By the Widder Curry
Sometimes you learn the strangest things in the strangest ways. Today was one of those days. Shadow, my golden retriever, needed a bath in the worst way. He does not like to climb up the stairs at the OB Dog Wash, so I called “Four Paws” and Cari Huges to come over with her mobile van and make him smell good again.
After the bath we started talking about things, and she mentioned that she was really upset with “Amazon Fresh.” And there-in begins this article.
I asked her what she was upset about and she said, “they won’t deliver to “92107”. I thought she was being a little pessimistic so I decided to do some research on my own – and – guess what. She is right!
This is what came up when I went to “Amazon Fresh” –“AmazonFresh is not available in your area”.
How interesting, because it IS available in 92109 – Pacific Beach; 92110 – the Midway Area, and just about every area that I put in. In fact, the only one that I didn’t find was 92107 ours! So why are we being discriminated against?
I called Amazon and was told that they “were working on it” – our delivery – but it seems to me that you can stand in 92109 or 92110, or… and throw the merchandise across the dividing line without any difficulty.
I am wondering if I want to purchase items from Amazon Fresh – and let me say that I spend hundreds of dollars a month with Amazon – if I need to stand on a street corner at the corner of Sea World Drive and Ingraham and get my order that way? After all, that is 92109.
Once before when I was using a mobile dog wash for Buddy because he had hip problems and had difficulty getting in my car, I used an Aussie mobile company. And, all of a sudden they told me that they would no longer be able to wash him because we lived in 92107.
When I asked why they told me there were too many “dead beats” in the neighborhood and had just decided it was smarter not to deal with us “92107’s”. I tried to point out that I really lived in the Sunset Cliffs area – not Ocean Beach, per se, but I received the same answer – it is 92107. Hmmm.
I have to admit that I never thought about purchasing from Amazon Fresh; I like to do my own shopping and pick out my own items, but now that I am told that “I can’t shop there” I feel it is my duty to bother Amazon on a weekly basis until I get a better answer as to why we are being discriminated against and until we also get the same service that those people over in Pacific Beach get.
Anyone with me on this one?
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
If people are stealing and the company chooses not to make deliveries, then that’s their right. Maybe teach your community not to steal rather than identifying as a poor victim. Lastly, Amazon is the Walmart of online, but let me guess, you hate walmart.
The Amazon website says they deliver to parts of 92106, but not which parts. Do you know if they deliver to those parts of 92106 that are adjacent to 92107 (like the wooded area for instance) ?
Keep in mind that the 10-minutes to drive from PB or Midway is pretty significant to a busy delivery driver. What if your regular mail person was asked to deliver something to either of these areas ?
Also, there is some press coverage of the fact that many OB residents prefer to shop at locally-owned stores, which could concern Amazon regarding a potential customer base. After all, we wouldn’t want them competing with Apple Market, or Jensen’s would we ? (this last sentence includes some sarcasm or facetiousness, or both.)
I live next to Stumps… one block from 92107 and my neighbors get Amazon Fresh delivered in my building all the time
Get off your butt and go support our local food markets!
Maybe we should bulldoze Newport and replace it with a long row of Amazon lockers.
Stop feeding the best…otherwise Amazon will be the only choice.
BEAST not best …. oops!
Amazon Fresh is fairly new. The company is probably rolling it out in stages. It’s probably test marketing different areas. All-inclusive rollouts are expensive.
We have used Amazon fresh periodically since it was rolled out a few years ago. It was wonderful when I was recuperating from a hospital visit, even better to have fresh groceries waiting on our doorstep after we return from an out-of-town trip. No need to go to the store to get the necessities for breakfast or dinner before you crash into your own bed after a long day of traveling . We are disappointed not to have that luxury, we enjoy supporting our local markets, but there are times when the delivery service is very convenient. We certainly miss the ability utility to use amazon fresh.
Re: Amazon Fresh – they just stopped delivering here in December. I used them for a couple of years and really liked the service. Nothing was ever stolen. They used USPS to do deliveries, so I don’t think a lack of drivers was the problem. I was really disappointed when I found out they were discontinuing service here, and am even more annoyed to find out they’re still going to areas all around us. Sorry for the local places, but I don’t have a lot of free time and the grocery delivery service helped me eat better and save money by cooking at home more.
Re: mobile grooming services – I’m biased, but recommend Awesome Doggies… I’ve lived and worked as a mobile groomer here in OB for 13 years now & we’ll never discriminate against this town :)
Maybe you should see if they deliver in areas like City Heights, Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, Encanto, etc. Not that 92107 is even considered a low income area but who knows what they thnk?
I don’t think I will ever understand people. There are many people that are invalids; many people that are caregivers; many people that don’t object to paying less for items because of their income. To tell me to get off my butt and support the LOCAL People when they are greatly overpriced and have inferior quality items is not the answer. I DO support the local people when I can; I shop at Stumps almost exclusively for meat; but it must be nice to have a delivery of something that you need and can’t get.
Amazon Fresh DID deliver to 92107; we do not know why they stopped. People tell me that the items that they purchased were waiting as early as 7:00am. (Does UPS deliver that early?)
What is wrong with being convenienced: And let me say something about one of our more “popular” markets in Ocean Beach. I will not name the market because I decided it wasn’t prudent to do so, but when I saw roaches climbing the walls at the produce section I ceased purchasing from the market. I talked to the grocery manager and he said, ” gee – they sprayed just yesterday. I don’t know why there are still some here today.” YOU shop at that market. I will never do so again.
And who said anything about stealing? I said the dog wash place said there were “dead beats.” No one said anything about stealing, and that was the dog wash; not anyone else.
And…I have NEVER purchased from Amazon Fresh – as I pointed out in my article. But that doesn’t mean that others can’t, shouldn’t, or won’t. (Of course they won’t now if they live in 92107.) But just because something is local does not mean I am going to shop there. Make it worth my while and I will; gouge me and I won’t.
Forgive my harshness. Certainly Amazon Fresh has a place such as for those who are disabled.
If price and convenience are the only consideration, then local stores will wither and die. They have higher overhead than some corporate giant with the ability to negotiate bulk discounts on products and have them ferried to your door.
I go out of my way to support the local markets even when it’s less than convenient, because if they close up I won’t have the choice.. We have 2 brand new grocers… so I suspect your roach story is obsolete. If you can’t afford to support the local businesses in your neighborhood, then you can’t afford the neighborhood.
I will forgive you because I can’t help but feel that you are so wrong about this that I almost feel sorry for you. Price, convenience and product is the only thing that I am concerned with. I am not here to provide a retail space for some one. I am here to survive for myself, and I refuse to pay inflated prices at my expense. Amazon has a place for ALL – not just the disabled. I make the choice where I buy things based on quality and price. I do not shop at a store because it is in the neighborhood but charges more.
My roach story is NOT obsolete. I would not have written about it if it was. You only have to look at the restaurant on Newport that was shut down by the health department to realize that roaches and vermin do exist in the neighborhood.
And as far as my “not affording to support the local business then I can’t afford the neighborhood” – who in the hell made you the judge?
It’s a shame about Amazon Fresh as they’ve got the best price for quality online. I’ve had my suspicions about delivery service in OB for the past couple of years. It wasn’t til recently that one driver told me that it was “just the ends of the earth so we leave it til last – the very end of every delivery run”. I honestly thought Amazon (and their local affiliated providers) had enough customers to warrant Amazon Fresh delivery.
I use ‘Amazon Prime Now’ for 90% of my groceries and other staples mainly because high rent payments take up a large chunk of my monthly salary. It’s work, work, work – pay the bills. Using Amazon is just more time and cost effective. (We do shop Stump’s for their awesome butchers/meat department and because it’s the only place I can get Broguiere’s milk products.) Local stores are completely out of our price range for everyday shopping.
They can keep cramming more stores (thanks, Target) into already-crowded to bursting OB, but that doesn’t mean residents will flock to it when there’s something infinitely more convenient for the home-bound, elderly, and especially busy working residents on a tight budget. I hope Amazon Fresh takes that into consideration.
Don’t forget that a computer made the decision, not a person. There could be 100 or 1000 factors, including parking, previous orders, demographics – and the computer gives a yes or no answer. This is Amazon, after all, who knows what book you want to read before you do.