Thanks to Binges and Benders, Postmates Knows the True You
Uber knows where you live and work; Amazon tracks your spending habits; Facebook logs your Likes. But Postmates—the refuge of homebodies, impulse shoppers, and the lazy, hungry masses—understands the real you: your moods, your flings, your celebrations, and your munchies. We tapped a team of data scientists at the anything-goes delivery company to reveal our collective (and highly specific) whims, whether it’s bingeing tequila, scarfing brisket, stockpiling sex toys, or splurging on caviar.
In Season
Postmates orders surge on holidays (Bud Light requests swelled 378 percent last July 4), election nights (“You could see a massive spike the exact minute The New York Times called the election for Trump,” senior analyst Alex Orellana says), and in heat waves and blizzards. Sex store deliveries explode on Valentine’s Day.
Postmates drivers have collectively delivered 10,075,383 pounds of burritos.
Devolution of Man
Anyone who’s ever embarked on a self-improvement regimen knows that you tend to start the week with rosy intentions—prepacked lunches, nightly journaling, juice cleanses—before backsliding into the weekend in a greasy haze of pizza and booze. According to the data, our cravings tend to follow weekly patterns. You’re most likely to order chocolate on Wednesday; barbecue hits a high on Saturday. These are the peak days for various orders, by search term.
The 7-Minute Itch
These cities have the shortest (and longest) delivery times, from the merchant to your couch.
Local Flavor
Nationwide, the single most-popular delivery request is Chipotle. But each market has its own most-wanted regional delicacy, like those shown here. In Virginia Beach, for example, that's the Hella Fitzgerald fried chicken sandwich from Handsome Biscuit; in Austin, it's brisket by the half-pound from Rudy's Country Store.
Bottle Service
In 28 metro areas and counting Postmates' Drinks service delivers beer, wine, or booze in 25 minutes or less. These are the tipsiest towns in the nation, according to market share.
1. Palm Springs, CA
2. Sacramento, CA
3. Pittsburgh
4. Brooklyn
5. San Diego
6. Orlando, FL
7. San Francisco
The Munchie Boom
In 2017, 4/20 saw a 62 percent uptick in orders on college campuses. Regis University in Denver had the biggest relative spike, with a 400 percent increase on Weed Day.
On-Demand, Round-the-Clock
Thanks to an "anything, anywhere, anytime" delivery model, these are the peak hours for ordering all manner of necessities.
Most Expensive Orders
This article appears in the June issue. Subscribe now.