16 NOVEMBER 18, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
How grocery delivery app workers are
A Gorillas courier arrives at the warehouse in Chinatown after delivering groceries. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
BY KIRSTYN BRENDLEN AND
GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
This is the fi ft h and fi nal installment
in Schneps Media’s fi ve-part
series examining the proliferation
of grocery delivery services across
the city, and how they treat their fl eet
of delivery workers.
Last year, as the pandemic swept
New York City for the fi rst time and
forced businesses to close temporarily
or altogether, there was one industry
that seemed to be perfectly suited
to survive: food delivery.
Demand for grocery delivery
through apps like Instacart soared,
and Bronx-based giant Fresh Direct
launched an express delivery option,
where customers could choose from a
limited number of products available
in just a few hours.
New Yorkers were also ordering
more meals through apps like Uber
Eats and DoorDash to get meals from
restaurants, which were largely pickup
and delivery only.
New quick-commerce grocery delivery
apps are at the nexus of those
two markets. Companies like JOKR,
Gorillas and Fridge No More have
expanded rapidly in the last year as
they fi lled the demand for groceries
delivered within 15 minutes of placing
the order via an app, with low
or nonexistent delivery fees and no
order minimums.
At the center of all of those businesses
are the delivery workers. Couriers
zipping by on electric bicycles
with insulated bags strapped to their
backs have become ubiquitous in
the city in the last decade, and now
passers-by might be seeing a host of
new uniforms and branded e-bikes as
quick-commerce apps continue their
steady march forward.
EMPLOYEES, NOT
CONTRACTORS
Those uniforms and e-bikes mark
a stark contrast between apps like
JOKR or Gorillas and apps like
UberEats. The majority of delivery
workers who deliver for UberEats
and DoorDash are contracted or “gig”
workers — essentially freelancers.
They pick up work when it’s available,
but aren’t employed by the company
formally — there’s no time off , benefi
ts, or guarantee of hours, wages
or tips.
At most of the new grocery delivery
apps, couriers are full- or part-time
employees, with set schedules and, in
some cases, benefi ts.
“Unlike many delivery and ondemand
service companies, all our
workers are full-time and part-time
W2 workers who are provided
minimum wage on an hourly basis,”
a Gorillas spokesperson said. “On
top of that, they receive 100% of their
digital tips at the end of each month,
and customers are made aware of
this at every transaction. In addition
to compensation, they’re entitled to
workplace benefi ts, paid breaks in
THE RACE TO DELIVER
JOKR rider Chris is getting ready to deliver groceries.
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