Mugged by the Fresh Direct Delivery Guy?

Jack wrote: [quote=joncane]Perhaps you haven't noticed the UPS drivers that bring your Amazon package. They drive every bit as wrecklessly as FD drivers and that's after the products are *flown* here for you.

Nobody orders from Amazon as much as they eat. Or receives as many residential deliveries from UPS as they receive "Fresh Direct" deliveries.

UPS/FedEx are special cases that most people don't deal with on a regular basis. "Fresh Direct" is designed for most people to receive multiple deliveries from on a weekly basis.

joncane wrote: And going to Europe is not a necessity - flying there if you opt to go is.

Nobody flies to Europe as regularly as they would get "Fresh Direct" deliveries.

joncane wrote: Just be honest - you rationalize the conveniences you choose to use and have a critical, holier-than-thou attitude about the others.

If I flew to Europe and received UPS/FedEx deliveries of things I could buy locally on a daily basis, maybe you'd have a point.

But you don't.

It's not a matter of how often you go to Europe or order from Amazon, though for the record, I order every 2-3 weeks. The fact of the matter is that you are living in an electically powered, polluting glass hourse. You drive when you could walk or take public transportation. That is wasteful. You use more electricity than you *need*. No one is lecturing you because you don't light your apartment with candles or if you own a car, take a cab, watch TV, etc.. You get some deliveries driven to your house after their flown across the country. For some reason there are some folks on this board who decide to start hugging trees and get their panties in a bunch when some of us use FD, and my point is only that I'm sure each of you wastes energy and contributes to polluting the environment more than you need to. Maybe more than I, maybe less - but more than you need to. Don't make it into a contest - just examine whether you're pure (not less impure) and make sure you are before scolding others.

Lucas wrote: I just spoke with Fresh Direct's PR. The story about the CMO handing over his business card was very compelling to me, so I had to get to the bottom of it (I work with a biz mag, thought it might have been a story.)

Fresh Direct says the CMO never met with Tessa, the blogger. Fresh Direct says it did send an official to meet with her, though the official was apparently a guy from the Transportation division. And while he did bring photos and leave his business card, the company says he "absolutely did not" tell her to hold it up to the door - or present it to the delivery person.

Can't say who to believe, but I gotta believe it would be pretty audacious for Fresh Direct to lie about all of the above...

Thanks for looking into it. So, at least we know something did happen. I don't know who to believe either. But that thing with the business card sounds so stupid, I find it harder to believe someone would make it up.
Anyways, I've never ordered from Fresh Direct before, but I'm gonna do it now! It sounds like lots of fun. I'll use the boxes to build a new kitty-condo. Either that, or I'll just toss them out the window.

Jack wrote:
The only "heat" seems to be some people don't like "Fresh Direct". Others do like them. And those who do like them seem to have piles of bunched panties over anyone speaking otherwise. And don't even dare whisper any criticism towards it. "Fresh Direct" must be defended at all cost!

Just like you & your bunched panties whenever anyone criticizes your precious Park Slope Food co-op. Why do you have the need to constanly be right?
I can hardly contain myself in anticipation your well reasoned criticism.

Jack wrote: [quote=Axel Foley]If you like to punish yourself to remind you of the good ol' (bad) days in New York, be my guest.

??? I don't consider walking to a store and carrying my own bags to be punishment in any way. It's simply black/white and no gray inbetween in your mind.

And the other point being made is outside of neighborhoods that have been gentrified (Park Slope, Fort Greene, etc...) and neighborhoods that are on the way towards being gentrified (Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, etc...) "Fresh Direct" does not exist in any way/shape/form. Are these necessarilly 'bad' neighborhoods, or non-Manhattanized neighborhoods?

People in these non-"Fresh Direct" neighborhoods seem to have no issues "punishing" themselves by picking, purchasing and carrying their own goods. It's been going on for years. Heck, some of the people who helped pioneer Prospect Heights did so without the aid of Netflix or "Fresh Direct" in anyway.

BrookFetish wrote: *sigh*
People used to be cordial on these forums.

Or more along the lines of all of the same mind and all in agreement. Veer outide of the 'hive mind' and you don't have a different opinion, but you're portrayed as an antagonist.

I know I'm a little late on this one, but just from reading these boards the past few weeks, shades of grey don't seem to be your forte either.

The argument about Fresh Direct not delivering to the less gentrified neighborhoods has nothing to do with what I was talking about at all--you just threw it in there to make the argument sound like it was all about yuppies who can't be bothered to make an effort.

The whole reason I started defending Fresh Direct (which, incidentally, I don't even use very often) is that you warned against offending the "fresh direct masses" and to "never underestimate the power of the sloth." It annoyed me that you would lump everyone who uses Fresh Direct together into one mold of lazy person, when in my case it makes complete and utter sense to use Fresh Direct, at least from time to time. Black and white, indeed.

This is not a very exciting argument, and nobody's mind is going to be changed here (yes, I sometimes do enjoy arguing for the sake of arguing, but when it's annoying other people, as it probably is here, I don't like to go on for too long). So this is the end of the line for me.

Axel Foley wrote:
I know I'm a little late on this one, but just from reading these boards the past few weeks, shades of grey don't seem to be your forte either.

The argument about Fresh Direct not delivering to the less gentrified neighborhoods has nothing to do with what I was talking about at all--you just threw it in there to make the argument sound like it was all about yuppies who can't be bothered to make an effort.

The whole reason I started defending Fresh Direct (which, incidentally, I don't even use very often) is that you warned against offending the "fresh direct masses" and to "never underestimate the power of the sloth." It annoyed me that you would lump everyone who uses Fresh Direct together into one mold of lazy person, when in my case it makes complete and utter sense to use Fresh Direct, at least from time to time. Black and white, indeed.

This is not a very exciting argument, and nobody's mind is going to be changed here (yes, I sometimes do enjoy arguing for the sake of arguing, but when it's annoying other people, as it probably is here, I don't like to go on for too long). So this is the end of the line for me.

mc wrote: Just like you & your bunched panties whenever anyone criticizes your precious Park Slope Food co-op. Why do you have the need to constanly be right?
I can hardly contain myself in anticipation your well reasoned criticism.

Exactly. I'm participating in this discussion, Jack, because you made snide remarks categorizing me, as a Fresh Direct user and proponent, as a hive-minded sloth. If you don't think behaving like that is going to get people's backs up, you need a lesson in interpersonal dynamics.

If the discussion had been about the merits of using Fresh Direct and you calmly stated the opinion that you didn't use it because of [insert reason], that would be "a differing opinion." Slinging insults and then backing away with your hands up all "What, you're the ones arguing!" is not only disingenuous, it's flat-out rude.

Back in a simpler time people just went to the grocery store, picked out their food and had it delivered--just like God intended for New Yorkers to do. Does the Met on Vanderbilt not deliver? Does no one have a granny cart?

I used Fresh Direct when I lived in Manhattan because the prices were the same as they were in the grocery store and I could shop online at my leisure. However, I found their produce to be poor quality. They were fine for canned goods, seltzer, etc. In Brooklyn, the Met is much cheaper and their produce is good, so there's no contest for me and my granny cart.

In the interest of full disclosure, I also shop at the food coop. I grew up with it and can easily ignore the crazy element. It's a little bit far for me,so I only go once a week and drag all the food back in my granny cart.

Medusa wrote: Back in a simpler time people just went to the grocery store, picked out their food and had it delivered--just like God intended for New Yorkers to do. Does the Met on Vanderbilt not deliver? Does no one have a granny cart?

I used Fresh Direct when I lived in Manhattan because the prices were the same as they were in the grocery store and I could shop online at my leisure. However, I found their produce to be poor quality. They were fine for canned goods, seltzer, etc. In Brooklyn, the Met is much cheaper and their produce is good, so there's no contest for me and my granny cart.

In the interest of full disclosure, I also shop at the food coop. I grew up with it and can easily ignore the crazy element. It's a little bit far for me,so I only go once a week and drag all the food back in my granny cart.

Yeah, granny carts rule!

Candicissima wrote: Yeah, granny carts rule!

I've been using the same one since 1994!

Sorry to go OT, but where's a good place to get a decent granny cart cheap around here? I have one of the small ones and would love to replace it with one of the big suckers, but I never see them in stores in the area.

apollonia666 wrote: Sorry to go OT, but where's a good place to get a decent granny cart cheap around here? I have one of the small ones and would love to replace it with one of the big suckers, but I never see them in stores in the area.

I got mine on the Fulton Mall. Just go into one of those "we sell everything and maybe the kitchen sink fixtures too!" stores and they'll have some.

Carnivore wrote: [quote=Candicissima]Yeah, granny carts rule!

I've been using the same one since 1994!
I've got you beat by a year or two. Ca-ching! I win five granny point! But seriously, I got mine at Pintchik and brought it home loaded with goodies from my favorite hardware store.

Every granny cart we've bought has fallen apart on us within a couple of months. It's seriously frustrating. This is why we now take our laundry to the cleaners in an old wheelchair our landlords were throwing out

I did, however, notice that there is a we-sell-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-(and-really-cheap-too) stores on Franklin and Lincoln, and they had some big sturdy-looking ones there I was considering.

I have the same problem with what I like to call 'bubbie carts'. They always fall apart and for $20-30 it's so annoying. I bought one at Target and the same day is completely broke down. I've also been to hardware stores, Home Depot, etc. they all break on me and I swear I am following the weight measurements. If there's a secret to finding a good one, let me in on it.

I'm working on a less emasculating alternative to the granny cart- any venture capitalists out there feel like backing me?!

KateBklyn wrote: I have the same problem with what I like to call 'bubbie carts'. They always fall apart and for $20-30 it's so annoying. I bought one at Target and the same day is completely broke down. I've also been to hardware stores, Home Depot, etc. they all break on me and I swear I am following the weight measurements. If there's a secret to finding a good one, let me in on it.

Good ones exist. But cheap ones are always plentiful; like cheap umbrellas. I would recommend skipping the $24 cheap-o ones, and paying a bit more for something from the Container Store (18th & 6th Avenue in Manhattan).