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鈥� doors.
Grocery stores aren鈥檛 the only businesses experiencing shortages.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, local businesses have struggled to provide delivery services to their customers.
鈥淭here are times where we just don鈥檛 deliver that day, that鈥檚 all,鈥� said Lori J. Coury, who owns River House Cafe in Charleroi with her husband, Michael. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 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.鈥�
When pandemic shutdowns were first put into place two years ago, Coury said, River House鈥檚 take-out and delivery orders increased, and the delivery driver shortage has impacted the cafe鈥檚 delivery services.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very difficult to get new delivery drivers. They鈥檙e just not even responding to our ads, or word of mouth,鈥� 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.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very fortunate in that we have such a great staff that鈥檚 been here for years and who care about the business the way that we do,鈥� said Coury. 鈥淥ur customers are wonderful 鈥� they鈥檙e very patient. I would love to have another delivery driver just to help lessen the load. They鈥檙e just not applying.鈥�
L&M Flower Shop in Canonsburg is also hard pressed to find drivers.
鈥淩ight now, I鈥檓 down a driver,鈥� said Harold Smith, who鈥檚 owned the business for 12 years. 鈥淚鈥檝e had ads in the paper and no one鈥檚 responding. We鈥檙e trying. No one鈥檚 coming aboard.鈥�
Smith said since the pandemic began, he鈥檚 seen an increase in delivery orders, and his two drivers are picking up extra hours to meet customer demand.
鈥淲e get them all done before we leave here,鈥� he said.
Orders are certainly being delivered, but it isn鈥檛 as easy today as it was before COVID-19.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a hit or miss kind of thing. Sometimes we have a full staff and sometimes we don鈥檛,鈥� said Karen Nickman, a pharmacist and owner of Nickman鈥檚 Drug in Fayette County.
鈥淲hen we did not have a full staff, then we had to make the other (driver) do double-duty,鈥� she added. 鈥淲e made do. We never didn鈥檛 deliver, that鈥檚 for sure. We always made sure we had the deliveries go out. It was just a question of staffing.鈥�
Like Nickman鈥檚, Scotty鈥檚 Pizza in Waynesburg has a full staff of drivers, but a 鈥渇ull staff鈥� looks smaller than it did before spring 2020.
鈥淲e have less drivers. We just kind of modify things a little bit so we can keep going with the drivers we have,鈥� said Ian Grimes, the store鈥檚 manager.
Scotty鈥檚 has modified its delivery radius and no longer offers most 鈥渕eet-ats,鈥� deliveries to out-of-area customers or businesses, like churches.
When the pandemic first hit, Grimes said, Scotty鈥檚 went without drivers for about a month. Because not much was known about COVID-19, drivers weren鈥檛 comfortable going to customers鈥� homes. Scotty鈥檚 pivoted its business model until drivers returned to work.
鈥淲e just did pick-up only,鈥� he said.
Harry鈥檚 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.
鈥淵ou do not have to sign up your restaurant,鈥� said French-Finnegan. 鈥淵ou do not have to agree to them. They put you on there themselves.鈥�
Harry鈥檚 never considered in-house delivery services, and French-Finnegan said the mark-up on online orders is 鈥渋nsane.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 close to 40%,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou could be giving that to these small businesses.鈥�
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.
鈥淯berEats has grown more than 100% since the pandemic started,鈥� said Harry Hartfield, an Uber spokesperson. And, he added, 鈥淭he number of people delivering has grown.鈥�
Since the pandemic began, the number of DoorDash delivery people nationwide nearly tripled, said Eli Scheinholtz, a DoorDash spokesperson.
鈥淲e鈥檙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,鈥� Scheinholtz said in an email.
Like some businesses, chain pharmacies, too, rely on third-party delivery drivers to drop prescriptions off at customers鈥� doors.
鈥淭he majority of our delivery services are provided through partnerships with outside couriers like USPS and Shipt,鈥� Matt Blanchette, CVS Pharmacy鈥檚 manager, retail communications, wrote in an email. 鈥淥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.鈥�
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.
鈥淭hese are bad times, but we鈥檝e got to be stronger,鈥� said Coury. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to continue working and do whatever we have to do to keep our town viable.鈥�