Door deliveries are picking up pace in the city, with retail giants as well as small grocery shops using the help of leading delivery firms to send purchases directly to customers’ homes.
“Seventeen companies have been given permission to deliver essentials. On Wednesday (March 29), the total door deliveries made were 4,365. We have witnessed a steep increase in demand for door deliveries,” said an official from the district administration.
Officials from Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporatioon (GVMC) said that though retail stores and grocery shops were permitted to deliver essential goods, few customers evinced interest in placing orders over phone or through the internet. Gradually, however, customers began placing orders from their homes as awareness grew over the risk of venturing out of home.
“In mid-April, there was a dip in orders as reports surfaced of a pizza delivery boy testing positive for COVID-19 and the subsequent ban on door deliveries in Telangana. However, people again began placing orders and the numbers are rising. The delivery executives are also maintaining high safety standards,” the official said.
“There were a few issues after the launch of door delivery service, which were sorted out quickly. In April, there were over 85,000 home deliveries of essentials,” he said.
A door delivery executive, P. Raghu, said that while delivering orders, they wear face masks and gloves without fail, as it has made mandatory. They also carry sanitiser and frequently clean their hands, he said.
“Door delivery agents have been really useful during this COVID-19 crisis. We have been placing orders for the past three weeks. We receive the order wihin 24 hours of placing it,” said S Tanveer, a resident of Lawson’s Bay Colony.
Swiggy, Zomato back in business
The district administration has also started making use of food delivery giants Swiggy and Zomato since March 27 in some areas. Till date, both the companies have fulfilled 51 deliveries.
“Once a customer places an order on Swiggy or Zomato, the executives will pick up the order from DWCRA groups at Rythu Bazars and deliver them to customers. Once in every three days, the DWCRA groups will get the money credited in their accounts from the delivery companies. These DWCRA groups will in turn pay the money to farmers,” said a senior official from the district administration.
