Fresh Direct’s Packaging Fetish
See that little grocery list pad Fresh Direct sent me for signing up for the six-month delivery pass? Yeah, that came alone in that box. I also got two cartons of raspberries that were in two plastic containers — each! I don’t want my stuff crushed but sometimes I think FD goes a bit overboard.
They do but I am seeing slight improvement, and I’m glad they are buying locally produced boxes made from recycled materials now. Every little bit helps.
I’m cranky with FD today, however, because the live lobster we ordered as part of tonight’s delivery (and dinner) isn’t coming – guess they ran out.
I’d be a lot less annoyed with it if the FD delivery guy could take the boxes from the last delivery. There is nothing I hate more than having to tie up the stupid boxes with twine and put them on the curb. I usually let them build up for a month in the basement before Luis complains and I get rid of them.
ah, the problems of the leisure class in 11206 :)
god knows when FD will make it down to 11207, if ever. hopefully by that time they will have more conscientious packaging, not to mention solving the whole pollution issue that seems to make park slopers furrow their brows in a futile attempt to understand their place in the universe.
that’s a good idea about having the guys pick up the boxes. maybe they could get some kind of reusable containers so there would be less waste.
Yes, let’s pray they come to 11207, but i’m not sure gentrification has happened as much to warrant it.
jimmy, i think key food delivers, and there may be more supermarkets down broadway like c town.
whoa, i never thought about delivery. i don’t think i could bring myself to have KF deliver. it’s one thing to have top-notch produce and exotic ‘fruits du mer’ shipped in because there’s nowhere else to get it, but the idea of receiving a box full of gardenburgers and generic frozen broccoli … i don’t think i could live with myself.
KF? Kentucky Fried?
I think KF = Key Foods?
I suggest avoiding Fresh Direct at all costs.
Are you really too busy to do your own grocery shopping? Go shopping in your new neighborhood. Get to know people. What kind of message are you sending to your neighbors with these obnoxious trucks and piles of FD cardboard (and plastic.)
Idling trucks and insane packaging. Ugh.
Sorry to be so cranky, I just don’t get why people love/use FD.
Avoid FD at ALL COSTS? There are a lot of costs in the world. I would never suggest employing all of them.
But seriously, I do go shopping in my neighborhood for the things FD doesn’t have, or doesn’t have cheaply. But other than tamarind syrup and frozen yuca, there’s not much at the Associated I particularly want to put in my mouth. They don’t have organic heavy cream, for example. If you think that makes me a snob, it’s because I am. I want certain things a certain way, and as long as I’m not disemboweling anyone to get them, I don’t see why anyone should really care.
And as far as sending messages to my neighbors, don’t worry, a single truck idling for 3 minutes is nothing compared to what they do here — they practically live in their idling cars, and at least the FD delivery man doesn’t blast reggaeton on crush volume, setting off every alarm in the neighborhood as he passes.
So, get a grip, cranky.
Robin, I have a condition called Fibromyalgia which has many physical effects, one of which is that I’m often exhausted. I do make an effort to buy as much fresh food from Greenmarkets and other local purveyors as possible, but frankly, I’d rather spend my energy on that and let FD bring me things like cat litter, giant rafts of toilet paper, cleaning products, AND certain fresh food items that I can’t get easily in the neighborhood. We’ve lived here for nearly 3 years, and while our local supermarket is improving, they still lack many of the ingredients I use in cooking on a day to day basis. I have to say that FreshDirect has had a real impact on my quality of life, and yes, while their excessive packaging bothers me, it’s a minor issue. (We recycle the boxes and add the cardboard inserts to our compost, by the way.)
Jeremy raises a great point about FD picking up old boxes. Sure, FD probably can’t reuse the boxes as is, but picking them up for recycling would be a great community-relations tactic.
Incidentally, we have ample parking on our street, so when FD delivers here, the driver parks the truck, turns the motor off, and delivers our goods.
If I lived within walking distance of a food co-op, a Whole Foods, a Greenmarket, or all of the above, I probably wouldn’t want a Fresh Direct truck in front of my condo/brownstone either.
Finally, I don’t own a car. I don’t drive. I don’t drive to work, I don’t drive to the Queens Costco, I don’t drive to McDonald’s for a Big Mac.
On balance, I’ll take Fresh Direct, and its inefficiencies over a suburban, car-centric, lifestyle any time.
Fight me. I dare you.
Also, one more thing.
“Go shopping in your new neighborhood. Get to know people.”
I’ve grocery-shopped in a dozen states and three foreign countries. Never have I found grocery stores to be a place to get to know people.
I was in Food Dimensions shortly after we moved to our new neighborhood, and a guy yelled at me about the white motherfuckers moving to Bushwick. Ahhhh, the welcome wagon!
Perhaps I should commune with that gentleman over canned milk and canned potatoes about Montessori schools, Harry Potter books, and whether Alberto Gonzales should resign.
“I was in Food Dimensions shortly after we moved to our new neighborhood, and a guy yelled at me about the white motherfuckers moving to Bushwick. Ahhhh, the welcome wagon!”
I love that type of shit. I was doing laundry the other day and some guy, who I think might have been a neighborhood crazy, asked two of the other people in the laundromat if they had seen something that went on in the neighborhood. this man had addressed the other two, one latina and one asian, in english.When he got to me, he started speaking in spanish with a big, shit-eating grin on his face. Man, he thought he had a laugh at my expense,being a non-spanish speaker. I could care less, i just wanted clean underwear.
As you probably know,this behavior doesn’t happen often. It does suck when it does happen. racism is racism, no matter who the perp is. you would never find me ranting and raving about how this used to be an italian neighborhood, and based on my heritage, I have a god-given right to be here.
All comments thus far appreciated.
I was shocked that Fresh Direct actually delivers to my address (which I realized via their website), though I’ve yet to use them. What are their delivery costs? To not have to lug home cat litter would be a blessing.
I’m all about Trader Joes these days. It’s rare that I don’t come home from the city with at least one tell-tale red-graphik’d bag. I suppose I’ll be a senior citizen before a Trader Joes makes it to these parts.
FD delivery is $5. But they usually have some free item you can get that is worth way more than delivery. In addition, a lot of stuff is a bit cheaper than at the store. And they have amazing seasonal foods and they recommend stuff that goes with something you put in your cart. It’s just an awesome way to shop. I doubt I would use it if I lived on top of a Whole Foods, but it’s the next-best thing.