NEWS PHOTO SEAN ROONEY - Carrie Riedlinger exits the Shopper's Drug Mart at Medicine Hat Mall Friday with items to deliver via Leave it to Lucy Deliveries.
While the bulk of the economy has slowed to a crawl in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, at least one sector has seen the opposite effect of people isolating at home: delivery services.
Between quarantines due to illness and restaurants unable to seat guests, having someone bring products to your door has never been so popular.
“We’re busy right now for sure,” said Lucy Paton, owner of Leave it to Lucy Deliveries. “Right now it feels pretty good being able to bring things to people, since everybody is kind of… you know.”
Paton had a rare five-minute break between fielding calls this past Friday for an interview, and says the number of deliveries has soared by nearly 200 per cent in the past few weeks.
“I think we’ve gone from 100 calls a day to probably two or 300 calls a day,” she said. “We are running our butts off. Lots of groceries of course, lots and lots of prescriptions.
“A lot of people are staying home, which is good.”
Paton started Leave it to Lucy nine years ago with her daughter Kerri, and now has around 15 contracted drivers working for her. The sector as a whole has grown significantly with services like SkipTheDishes entering the market, while local businesses include Mickey’s Transfer, Flash Eh Deliveries and Rush Deliveries.
That was before the pandemic. Many businesses have begun doing their own delivery work in the past month, while others have simply contacted people like Lucy to help out.
“Our own delivery driver couldn’t keep up with our increased demand, and we are requesting most orders be delivered out to prevent the spread by coming into the pharmacy unnecessarily,” said Melissa Hozack of Redcliff Pharmasave. “(Leave it to Lucy) have been great to work with, responsive, and come to pick up our dozens and dozens of deliveries twice a day.”
All the extra business is great but also comes with added risk. So e-transfers are much preferred, and most deliveries are left on a doorstep to maintain social distancing. Drivers like Carrie Riedlinger wash their hands between deliveries and are going through plenty of gloves and hand sanitzer.
“I’m pretty content right now,” said Riedlinger after putting a load of items into her car. “Most of the time I will leave medications at the doorstep and I’ll ring the doorbell. I do call the customers and let them know that I’m on my way. They can have a choice of me either leaving in their mailbox or handing it to them in person.”
Riedlinger hasn’t felt overwhelmed by the surge quite yet, but Paton thinks if it keeps up she’ll have to hire some more temporary drivers.
She’d honestly prefer the virus went away, of course, but you can’t blame a business for making the most of the opportunity in a respectful way.
“We’re going to hope the virus goes away and so this won’t be a permanent gong show,” she said. “People have been wonderful, and patient, and really thankful for still being able to get their stuff and not risk going out.”
