A staff of a supermarket is selecting food for customers (Photo: SGGP)
Many city dwellers yesterday complained that they could not place online orders because most of the websites, Zalo of the supermarket system refused more orders.
Around 10 am, Saigon Co.op's sales website system announced no more orders asking customers to please come back the next morning as it is ramping up staff to pick up goods in shops and deliver. Worse, all supermarkets and convenience stores, including Saigon Co.op, have closed the door for direct sales.
At Co.opMart Quang Trung in Ho Chi Minh City's Go Vap District, seven employees of the supermarket were loading commodities on their vehicles to transport to customers’ houses while around 70 other employees were rushing off their feet to answer telephone calls, to load goods in shelves, or to select goods for customers.
One of them said they have delivered hundreds of online orders from the beginning of the day; therefore, fewer commodities were being displayed on shelves, grocery store shelves have been replenished over time, said an employee.
A staff of a supermarket is selecting food for customers (Photo: SGGP)
Director of Co.op Mart Quang Trung Ho Thi Xuan Thuy said that the number of customers has increased dramatically for two recent days and the supermarket receives hundreds of orders every minute. Due to a shortage of personnel for delivery, the supermarket was forced to stop receiving more orders, said Ms. Thuy.
However, currently, it is very difficult for deliveries of goods because delivery drivers are struggling to cope with the sheer volume of online orders during the Covid-19 pandemic; however, delivery men must restrict their movement within an area of their choice, they are not allowed to travel cross-district, according to the regulation.
Meanwhile, in Go Vap District, only ward 15 has implemented the program " Buying commodities for residents”. The staff of the ward administrations come to receive commodities in the supermarkets and deliver commodities to each household in the ward.
Ms. Thuy affirmed that the supply of essential goods at the supermarket is still enough for all residents.
A representative of Bach Hoa Xanh said that in the past three days, it has struggled to keep up with an unprecedented onslaught of demand when it received tens of thousands of online orders, more than 10 times higher than before. However, for fear that it can’t deliver commodities in time, stores announced to stop receiving new delivery orders.
Delivery workers of a supermarket is going to deliver goods to customers (Photo: SGGP)
The representative said that the store has classified fresh food and other commodities. When a customer finishes their order, the store's website will automatically close to prevent customers from placing more commodities.
Both Bach Hoa Xanh and Saigon Co.op confirmed that customers can order the next day if they cannot access the system during the day. Because the system was closed the next day it will work again.
However, to help supermarkets receive more orders during the day, administrations in districts and wards should resolve the delivery problem so that residents in the district can get commodities easily.
It is fore that more people will place online orders for commodities whereas supermarkets are short of delivery men who must restrict their movement within an area of their choice. Therefore, authorities in districts need to have solutions to help delivery men to bring commodities to city inhabitants, said Director Thuy.
