Amazon, Big Basket, Grofers locked down as local authorities misinterpret order

"We regret to inform you that your order has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances" - This is a message received by lakhs of consumers who tried to shop desperately for essentials on grocery platforms such as Amazon, BigBasket and Grofers in the past few days, as shop shelves in neighbourhood ran out of stock following the COVID-19 lockdown. Grocery delivery firms faced identical hurdles across the country as local authorities and police stations interpreted lockdown (which explicitly allowed essential services such as groceries) as a curfew, shutting down warehouses, stopping trucks with supplies at state borders and harassing or bashing up delivery boys in neighbourhood areas. Online grocery platforms are, however, working with local authorities to restart delivery in the next 24 hours. While retail giant Flipkart announced on Wednesday that it would suspend its services due to the lockdown but will be back as soon as possible. Amazon India also said it has temporarily stopped taking orders and disabled shipment of low-priority products to focus on delivery of essential items.

"Our @Grofers warehouse in Faridabad was closed by local law enforcement today. While we understand they are doing their duty, essential items will be denied to 20,000+ households in Faridabad and Delhi every day. We need help in sorting this out. @Mcf_Faridabad @ArvindKejriwal," Grofers founder Albinder Dhindsa tweeted after demand surged. Grofers which delivers groceries in 17 cities has a backlog of over 2 lakh orders in the region alone. "We were prepared for the disruption on March 22, but rules are changing everyday and the local authorities are not on the same page," says Dhindsa.

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