Latest news with #convenience
Entrepreneur
2 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Careem Takes Another Step Toward 'Everything App' with Justlife Partnership
"Together, we're making everyday life easier across the UAE, one home, one service at a time." You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Careem continues with its goal to build the Everything App for the greater Middle East by partnering with Justlife to expand its offering of home services to customers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with services expanding to Sharjah soon. Customers can now book specialty cleaning (including furniture, AC, and deep cleaning), packing and moving support, IV therapy and lab testing (including vitamin tests, diabetic profiling, kidney analysis, and more), and pest control services directly via the Careem app. These new offerings build on Careem's existing Home Services powered by Justlife, which include standard home cleaning, salon and spa at home, massage, and more. All services are accessible under the 'Home Services' section on the Careem app, with additional offerings to be launched in the coming months. Guido Pansera, General Manager, Home Services at Careem, commented, "Justlife has been a valued partner of Careem's for over four years, enabling our customers to book home services in just a few taps. We're excited to expand the offering further and deliver even more convenience for our customers across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with services coming to customers in Sharjah in the next few weeks." Ali Cagatay Ozcan, co-founder and CEO of Justlife, added, "At Justlife, we're obsessed with making every booking experience exceptional. Our professionals are at the heart of that promise, and in Careem, we've found a partner who shares our passion for customer care and community impact. Together, we're making everyday life easier across the UAE, one home, one service at a time." Related: Fueling Up: Careem's Entrepreneurial Journey Is Back On, Says Co-Founder And CEO Mudassir Sheikha
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Drive-Thru Etiquette You Should Be Considerate Of
Ever sat in what feels like an eternal drive-thru line wondering if the people inhabiting the vehicle in front of you have ever "restauranted" before? No option of moving forward and no option of turning back can ramp up claustrophobic tendencies, making you feel trapped. Anyone who has worked a fast food job knows there is a certain etiquette to keep the line a-moving! In the age of instant gratification, we all have places to go and people to see -- or at least food and beverages to consume. Rolling through a drive-thru almost certainly guarantees that passing through patrons are hungry and seeking convenience. Out of respect for their rumbling tummies, take a look through the menu before you approach the ordering area. This will ensure that you don't feel rushed or pressured to make a split minute decision and will also keep those important drive-thru times down. A 2022 study published in PLOS One suggests that feeling 'hangry' could be a real thing. Hunger activated anger is both a physiological and psychological reaction. So, spare yourself the risk of road rage or a hanger-fueled bumper bonk and be ready when it is your turn in the line. This is your time to shine, speedy. With technology at the tip of our fingers, use that smartphone to view the menu online before arriving. Luddite tendencies? You can also opt to enter the establishment and take a gander at the menu from the inside. Drive-thrus have the potential for efficient and expedited experiences, given a little group effort and etiquette. Designed to accommodate a quick transactional exchange, if we all work together, in theory, we can get in and out (or In-N-Out) pretty painlessly. Encourage your particularly slow or disorganized friends and family members to plan ahead. Research is key! Read more: Every Popeye's Side Dish, Ranked Worst To Best Don't Forget The Line Behind You After you've done your homework and drafted up an idea of what you'll order, keep a few additional drive-thru etiquette rules of thumb in mind. For one, don't chat it up too much with your window worker. Kindness will likely facilitate a positive experience for you and the employee alike, but don't forget your fellow passengers behind you in the line! Be polite to everyone involved by keeping conversation concise. No trash talk, and no trash garbage, either. Employees are bustling to prepare and deliver food. Handing them unsanitary garbage will force workers to stop and wash their hands, inevitably slowing down the line. At my first ever job as a teenaged McDonald's crew member, we were forbidden from taking anything except cash and cards from drive-thru patrons. I held strong, although I was asked daily to throw away car debris, soiled food wrappers, and other, icky, miscellaneous litter. Although able to accept coins, paying predominantly in change can also cause drive-thru backups. Workers sifting through small bits of currency prevents their hands from organizing food and may lead them to a sink for a hand wash, which we covered already. Prepare your order, prepare your payment, and prepare your patience. If you find yourself in a real time crunch, Taco Bell is the fast food restaurant with the quickest drive-thru. You can also save everyone time by avoiding placing large orders in the drive-thru. Spread the word; teamwork makes the dreamwork, so educate those around you on these important etiquette practices. With the aforementioned courtesies, you will raise the odds of getting your munchies as quickly as possible. Read the original article on Tasting Table. Solve the daily Crossword
Malay Mail
22-07-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Swiped into routine: How China-inspired apps redefine Malaysian daily life
KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — At 7.30am, auditor Nadia Rahman waits for her train to work and whips out her mobile phone. With a few taps, she orders her breakfast so it arrives at the office fresh and hot, right when she does. After her meal, she still has time to book a cleaner, pay her credit card bill, shop for groceries, and order lunch – all before stepping into the train. 'Years ago, I envied my friend who could buy everything on her mobile, including groceries, because shops close at 5pm in Australia. 'Technology has definitely caught up in Malaysia, now we enjoy the same conveniences,' she told Malay Mail. After a long day, she orders a soothing iced milk tea and a big dinner to be delivered just as she gets home. For a small fee, she avoids traffic, parking woes and crowded shops – all without ever leaving her screen. During the lockdowns, Malaysians turned to GrabFood, ShopeeFood, and AirAsia Food for everyday meals. — Picture by Firdaus Latif For Malaysians like Nadia, who are constantly on the move, mobile apps are no longer just convenient – they are essential. Living life through apps Usage of mobile apps in Malaysia really took off when Covid-19 hit in 2020. With lockdowns and movement restrictions, Malaysians turned to their phones for everything, from groceries and dinner to bubble tea and household goods. What started as a necessity has now become a lifestyle. Five years later, the influence of mobile platforms – especially those from China – is unmistakable in how Malaysians shop, eat and spend. Platforms like Temu, Shein, TikTok Shop, and ShopeeFood have shaped consumer expectations around price, speed and convenience. Mobile applications today often reward users with point systems and loyalty programmes. Taking after China One of the most influential models behind this shift is Meituan, China's leading all-in-one super app. Launched in 2010, Meituan became a digital powerhouse by combining food delivery, hotel bookings, grocery and lifestyle services, and AI-powered recommendations – all in one app. Though Meituan doesn't operate in Malaysia, its blueprint is visible in Grab, Shopee and Lazada. Today, Malaysians can use a single app to order food, pay bills, book a ride or shop online – much like Meituan's one-stop model. The appeal is boosted by loyalty points, promo codes and flash deals. Once, shoppers wanted to feel and touch items before buying; now, they're filling digital carts without hesitation. Platforms like Temu (known for low prices and group-buy deals), Shein (fast fashion giant), AliExpress and Taobao have made cross-border shopping the new norm, especially for urban youth and middle-income users. Temu, for instance, uses gamified experiences, flash sales and social incentives – tactics pioneered in China. Similarly, Lazada and Shopee offer game-based shopping, social sharing bonuses, and lightning deals. Food delivery, too, has become second nature for many Malaysians. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit Malaysia in early 2020, lockdowns and movement restrictions forced millions of Malaysians to change how they lived, worked, shopped, and ate. — Picture by Firdaus Latif What started with GrabFood, ShopeeFood and AirAsia Food during lockdowns is now fully embedded in daily routines. These apps now include Meituan-style features such as personalised food suggestions, AI-based timing, free delivery campaigns, voucher stacking and rewards. Meanwhile, more China-based F&B chains are expanding into Malaysia, including Hey Tea, Chagee, Mixue, and most recently, Luckin Coffee. Local brands like Zus Coffee and Beutea are using the same strategies – apps that allow for point collection, delivery, pickup, and electronic loyalty stamps. Zus Coffee users can redeem drinks, schedule pickups or deliveries, and earn rewards. Beutea, inspired by Chinese tea outlets, also offers app-based ordering, loyalty perks and delivery. But it doesn't stop there. Going beyond F&B Healthcare services can also be accessed via mobile apps – from consulting a doctor to booking tests, tracking fitness or buying supplements. Even government services have gone digital, from renewing road tax and paying fines to checking your EPF balance, all through apps like MyJPJ, MyEG and MySejahtera. Entertainment has also shifted – Malaysians now stream Netflix, listen to Spotify, buy movie tickets and plan trips, all from their phones. Malaysians today can depend on a single app to do multiple things. — SoyaCincau pic But is it all fine and dandy? While consumers enjoy cheaper prices, wider variety and time savings, Chinese-linked platforms' dominance is also sparking concern. These apps have opened new doors for local SMEs and micro-businesses, who now sell through TikTok Shop, Lazada and Shopee – reaching even rural areas. But at the same time, local brands struggle to compete with China's ultra-low prices and efficient logistics. There are also rising worries over digital consumption – including data privacy, growing consumer debt and unhealthy eating habits.
CNA
19-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Are we paying too much for convenience these days?
How much does a bottle of water cost? At the supermarket, it's around S$0.60. At the provision shop downstairs, it's probably at least a dollar. But at a vending machine or the airport? The same bottle can cost you four to five times more, easily. Why do we willingly pay more in one context but not the other? This isn't a conversation about product quality. After all, we're not talking about artisanal spring water infused with ionised minerals. It is just that when we are feeling hot, thirsty or in a rush, we quickly become willing to trade more money for immediate relief. This is the convenience premium: We pay a higher price not for a better product, but simply a faster, easier way to get the same thing. And the dangerous part is, we're doing it more often than ever. THE CONVENIENCE PREMIUM Not too long ago, grabbing a meal meant either cooking it at home or taking a short walk over to the nearest hawker centre. Today, we get our food delivered with a few quick taps on our phone, paying at least 20 to 30 per cent more just to save the effort of cooking, walking or queuing. In a 2022 survey by food delivery company Deliveroo, more than 60 per cent of Singaporeans said that they used food delivery services more regularly, compared to the time before COVID-19. Singaporeans were also spending more on such services: S$108 a month, a 62 per cent increase from S$67.54 in 2019. Convenience has become increasingly monetised in Singapore. It is now packaged and priced into nearly every aspect of our daily lives, with merchants and service providers bundling their offerings in strategic ways to charge us more. We see it in ride-hailing applications with premium surcharges during peak hours and same-day courier services. Pay more for "express delivery" or wait longer, perhaps hours. No one likes to make that frustrating decision. The rise of a convenience culture means that we are often paying not for a better product or service, but simply for faster, easier access to the same thing. This has quietly shifted our spending habits. We're no longer evaluating the prices of products and services based on their quality or value – we're simply measuring how quickly or effortlessly we can get what we want. As more services capitalise on this mindset, the cost of living inevitably creeps up not just through inflation, but through the silent premium of convenience. THE REAL COST OF CONVENIENCE First of all, do we really know how much we are spending on convenience? On its own, a S$3 food delivery fee here and a S$10 ride-hailing surcharge there might seem insignificant. But these add up, perhaps quicker than we think. Check your favourite food delivery or ride-hailing apps and tally up your total over the last three months – does the figure surprise or shock you? Or do you feel it is still a worthy expense? Look closer at each individual charge. Ask yourself: Did I really need or want this one delivery or that one ride? Or did I pay for them out of impulse or habit? This is the paradox of paying for modern convenience. It feels efficient in the moment but over time, it quietly erodes our financial discipline and diligence. When everything is available on demand, our self-sufficiency also suffers. Young adults of today are rapidly losing basic skills like preparing our meals or fixing a leaky tap at home. Why bother learning to do either when we can simply pay someone else to do it for us? THE PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAP OF JUSTIFICATION Singaporeans are a notoriously busy, overworked group. After a long day, it may feel like a direct ride home or having a meal delivered is worth the S$20 we are paying. In the moment, the cost appears minor in comparison to the immediate relief it provides. We think: "I deserve this." Behavioural economists call this "justification bias" – the emotional reasoning we soothe ourselves with on trade-offs that do not make much logical sense. There is nothing wrong with this. The problem is when we start relying on it too frequently. What starts as a one-time indulgence can quietly turn into an ongoing expense. Before we know it, spending on convenience has become the default mode of living, and it is difficult for us to go back to more inconvenient times. Now, convenience in itself is not an evil. Paying a little more to save time can be a smart trade – if you are using that time wisely. For instance, I'm willing to fork out for a private ride so I can take a quick nap to recharge or make urgent calls in a quiet space. But if I spend that ride so that I may watch a drama or mindlessly scroll through social media instead, I'm not really buying myself time. I'm buying comfort and that's a very different equation. DON'T LET CONVENIENCE CONTROL YOU The busier we are, the easier it becomes to justify spending on convenience. Although convenience has become the currency of modern life, it shouldn't cost us control over our finances. As with all spending, convenience is worth paying for when the occasional need arises, but certainly not on a daily basis and not at the cost of long-term financial freedom. So if you find that you are spending a cool four to five digits each year on convenience, it might be time to think about whether cutting down makes more sense. The next time you are tempted to pay a little more for ease, pause and ask: Is this purchase making my life better in the long run or just easier in the moment? Are we outsourcing tasks to free up time for meaningful work, rest or relationships? Or are we making a habit out of draining emptying our wallets just to avoid minor hassles and discomfort instead of taking a few minutes to plan ahead? The price of convenience can be one worth paying – as long as we are aware of what we are truly getting in return.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
McLane debuts c-store foodservice commissary
This story was originally published on C-Store Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily C-Store Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: McLane Company has launched a national commissary program for convenience retailers across the U.S., the distributor announced this week. The commissary is part of McLane's Central Eats program, which features pre-packaged, grab-and-go cold items like subs, sliders, salads and fruit cups. C-store retailers using the program will have access to many of these products through the commissary, as well as snack trays, veggie cups, oatmeal, parfaits and more. The commissary could become a haven for c-store retailers as the industry faces foodservice supply chain challenges with prices continuing to rise and tariffs looming. Dive Insight: McLane, which has serviced the convenience retailing industry since the 1960s, leveled up its offerings nearly two years ago when it debuted McLane Fresh, an expanded retail foodservice program specifically designed for convenience stores. The program was created to meet consumers' growing expectations for healthy, quality food at convenience stores, and the Central Eats line was at the center of that push. Now, the company is taking McLane Fresh a step further with its new commissary, where all Central Eats products are prepared fresh and individually wrapped to have a seven-day shelf life, according to the announcement. The commissary supports both large and small c-store operators with 'flexible piece-pick ordering,' which reduces waste and enables customization by location. Retailers can receive commissary items alongside their regular McLane deliveries, the company said. 'The program is built around what today's consumer expects—fresh, flavorful food—and what operators need: safety, efficiency and simplicity,' said Jon Cox, McLane's vice president of retail foodservice. 'We're proud to help our customers grow their grab-and-go business with a program that's easy to implement and built for success.' One retailer already using the commissary is EG America, parent company of over 1,500 c-stores under brands like Cumberland Farms, TurkeyHill and TomThumb. The program has allowed the convenience retailer to scale its foodservice offerings and add more high-quality grab-and-go items, Brian Ferguson, chief marketing officer for EG America, said in the announcement. 'This program is helping us elevate our foodservice strategy and drive growth across our stores,' he said in a statement. Recommended Reading McLane launches new c-store foodservice program Sign in to access your portfolio
