Caroline Bauldree, a 24-year-old nanny in Raleigh, North Carolina, orders food delivery nearly every day. She wants what she wants. "If I want sushi, I'm getting sushi," she said.
But the habit comes with a cost beyond money. Bauldree reports feeling shame about her reliance on apps like DoorDash. "Nine times out of 10, I feel bad about myself," she said, describing the guilt as stemming from what she sees as laziness.
Her experience reflects a broader pattern among younger Americans. As food delivery apps become more embedded in daily life, users report confronting guilt over the extra fees they pay for convenience. The apps charge markups on food, delivery fees, and service charges that add up significantly compared to cooking at home or picking food up in person.
Bauldree started using DoorDash regularly in college, drawn to the appeal of ordering from any restaurant and having meals arrive at her door. That convenience, however, has created an internal conflict. She does not enjoy cooking, and she does not want to deprive herself of foods she craves. Yet the act of ordering triggers shame about what she perceives as her own laziness.
The tension Bauldree describes sits at the intersection of consumer behavior and personal values. Delivery apps have normalized outsourcing meal preparation, but doing so carries a psychological weight for some users, particularly younger adults navigating economic uncertainty. The additional costs embedded in every order compound the guilt, turning convenience into a source of self-judgment.
According to the Guardian, Americans increasingly use apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats as habitual tools for feeding themselves, even as they grapple with the guilt of paying extra for that convenience.