Deliveroo and Uber Eats are changing their business model in light of the coronavirus quarantine, allowing for grocery stores and small supermarkets , which allows to order groceries from home from their apps, instead of just food freshly prepared.
Until now, both Deliveroo and Uber Eats focused on restaurant food delivery, as did Just Eat, while its rival Glovo had long offered "virtual delivery" services, which It included that their delivery men do the shopping for us.
Now there is the possibility of making purchases online, but only in small neighborhood stores, markets, 24-hour stores and the like. Some parapharmacy (without medicines) are also included, although it is to be imagined that the options will grow.
In these new stores you can find "basics" : food, personal hygiene, cleaning… with a limited catalogue, and in general no fresh food In addition, products such as Coca-Cola soft drinks or Magnum ice creams are served directly from the stores.
The large chains (Mercadona, Carrefour, Día and the like) are not part of the agreement for now, something logical given that queues are often formed to enter, so that buyers maintain the necessary distance between them.
However, this could change in the future if an agreement is reached with the supermarkets. Deliveroo is the one that has included the most food stores, and in Madrid there are already quite a few options:
Uber Eats currently offers fewer stores, although one point in favor is free delivery, as Uber Eats has eliminated shipping costs due to the coronavirus.
In these delicate circumstances, it is much more logical for delivery drivers to buy basic necessities, which can last for several days, instead of freshly prepared dishes, which are only enough for one meal.
Making purchases online has been complicated, and even Carrefour has set up a virtual queue to enter its website, so Uber Eats and Deliveroo provide additional reinforcement.
Given the precarious conditions of their workers in the past, it will be necessary to monitor whether they have the means to avoid contagion when delivering orders. In any case, it is always better to order the purchase for several days than a single meal at a restaurant.
Right now the orders are served quickly (20 minutes or half an hour), so there is no priority for the most affected groups (elderly, pregnant, people with reduced mobility…), although we do not know if this will continue in the future. In any case, the adaptability of Deliveroo and Uber Eats has played in favor of the common good on this occasion.
What do you think about Uber Eats and Deliveroo bringing groceries to your home? Do you think it is a good idea?
