> What would you consider a nominal fee? Blue Apron costs about $10 per person per meal for modest portions, I can easily buy ingredients for half, if not a third of that.
This is excellent logic! However, it's possible that it only really works ideally if you consider shopping to not be a cost or do it for zero time. When shopping is both a time and complexity sink, some people choose to consider the option of spending money instead of time and effort.
Sure we can get into the details of it if you like, my point was just that it's not a trivial cost. It saves you the effort of shopping.
If you shop for groceries once a week, and make, say, 10 meals at home for an average of $4 each, then you're paying Blue Apron $60. It takes me about an hour to go shopping, but I live near the grocery store and enjoy being able to pick things out. Others might be in a different situation and be willing to pay a hefty fee to not bother.
Don't forget to include prep time, which can vary depending on the recipe and the number of ingredients. I'm assuming Blue Apron takes care of most of the prep?
This is excellent logic! However, it's possible that it only really works ideally if you consider shopping to not be a cost or do it for zero time. When shopping is both a time and complexity sink, some people choose to consider the option of spending money instead of time and effort.