Would you pay $8 to have groceries delivered curbside?

Most everything is available for pickup or takeout these days. Now you can add groceries to that list.

The AJC reports that Publix is offering customers the opportunity to order their bread, milk and Cheerios online or over the phone, and have it delivered at the curb of the store. (Currently only at the North Druid Hills Road location in Atlanta.) For $8. The grocer is banking on busy moms with kids to call on the way from daycare or sports practice. Because, in today's society, who can manage three kids, update Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, and pick up the peanut butter at the same time?

The format doesn't appear to be restricted to the size of each order, or limit buy-one-get-one-free deals. Everything in the store is available. The only stipulation is customers must give a 30-minute window for the order to be ready.

This isn't a new business model, but most of the previous tries at pre-order groceries centered around delivery to your home. And those are still alive and well in big cities.

This setup puts shoppers into two categories: the browsers and the listers. The browsers like to compare brands and prices while interacting with employees and fellow shoppers. They view the shopping experience as a recreational or leisure activity. The listers like to keep things in order, and probably have better ways to spend their time, like crossing off other lists. Most aren't as frugal as the browsers, and they view the $8 fee as a mere convenience.

If this catches on, it's another example of our society breaking away from the laid back friendly pace of even 25 years ago. It's another example of the 'me' society that's increasingly popular with the millennium generation. If a mom uses this, is that a sign that she's a bad parent, or can't handle her kids? Yes, if this is her only way of grocery shopping.

The positives are that this format turns every customer of this model into a lister. Forcing people to stick to a list keeps them from impulse buys, which easily cost more than $8. It prevents candy bars, cookies and desserts from jumping into the cart, and saves money. (Be honest, even if you use a list, how many of you only buy the items on it?)

Curbside shopping should catch on, and is an interesting business model, both for the grocer's bottom line, and your personal budget. But if people use it exclusively, it's another sign of laziness creeping into our society and the country moving away from its old-fashioned ways.