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Another Outrage: FreshDirect Might Not Deliver Your Thanksgiving Groceries
By
Nell Casey
Published Nov 13, 2012
Modified Nov 13, 2012
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By
Nell Casey
Published Nov 13, 2012
Modified Nov 13, 2012
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In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, we've all had to endure a multitude of inconveniences, from a canceled sporting event to missing our favorite food trucks while they aid in hurricane relief. For the most part, New Yorkers have put on a brave face, but today FreshDirect revealed it may not be able to deliver to some neighborhoods until after Thanksgiving because many of their trucks were destroyed by flooding. The news is pushing some New Yorkers over the edge... on the Internet, of course.
The company announced the delivery delays on their Facebook page and revealed in a statement on Monday that they have been "working around the clock to restore [their] fleet to full strength" and they "expect to restore limited service after Thanksgiving." "Fans" of the business seem to be understanding, for the most part. But for every voice of reason there is an equally disgruntled voice who won't take these "excuses" lying down. "No one sent me an email. I had an order that I place AFTER Sandy which was cancelled through an autocall," says Natalie G Udall on Facebook. "Not cool." Yeah, FreshDirect, how uncool of you not to personally call every customer while you were scrambling to get your system back online while simultaneously informing drivers they probably wouldn't have work for several weeks. Not cool at all.
Still others were horrified that they'd be forced to leave their apartments in the ensuing weeks until delivery begins again. "I can't even go into a normal supermarket anymore. Its take out until you're delivering to 07302," says Kim Gorde, whose address lies in the waterfront section of Jersey City. Melody Mejeh hoped for the best but revealed she "[hadn't] shopped in a grocery store in years. But this time i'll have to. Bracing myself for the trauma" Do you hear that, FreshDirect? Soon your stranded customers will have to start a support group just to deal with the "trauma" of their local Key Food.
Meanwhile, it's not just customers who've taken aim at the delivery grocer. In order to refurbish their damaged trucks, FreshDirect has moved them from LIC to the Harlem River Yard in the Bronx, future site of their much-criticized new headquarters. "There are people who think this community is a junkyard," local resident and activist Monxo Lopez tells DNAInfo. “It has hit me very personally.” A group called South Bronx Unite has taken to Twitter to urge people to "consider alternatives" by using the hashtag #environmentalracism to further drive home their point. Until now, FreshDirect had agreed to "maintain the status quo" until February, when a court hearing will decide the fate of the site. Now they're being accused of "dump[ing] 960,000 pounds of garbage" (trucks) on the waterfront.
Seriously, we get that holiday meals are a big deal, but considering what some families have gone through nobody should really be getting that upset about FreshDirect deliveries. If the biggest inconvenience you face this Thanksgiving is a trip to the grocery store, where the shelves are literally lined with food, then maybe you should take the message of the season to heart and just be thankful. And besides, we live in a city where lots of restaurants are serving Thanksgiving dinner for a similar price for what you'd pay for that Organic Heritage Turkey—especially with that price increase— plus the delivery fee and nobody gets stuck doing the dishes.
Tagged
FreshDirect
sandy
South Bronx Unite
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Nell Casey
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