MilkRun was cool and convenient but it wasn't cheap. So, it's been cancelled.

The fortunes of a much-hyped Aussie start-up were clear to me the day I received an unexpected knock on my door.

It was bucketing down, and no one in their right mind should have been out.

On my front porch was a sodden delivery guy, offering up a single brown paper bag.

“Uh – sorry,” I said. “But I didn’t order anything.”

I peered inside the bag. A solitary block of chocolate. Say no more. We have teens in the house.

MilkRun, for those of you who haven’t heard, was the much-hyped start up, promising groceries within minutes for those in lockdown, who were unable to get to the shops... or simply motivated by a desire for sugar and instant gratification.

No milk at breakfast time? Fixed! Watching Netflix and can't be bothered walking to the corner shop for a treat? Fixed! It’s raining outside and you don’t want to get wet? Ta dah!

Watch: How To Set Business Goals. Post continues after video.

Who can blame our teens – or the millennials who added this app to their collection of life short cuts?

After all, their generations have never had to get off the couch to change the TV channel. They haven’t had to wait with finger poised over the record button on a cassette player for their favourite song to come on the radio. They haven’t had to wait for their sibling to finish a phone conversation before accessing the internet. They haven’t had to process a roll of film. They’re not even fans of full words. IKR!

Not lazy. Just prioritising: “I’m providing employment for the gig economy, mum!”

Speaking of which, back to the dripping delivery guy.

I apologised profusely to him for what I believed to be a misuse of this time, an insult to his profession and a demonstration of society’s laziness. In short, I was embarrassed.

Here’s the thing. He politely refused my tip. He encouraged me to shop again. He told me he uses the service himself. I was astounded. How did they survive? Well, the answer is… they didn’t.

MilkRun’s business model suffered as people ventured back to the local shops again.

They were losing money on small orders. They started to charge higher delivery fees and required minimum orders. The economic climate shifted. And this week, the Aussie start-up announced it would close and 400 delivery people would lose their jobs.

Will neighbours start asking to borrow a cup of sugar again? Will teenagers use their legs?

Listen: The 5 Key Ways To Grow Any Business. Post continues after pocast.

Don’t count on it. The gig economy is growing. And, while some start-ups like MilkRun unfortunately fail, new ones will emerge and thrive. Rideshare apps, on-demand services for contract work and food delivery are on the rise.

Thirty per cent of millennials (aged between 18-29) have made money in the gig economy. They benefit from side hustles with greater flexibility and autonomy.

As consumers, we benefit too from this democratisation of the skills economy. Companies like Airtasker, Freelancer and Uber have made our lives easier and services cheaper.

MilkRun was cool, and convenient but it lost the third C – cheap. So, it jumped to the fourth C: Cancelled.

But my kids weren’t crying about spilt milk this week. The knocks on the door had slowed. Like the proverbial canary in the gold mine, they’d stopped chirping about MilkRun a while back and they did what teenagers are supposed to do. They moved on to the next thing.

Kellie Sloane is a Sydney mum, former journalist and CEO + new Member of Parliament representing Vaucluse in NSW.

Featured Image: MilkRun Instagram account.