The story is often told that Tom Monaghan, the Founder of Domino’s Pizza, once quipped, “We don’t sell pizza. We sell delivery. We offer time to families who are looking for it.”
To be fair, I can find only anecdotal evidence supporting that assertion. However, given the fact that Domino’s Pizza famously worked to shave seconds off its delivery times, the spirit of the quote probably rings true.
Domino’s Pizza, founded in 1960, became perfectly poised to sell a product to the American consumer they were willing to buy: convenience. With the sudden increase of dual-income families, people became more and more willing to pay for the easy dinner solution of a 30-minute pizza delivery. Indeed, within the first 15 years of franchising, the Domino’s Pizza chain had opened over 200 stores nationwide.
Of course, as the speed of our lives has continued to increase, so has the appeal of convenience.
Today, we can purchase household goods from any room in our home with the press of a button, receive shopping deliveries within 30 minutes, and pay for goods with just a tap on our watch.
From food and coffee to auto-care and healthcare, convenience is becoming increasingly, well, convenient. Convenience is no longer merely appreciated among the average consumer, it is demanded in almost every corner of our economy.
But at what expense have we pursued convenience? Consider some of these hidden costs:
Money. At the grocery store, the drive-thru, or the coffee counter, we pay a premium for convenience. In some cases, it costs just a little, but in other cases, convenience can be quite expensive. But convenience costs us in more places than the pocketbook.
Health. Not always, but often times, the purchase of convenience negatively impacts our health. Prepackaged foods are among the fastest-growing segments in grocery sales, with sales growing more than 60 percent in the past year. Unfortunately, many of these meals contain preservatives and contain as much as 57 percent of the recommended daily allowance for salt.
Quality. There are times, of course, when purchases made out of convenience result in a higher quality good or service. But this is not always the case. Starbuck’s coffee may be as good an example as any. Even among those who frequent Starbuck’s regularly, very few would argue they could not make better coffee at home. But what Starbuck’s does offer is convenience (and social status, but that’s for another conversation).
The Environment. From home electronics and kitchen appliances to pre-packaged foods and single-serve coffee pods, our quest for convenience has resulted in increased energy use in packaging and transportation and preparation. It has also resulted in increased waste at an almost alarming rate.
Intentionality. Many times, our mindless pursuit and consumption of all-things convenient robs us of opportunities for mindfulness and intentionality. For example, when I used to load the dishwasher merely out of convenience sake, I missed the opportunity for mindfulness in doing the dishes.
Perseverance. Often times, the greatest lessons we learn in life are born from inconvenience (or pain and suffering). In fact, numerous scientific studies have proven the same thing. But among a society where convenience and comfort are pursued above everything else, the opportunity to develop perseverance becomes less and less frequent.
Overconsumption. One of the reasons for the high levels of consumption in our society today is that goods have become increasingly cheaper to produce and purchase. But another reason for the high level of consumerism in our world is the ease of availability for these same items. When shopping becomes convenient, so does consumption. And with strip malls, convenience stores, and fast food restaurants on the corner of every major thoroughfare (not to mention, the availability of online shopping), we are constantly presented with convenient opportunities to buy more than we need.
I should be very clear on this: There are times when convenience is absolutely worth the price. One might even argue our entire system based on the division of labor was born out of convenience—it is easier for me to pay somebody to grow the food and sew the clothing and build the shelter than for me to do it all by myself.
However, if your lifestyle is being compromised in any of the areas above (i.e. finances, health, intentionality, or overconsumption), you might want to reevaluate what purchases you are making purely for the sake of convenience. Because maybe the cost has become too great.
Kalie @ Pretend to Be Poor says
I agree that it’s a bit alarming how much of our economy evolves extreme convenience. This has to have serious implications for our children as well. It’s all too convenient to give a kid a tablet too often and miss out on so much valuable relational time with them.
Kayse says
I agreed wholeheartedly!
Convenience can often cause us to miss out on opportunities to delve deeper into our relationships with people, as well. Though, I’m no stranger to sending a text message, I think often, especially in my generation, we choose to send messages back and forth while multitasking and not focusing on what’s being said, instead of calling or getting together with people to have a real conversation. Often, people choose to go out for coffee or dinner when getting together with a friend or family member, where it’s more difficult to have a conversation that doesn’t just skim the surface.. Maybe it’s not ‘convenient’ to invite someone over to have a dinner you’ve prepared for them and to clean up afterwards, but how much more special and memorable it may be rather than sitting in a coffee shop for an hour with 20 other people bustling about.
Michelle says
I lost my job last month, and since Im home I have been reconnecting with my kitchen. Years ago I made my own bread, mayonnaise, osso buco, soups, so many things. But then I joined the work force and lost touch with my home making skills. With the loss of income and a lot more time on my hands I am back in the kitchen and happy to have remembered how much joy can be found in simple home cooked fare.
Jessica - Living with Intention says
What I loved most was your comment on intention, that convenience allows us to “check-out” and be less mindful. It allows us to live unconsciously, without forcing us to take time to be present and appreciate the simplicity, beauty and importance of daily tasks.
Christina @ Martha, Martha says
Our family has started a 100 Days of No Eating Out Challenge and we are amazed at some of the benefits this “lack of convenience” has brought to us. Managing our home at the end of the day has become more routine and smooth running–a lot less stressful than those nights when we picked the “easy option” of getting restaurant food.
Jeff Mc Clung says
Great post, Joshua. Sometimes it’s worth it to pay more. Paying less sometimes gives us less quality but paying more can give us more quality, which is often what we are looking for.
Hayley Richardson // The French Experiment says
I agree that convenience leads to mindlessness, and pretty much everything you’ve listed (great post!), however there’s also some aspects of life where convenience is quite a blessing. For example, the convenience of having a supermarket (or a few) right near my house means I’m ultimately less wasteful. At this point in my life, living in a city, I don’t want to grow my own veggies – I will later – and instead of doing weekly shops where I found it difficult to avoid waste, I find the convenience of the nearby supermarket means that I only buy what I need, when I need it. We have very little in our cupboards sitting there as snacks etc, most of our food is meat, veggies and eggs in the fridge all fresh and ready for us to eat as we go. There’s obviously very many down sides to supermarkets as well, however sometimes at certain stages of your life convenient options can also have varying positive outcomes. Nice post, thanks for sharing!
Sue says
In general, I agree. But sometimes the increased cost is worth it. Because of a love for Starbucks coffee (and I don’t mean sugary lattes), I have met and built a relationship with an amazing group of friends. Over the last 6 years we have journeyed through cancer diagnoses, death of loved ones, the joy of children & grandchildren, retirement, job change, moves, marriages & all the other events of life. We are from all walks of life & our paths would never have crossed if it weren’t for the convenience of purchasing coffee. Minimalism is about simplifying & enriching our lives – for me the cost of convenience in this case is priceless. A choice we all get to make!
Shari says
I totally agree, Sue!
I love minimalism because it has allowed me freedom from chores and cleaning out my garage so I can meet friends at Starbucks!
Elm says
i would like to explore this idea of friends at Starbucks because i spend some time in coffee shops and restaurants.
I find that in the long run (as a continual habit), there is no commitment or risk or fidelity in meeting at restaurants … only convenience. Also no intimacy. In the long run it is good if you are not looking for all the above. It is good if you are just looking to support-chat with friends.
How do we find support beyond chatting (verbally or in writing)? Perhaps the quality of friendship is different when we invite people to our homes and share something and have a significant conversation at home.
I have been trying to do this and I find that sharing my home is difficult … i want it to be “right” before people come over. somehow in my mind minimilist hospitatily is not right, so i have to do much more than make coffee to invite people over.
Daisy @ Simplicity Relished says
I mourn the fact that our culture has increasingly become one in pursuit of *faster-cheaper-more*– especially when I travel. There are pastry shops in Japan that have been run by one single family for hundreds of years, specializing in artisanal goods. There are handmade tile workshops in Morocco where apprenticeships still exist. Whether it’s the intentionality of growing and cooking our own food, or the dignity of work that requires years of training, we certainly stand to lose a lot when we prioritize convenience over everything else.
Carol says
I’m minimalist in many aspects, and love reading this blog. But I’ve reached a point of being willing to pay for convenience. In my 20’s, 30’s and 40’s I worked full time and did most of the home maintenance chores. Weekends were all about the chore list, meal planning, grocery shopping, cooking to get ahead for the week to come, etc. I shunned all outside help in favor of doing everything myself. I then worked part time for a few years, helped out with my elderly father-in-law, and did even more of the cooking, cleaning, yard work, etc. Then I went back to work full time as my husband retired. He took over managing much of the household, learning to cook for the first time, etc. Now he is returning to work and we both hope to work full time for another couple of years. I don’t want to go back to the weekend being all about chores. So to free us up during this period, we are subscribing to e-meals to streamline meal planning, ordering groceries online for pickup at the store, and will likely hire someone to do the heavy cleaning at home. We will keep up with the yard work because it’s an excuse to be outdoors, which I love. These decisions are for convenience, yes. But they are more about keeping our time freed up for the things we really want to do, meeting our goals together, and not wearing ourselves out in the process.
Lizzie Hough says
Carol, I agree. Having been a Mom at home, raising a garden, canning, doing it “all” (with the help of 5 children whom I raised to be self sufficient), including home education, home businesses, helping my husband with his businesses, etc., I am READY for some convenience. I’d much rather have the dish washer going while I sit and relax, read, or do something else “self pampering”, than have to stand there at the sink one more time. Hasn’t happened yet but I’d rather have a housekeeper come in once a week to do all those household chores so I can do something else creative and, again, self pampering.
I used to tell people, who pined for a “simpler”life, they should try hand washing, hauling wood, cleaning w/out a vacuum, raising, butchering and preparing food, etc. . There was a REASON families, and most definitely women, were ready for some convenience. Maybe our society has gone too far…am sure it has…but minimalism must be about balance. Most of the minimalist guru blogs I read agree.
Alison says
You summed it up – in the 1970s my grandma was a huge fan of orange convenience bread crumbs in a packet, and other such bizarre processed nightmares. But after 60 plus years of doing EVERYTHING by hand, why wouldn’t she go for a bit of convenience? I totally forgive her (but I do always make my own bread crumbs).
Shari says
I agree, Carol!
Shari says
I also agree with Lizzie!
Judy says
I couldn’t do it…I’m too hands-on! Also, I’m way too frugal to pay someone for something I am fully capable of doing myself. That’s just me.