Field Notice on Family Grocery Additions
The list was finalized. The order was placed. The additions were requested after placement, and before delivery, in a window that may or may not still be open depending on the platform.
To: The person who sent the grocery additions.
The order has been placed. You should know this because the confirmation was sent to the household group chat at 10:47am, which is when the order was placed. It is now 10:52am, and the additions have arrived.
This correspondence is filed with sympathy, because the additions are not unreasonable. Yogurt is a reasonable item. The specific brand of yogurt that is requested rather than the yogurt that was already on the list is also reasonable, in isolation, as a preference. The bananas are always needed. Nobody disputes the bananas.
The Window Problem
Some platforms allow modifications after placement. The window for modification is between fifteen and forty-five minutes depending on the platform, the warehouse, and whether the order has already been picked. Checking whether the window is still open requires: opening the app, finding the order, looking for an "edit order" option, determining whether the option is greyed out, and if it is not greyed out, adding the items and reconfirming.
This process takes four to seven minutes. The window may close during the four to seven minutes.
What the Additions Cost
The additions are not unreasonable requests. They are reasonable requests that arrive at an unreasonable moment. The unreasonable moment is not the fault of the person who sent them. The order was placed before the additions were thought of. The additions were thought of because the order was placed, which served as a prompt. This is the normal sequence.
The cost of the additions is: opening the app again, determining the window status, adding or not adding the items depending on the window, and if the window is closed, deciding whether the items are worth a separate order or can wait until next time.
If the items can wait until next time, they will not be added to the list for next time. This is also the normal sequence.
Closing Note
The yogurt preference has been noted. The bananas have been added. The window was still open, by two minutes. This outcome was fortunate and should not be expected to repeat.
The next order will be placed after a household confirmation period of fifteen minutes. This period has been proposed before. It has not been successfully implemented. It is proposed again, with reduced confidence.