Plated should be able to lower costs by participating in Albertson/Safeway's purchasing system. Everything that they pack in a meal kit is also an SKU for a grocery store.<p>Then, there's lovely marketing synergy. On the one side, people going through the store looking for the stuff they need to cook for dinner, are going to see how "oh, I could have all this packaged up for me and sent to my door and I wouldn't have to futz with this list."<p>While on the other side, people who are stopping by the store to pick up their Plated box -- which they would be incented to do because the subscription price would be lower for that mode -- will take a few extra seconds to buy a bottle of wine or a dessert to go with it.
I think the disconnect to be bridged here is the quality expectations between a meal kit ingredients, and just picking up ingredients at the supermarket yourself. I don't think the kits coming out of just reassembling the existing inventory a many supermarkets would quite be as attractive unless some additional logistics are added to make higher quality ingredients available.
maybe just me, I don't see meal kits going away but I think they are niche and temporary subscriptions at best. people are paying for convenience. an obligation to making a big dinner is not convenient<p>if they were much cheaper, and give you more choice on what says its active, and faster activation turnaround (maybe at 3pm I decide if I want the dinner kit for tonight) then it might make more sense.<p>I do not buy the "young people don't know how to shop and need us" argument. sounds like a forced effort to get the word millennial in your message