping. She said it was a necessary chore she had to do and that she would accomplish it on her chores-day. When presented with my idea, she said that it was unnecessary for a number of reasons. The one she stressed the most was the idea that it was lazy and that individuals shouldn't be accustomed to having everything readily available so quickly.

The individual interviewed discussed that she did not mind grocery shopping. She specified that she really disliked when the grocery store was packed after work, which would make her trip long and then frustrate her. I presented the idea of drive-thru grocery stores, and she really liked it because she said it would probably cut the length of her trip in half, however, that the idea seemed bizarre and unlikely to be implemented.

Given your interviews, what do you know about the opportunity that you didn't know before?

Before the interviews, I did not know that there were individuals that genuinely enjoyed grocery shopping and enjoyed having to do the task for many reasons, whether it be stress-relieving. therapeutic, or relaxing. One interviewee brought up a good point, which was that if drive-thru grocery stores were implemented, then sales most likely would go up because people would be more inclined to come get the products then tend to put off because they don't want to make the trip. Aside from that, many of the interviewees expressed ideas I was aware of.

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