Clogged online platforms delay delivery

If long queues before supermarkets, social media rants about police heavy-handedness and the week-long wait for online platforms to deliver essential items are any evidence, the lockdown is beginning to hurt people badly.

Though some online platforms began services from Thursday, excessive demand means the actual delivery of items has been scheduled a week from now, triggering a mad rush towards offline stores.

Having to enforce social distancing, supermarkets are restricting the number of visitors and have put demarcated squares where they want customers to wait. All of which has made the queues longer and the wait infinitely agonising.

Thanmayee, a resident of Jayanagar, said the online platform that delivers groceries has scheduled her orders as late as April 5. “We were assured that getting essential items would not be an issue,” she said.

“I can’t leave my young child at home and wait in the (long) queue at the supermarket, while home delivery is taking days.”

“None of the grocery delivery services are operational in Bangalore,” goes a social media rant by Pradeep Pandey. “What are you doing government? Are you forcing people out?”

For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here

Netizens were similarly venting their ire against e-commerce giants, who posted messages on their website stating that immediate delivery would not be available.

“I use an online platform to get everyday essentials to my parents who stay far off from me in Kolkata while I am in Bengaluru. They are unable to go out and get it by themselves and it is a cause of great concern for me,” said Archana, a techie from Bengaluru.

Online grocer ‘Bigbasket’ said in a statement that it was affected by the restriction on the movement of its staff and vehicles for the past few days. “But thankfully, that is getting much better. Due to the high demand, we are booked for the next four to five days. This situation could continue, if the demand continues to remain high.”

The grocer said they are taking steps to ensure delivery of essential items. “After a few hiccups, we have resumed operations in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Kanpur with help from the local authorities,” he said. They will be ramping up operations in the cities in the coming days to clear the backlog of orders.

“For the remaining cities, we are working closely with the respective authorities and shall resume operations as soon as we get the necessary permissions,” he added.