Waiting on my street in frustration, I meet a neighbour: Greg. By chance, he has ordered beer from Getir – we are waiting for the same rider. I ask why he hadn’t walked to our wonderful corner shop, run by Raj Patel, the closest our neighbourhood has to a community leader – a source of gossip as well as every conceivable lightbulb and dried spice; his shop a place where we all send our children to spend their first pocket money, knowing he will be keeping an eye on them. Plus there’s a decent beer selection. “I didn’t feel like leaving the house – it’s been a long week,” Greg laughs. “Also, the prices are the same, more or less, and I got a free can of wine because it was my second order.” We peer down the road hoping to see a glimpse of the rider’s purple jacket and motorbike. “I do worry that having this level of convenience isn’t good for us,” he says. “Is it programming our brains to become really lazy?” Possibly. But that laziness could fuel multibillion-pound fortunes for those who end up being winners in this race. If those fortunes are funded by big supermarket shoppers switching some of their spending to on-demand, few will complain. But if it puts independent corner shops out of business, that’s a different matter. Next time the kids or I want chocolate, I think we’ll be wandering down the road for a catchup with Raj.