From Samosas to Sustainability: The Real Cost of 10-Minute Deliveries

Fast Food, Faster Deliveries, and a Slower Planet

I recently came across some "groundbreaking" news – you can now get a cup of tea and a plate of samosas delivered in under 10 minutes! Yes, you read that right. Because what the world needed wasn’t just quick groceries, electronics, or clothes—it was lightning-fast samosas. The kind of delivery speed that makes you question: Are we just bored or have we collectively decided that 10-minute samosas are the pinnacle of human achievement?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love convenience as much as the next person. I mean, why walk five minutes to the local chaiwala when you can spend those five minutes scrolling Instagram while your tea and snacks are whisked to you like some sort of divine intervention? But this whole quick commerce thing has me scratching my head. Is there a burning need for, say, urgent batteries for your remote at 2 am? Or an emergency deodorant at 4 pm? Are we that busy?

But wait… do we need that? I mean, sure, instant samosas sound tempting (they’re samosas, after all!), but when did we, as a society, decide that waiting 15 minutes for food was unacceptable? When did "I want it now" become "I want it yesterday"? Is this the future we dreamed of? A world where we’re sprinting from one dopamine hit to the next, fueled by the promise of free delivery and lightning-fast gratification?

The Speed Obsession: What Are We Even Chasing?

Let’s pause for a second—ironic, isn’t it?

In a world where every wellness expert, every Instagram influencer, and even your mom are telling you to “slow down,” “breathe,” and “live mindfully,” we’ve decided to speed up the only part of life that doesn’t need speeding up—delivery! It’s like, “Yeah, I know I should meditate and eat my meals mindfully, but can I get that quinoa salad right now because my life is falling apart otherwise?”

Heck, there’s a whole market of wellness apps designed to help us eat slow, drink slow, and, well... let’s just say other things should be slow too. (If you know, you know.) Let’s be honest—people are out here popping pills to delay certain events because, apparently, rushing is a no-no when it comes to, uh, personal satisfaction. But somehow, waiting an extra five minutes for a loaf of bread? That’s unacceptable.

We’re told to take it slow, savour every bite of food, and—here’s the kicker—practice delayed gratification in many aspects of life. People go to great lengths to delay other things, right? I’m talking about everything from taking those pills to mindfulness apps teaching you how to "live in the moment." Yet when it comes to delivering a frozen pizza, we’re like, “Nope. Need it in 10 minutes or less. Now or never.”

What happened to patience being a virtue? We’re guzzling down books on mindfulness and paying therapists to tell us to "live in the moment." Meanwhile, our phones are blowing up with notifications that our samosas will be here before we even finish our yoga session. Who knew samosas were the secret to inner peace?

Quick Gratification: Where Does It Stop?

You see, quick delivery has become synonymous with quick gratification. And let’s be honest—quick gratification doesn't always work out well in life. I mean, we’ve all been taught the importance of taking things slow in some... ahem... areas of life. Isn't that what half the pharmaceutical industry is for? We medicate ourselves to slow down, yet here we are demanding our groceries show up faster than it takes to make instant noodles.

Are we truly in such a rush to get our essentials—or non-essentials, for that matter? Or are these services slowly conditioning us into thinking we are? I can already see the future—a world where waiting 11 minutes for a toothpaste delivery feels like a personal affront. God forbid you have to walk to the store like it’s the Stone Age.

Instant Noodles & Fast Food?

With 10-minute samosa deliveries knocking on our doors, it seems the instant in "Instant Noodles", and fast in “Fast Food’’ are suddenly up for introspection. How Instant is instant and how Fast is fast? “Fresh” Coriander is no longer fresh unless delivered within 10 mins.

We might see noodle brands in existential crisis, asking themselves, “Are we fast enough for today’s world?” Fast food chains that bank on drive-thru convenience may need to redefine their whole identity. "Fast" suddenly feels like a sloth in a race against these quick-commerce apps. Forget about 30 minutes or less for pizza delivery—companies might soon be marketing lightning pizza that arrives before you've even finished thinking about what toppings you want.

The Zero-Delivery-Fee Trap

And let’s not forget the "free" delivery. Ah, yes, the classic bait. Because, of course, there’s no delivery fee right now. But how long until they pull the rug from under our feet? The moment we get used to these instant deliveries—BAM!—suddenly there’s a convenience fee, platform fee, surge fee, and whatnot for our “10-minute chai” that costs more than the chai itself. It’s like being in a bad relationship. First, they give you everything for free. Next thing you know, you're paying through the nose just to get the bare minimum. Classic!

The Fast and the Furious: Racing for Samosas, but Crashing into Sustainability

While it’s awesome to get everything from a toothbrush to a tub of ice cream in under 10 minutes, have we paused to consider the real impact? Because I can tell you one thing: Mother Nature is not impressed.

Every time we order a pack of chewing gum like it’s a life-or-death situation, there's a small army of delivery bikes, scooters, and vans whizzing through our streets, burning fuel like it’s an Olympic sport. It's like a game of "Fast and Furious: Grocery Edition," and spoiler alert—our planet is losing. These aren't magical teleportation systems—they’re real, fossil fuel-powered trucks, scooters, and bikes, zipping back and forth, all for that last-minute craving.

We’ve somehow gone from "reduce, reuse, recycle" to "order, ship, and repeat," but all in the name of convenience. And don't get me started on the packaging! Each tiny item arrives wrapped in enough plastic, cardboard, and bubble wrap to make you feel like you just unboxed a space shuttle. Honestly, your single chocolate bar has more layers than a wedding cake.

So, while we're over here getting our samosas faster than we can finish a thought, the planet is left dealing with the aftermath—more emissions, more waste, and an ever-growing carbon footprint. Quick commerce is speed-dating with disaster. And all for what? So you don’t have to leave your couch for a soda?

And don’t think the planet’s the only one who's suffering. With all these deliveries, traffic is becoming its dystopian nightmare. Soon, you won’t need the weather app to tell you there’s a traffic jam—just check if it’s "Samosa O'Clock."

In the race for convenience, we might just end up in a place where sure, we have our instant noodles and instant gratification, but a not-so-instant crisis for the planet. Maybe it’s time to hit pause and remember: it’s not just your groceries on the fast track—our future’s on it too.

The Psychological Toll: Are We Breaking Our Brains?

Then there’s the bigger picture. What does this obsession with speed say about us as a society? In a time when mental health advocates are encouraging us to slow down, breathe deeply, and live in the moment, we’ve collectively decided to speed up everything else. Your therapist says, “Take things one day at a time.” But your grocery app says, “10-minute delivery or bust.” So, which one is it, folks?

What’s the rush? Is there some cosmic urgency that I’m missing? Will the world end if my paneer doesn’t arrive within 600 seconds? Or have we been so conditioned to expect instant gratification that the very idea of waiting for anything now feels like a personal attack?

A World of Quick Commerce, A World of Quick Decisions

I guess my real question is this: Are we being led to believe that quicker is always better? Or are we setting ourselves up for a world where patience is a forgotten virtue, and waiting becomes a form of torture?

Let’s take a step back (but not too far back, don’t worry, you’ll still get your samosas). Maybe it’s time to question whether we need this kind of speed in every facet of life. Sure, there are situations where quick commerce makes sense—like when you realize you’ve run out of medicines. But for everything else? Maybe, just maybe, we could afford to slow down a little.

Sometimes, good things come to those who wait. And honestly, maybe we should learn to wait a little longer for our groceries, our gadgets, and even our samosas. Because, in the end, life’s best moments—whether it’s a beautiful sunrise or a quiet cup of tea—are the ones that can’t be rushed.

Slow Tea, Anyone?

As I sit here, writing this article, I can’t help but wonder… Maybe it’s time we brought back the art of slowing down.

So, the next time you feel the urge to order that scented candle in 10 minutes, ask yourself: Do I need it right now? Or is the world just trying to make me think I do?

As they say, slow and steady wins the race. But in the world of quick commerce, it seems like we’re all sprinting to a finish line that doesn’t even exist.

Anil Pandit

Executive Vice President

Publicis Media

*Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only and does not endorse or disapprove of any specific tools, platforms, or technologies. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the company he is employed in.