While I could complain that Amazon won’t deliver me books in a timely fashion anymore, or that I’m waiting months for new slippers, there are others that have come to rely on the delivery service that are in far more dire straights than I am.
[Take this email to my post from a few weeks back](https://curtismchale.ca/2020/04/10/amazon-fails-and-supporting-local-stores-friday-notes-098).
> As a house bound person, Amazon fail is particularly scary. I’ve been using Amazon for a few years now to deliver my groceries. I can’t get Amazon Fresh or Prime now slots no matter what. My Instacart slots can be up to a week out. I’m fortunate that my late bf was sort of a deal hound and I have lots of non-perishables in the house. But it would be nice to have lettuce and bread.
There are ultimately two issues here. First, Amazon doesn’t consider fresh food a necessity item right now. People that have relied on Amazon as the “everything store” are now realizing it won’t be there for them when they really need it now. Unfortunately, many local businesses don’t have the ability to provide home delivery or online order and pickup services because they’re far behind technologically.
The second issue is that many able bodied people are taking up delivery slots because they’re afraid of going out. They’re making this choice without thinking of the consequences for those that are not as mobile.
I was confronted with this locally talking with an older disabled man a few doors down from me recently. Sometimes he’s got fine mobility for shopping, but not always. Currently his prosthetic leg is causing him enough pain that he can’t make it around the block, let alone stand in line to get into the grocery store and then wait to get out.
Usually he’d rely on the delivery that local grocery stores provide, but with so many people not wanting to enter stores he has to wait weeks to get any slot and they don’t have most of what he needs anyway. That means he has to do without staples like flour because he can’t get in first thing and race to the flour aisle to get whatever happens to be there.
To be honest, our family didn’t think about the slot we were taking up in grocery pickup. Unlike many single parents, [we don’t have to take kids with us to the grocery store](https://globalnews.ca/news/6783239/vancouver-island-mom-public-shaming-shopping-young-kids/) because one parent is at home and can watch the kids. Unlike many disabled people, we can stand in line for an hour and then walk through the grocery store without much fear in the health department.
For those of us that have decent mobility, it’s time to start thinking about those benefits and **not** taking up space in delivery and pickup services. I get that it’s a bit scary to head out and get groceries right now, but at least you can do it and get some food. You have neighbours that can’t do this and you’re taking up a space that can serve them without thought for the impact it has on those in need around you.
We’ve used the grocery pickup service for years now but that’s stopped until pickup slots return to a normal wait time of a day or two. We’re also planning to head down the street just before we’re going shopping to make sure our neighbour doesn’t need anything so that he doesn’t have to try and wrestle his way through lines.
We never bought into the hoarding mindset, but for those that did, do you realize you stopped many people from being able to get anything at all? Sure I have a car and could search 4 stores for 24 rolls of toilet paper. I could pay a premium to have Amazon deliver me some extra as well, but I know many of my neighbours don’t have cars and can’t do that. They have to get on transit or make daily walks for hours to maybe find flour or toilet paper.
Only people with extra cash can hoard. They’re the only ones that can afford an extra freezer to purchase loads of meat or have a house where they can store many cases of toilet paper.
So, what changes are you going to make to stop putting yourself first?
## I Shipped
Monday I [reviewed Unread 2 looking at if it “fixed” my issues with Unread 1](https://curtismchale.ca/2020/04/13/does-unread-2-fix-my-issues-with-unread-1). Overall, yup I like it.
[Wednesday I had my kids on to talk about their experience with Apple Arcade](https://curtismchale.ca/2020/04/15/apple-arcade-for-young-kids). They’ve liked the games, but have some trouble navigating in and out of games. Heck, I have issues on the Apple TV getting back to the main screen with a controller.
[Today I took a look at The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins](https://curtismchale.ca/2020/04/17/the-god-delusion-richard-dawkins). Lots to think about for those that have a faith practice.