Local businesses impacted by delivery driver shortage
While local businesses have found it difficult to maintain delivery drivers, the demand from online shopping for home deliveries has not waned over the course of the pandemic. (Photo by Katherine Mansfield)
Courtesy of Metro Creative
Courtesy of Metro Creative
Area businesses are having a difficult time finding delivery people as the pandemic continues.
Courtesy of Metro Creative
Courtesy of Metro Creative
Many area small businesses are relying upon third-party delivery services to drop goods off at customers无毛视频� doors.
Grocery stores aren无毛视频檛 the only businesses experiencing shortages.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, local businesses have struggled to provide delivery services to their customers.
无毛视频淭here are times where we just don无毛视频檛 deliver that day, that无毛视频檚 all,无毛视频� said Lori J. Coury, who owns River House Cafe in Charleroi with her husband, Michael. 无毛视频淲e don无毛视频檛 like to do that. We always like to be there for our customers, but because of the impact the pandemic had on us, that just, unfortunately, seems to be turning into the norm.无毛视频�
When pandemic shutdowns were first put into place two years ago, Coury said, River House无毛视频檚 take-out and delivery orders increased, and the delivery driver shortage has impacted the cafe无毛视频檚 delivery services.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 very difficult to get new delivery drivers. They无毛视频檙e just not even responding to our ads, or word of mouth,无毛视频� said Coury, noting one of her drivers works 9 hour days, six days a week, and the other driver works Tuesdays.
Sometimes she pulls kitchen staff to deliver orders, and on busy days, it can take up to two hours for a driver to deliver food to customers.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e very fortunate in that we have such a great staff that无毛视频檚 been here for years and who care about the business the way that we do,无毛视频� said Coury. 无毛视频淥ur customers are wonderful 无毛视频� they无毛视频檙e very patient. I would love to have another delivery driver just to help lessen the load. They无毛视频檙e just not applying.无毛视频�
L&M Flower Shop in Canonsburg is also hard pressed to find drivers.
无毛视频淩ight now, I无毛视频檓 down a driver,无毛视频� said Harold Smith, who无毛视频檚 owned the business for 12 years. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e had ads in the paper and no one无毛视频檚 responding. We无毛视频檙e trying. No one无毛视频檚 coming aboard.无毛视频�
Smith said since the pandemic began, he无毛视频檚 seen an increase in delivery orders, and his two drivers are picking up extra hours to meet customer demand.
无毛视频淲e get them all done before we leave here,无毛视频� he said.
Orders are certainly being delivered, but it isn无毛视频檛 as easy today as it was before COVID-19.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a hit or miss kind of thing. Sometimes we have a full staff and sometimes we don无毛视频檛,无毛视频� said Karen Nickman, a pharmacist and owner of Nickman无毛视频檚 Drug in Fayette County.
无毛视频淲hen we did not have a full staff, then we had to make the other (driver) do double-duty,无毛视频� she added. 无毛视频淲e made do. We never didn无毛视频檛 deliver, that无毛视频檚 for sure. We always made sure we had the deliveries go out. It was just a question of staffing.无毛视频�
Like Nickman无毛视频檚, Scotty无毛视频檚 Pizza in Waynesburg has a full staff of drivers, but a 无毛视频渇ull staff无毛视频� looks smaller than it did before spring 2020.
无毛视频淲e have less drivers. We just kind of modify things a little bit so we can keep going with the drivers we have,无毛视频� said Ian Grimes, the store无毛视频檚 manager.
Scotty无毛视频檚 has modified its delivery radius and no longer offers most 无毛视频渕eet-ats,无毛视频� deliveries to out-of-area customers or businesses, like churches.
When the pandemic first hit, Grimes said, Scotty无毛视频檚 went without drivers for about a month. Because not much was known about COVID-19, drivers weren无毛视频檛 comfortable going to customers无毛视频� homes. Scotty无毛视频檚 pivoted its business model until drivers returned to work.
无毛视频淲e just did pick-up only,无毛视频� he said.
Harry无毛视频檚 Pizza in Peters Township was strictly dine-in and pick-up until about two and a half years ago, said daylight manager Stacey French-Finnegan, when GrubHub added the pizza joint to its web site.
无毛视频淵ou do not have to sign up your restaurant,无毛视频� said French-Finnegan. 无毛视频淵ou do not have to agree to them. They put you on there themselves.无毛视频�
Harry无毛视频檚 never considered in-house delivery services, and French-Finnegan said the mark-up on online orders is 无毛视频渋nsane.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 close to 40%,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淵ou could be giving that to these small businesses.无毛视频�
But a quick online search reveals many businesses offer delivery through companies like UberEats and DoorDash, and both have enjoyed increased demand since the pandemic began.
无毛视频淯berEats has grown more than 100% since the pandemic started,无毛视频� said Harry Hartfield, an Uber spokesperson. And, he added, 无毛视频淭he number of people delivering has grown.无毛视频�
Since the pandemic began, the number of DoorDash delivery people nationwide nearly tripled, said Eli Scheinholtz, a DoorDash spokesperson.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e proud that so many can come to DoorDash to earn when, where, and for however long they want, and that millions of people have been able to earn additional income through our platform,无毛视频� Scheinholtz said in an email.
Like some businesses, chain pharmacies, too, rely on third-party delivery drivers to drop prescriptions off at customers无毛视频� doors.
无毛视频淭he majority of our delivery services are provided through partnerships with outside couriers like USPS and Shipt,无毛视频� Matt Blanchette, CVS Pharmacy无毛视频檚 manager, retail communications, wrote in an email. 无毛视频淥ur delivery teams are meeting customer needs in a dynamic environment that is part of a nationwide workforce shortage affecting nearly every industry and company.无毛视频�
While the driver shortage will continue to impact industries nationwide for the foreseeable future, local businesses are working to serve customers as best they can.
无毛视频淭hese are bad times, but we无毛视频檝e got to be stronger,无毛视频� said Coury. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e got to continue working and do whatever we have to do to keep our town viable.无毛视频�