NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
It’s safe to say that the pandemic changed the way of life for Americans. Delivery companies such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Instacart became the norm whereas going to the grocery store started to be an inconvenience. One company, in general, took advantage of Americans staying at home and that was Amazon. The once popular online bookstore has not turned into the king of online shopping. Now, it’s more than books, furniture, clothes, and electronics. Forget heading to the grocery store, Amazon Fresh has changed the way we shop for food.
Open up the Amazon app, head to the grocery section, and choose from the many selections they have. It’s pretty convenient. It’s fast, the prices are affordable, and if you spend over a certain amount, you get free delivery. However, there is a catch and that’s where the issues begin.
There is a 2-hour delivery window. In most cases, you can place an order and get your delivery on the same day. For me, I place it the night before and set up a delivery schedule for between 8 am-10 am if I’m home. If not, then I will schedule it for the evening between the hours of 6 pm-8 pm. Sounds good, right?
The first few times I used Amazon Fresh, I did the basic things. Bread, milk, a few meats, some pantry items, and things like that. Once I got accustomed to their delivery schedule I decided to take a risk and try some frozen items. This was a gamble, but it was one that I was willing to take for the simple fact that the markets in my neighborhood never have the certain kinds of frozen items I like.
Amazon Fresh Needs Improvement
I decided to order Eggo Waffles, some frozen vegetables, and my favorite, Italian Ices. That was a HUGE mistake. The vegetables were still pretty cold and frozen by the time my order arrived, however, the Ices and waffles were not. The waffles were completely defrosted and the Ices were dripping out of the box by the time I received my order.
I notified Amazon Fresh and they did refund the money but you know how it is when you have a taste for something and can’t find it anywhere, that refund does nothing for my taste buds.
The issue that Amazon Fresh must fix is a better way to handle orders with frozen items. These deliveries are made by people with cars just the same as DooDash, Uber Eats, and others. A franchise as big as Amazon should have food deliveries done with vans or trucks with compartments that can keep your food cold. It’s the middle of the summer and they must know that given a 2-hour delivery window is more than enough time for foods to defrost in the heat.
With that said, when the order comes in, why not make the orders with frozen items go out first instead of having us 3rd or 4th? Or, if they can’t manage that, just remove the frozen category from the menu entirely. Being refunded is cool but it really doesn’t help the consumer that much. We now know that even with a refund, we can’t order frozen items off Amazon Fresh ever again. This is not placing blame on the delivery drivers. It’s not their fault that Amazon does not provide them with the necessary equipment to keep the customers happy.
