Letter to The
Straits Times: Enhance grocery delivery
service to serve those in
My letter to the
Straits Times on the above matter is published on Monday 8th
September 2014.
NTUC FairPrice’s online shopping service is a good effort
that can help reduce queues at its supermarkets (“Order online, pick up at
FairPrice outlet”; last Thursday).
While this service, which will allow customers to buy
items online and then collect them at a designated booth, is convenient for
younger people, there are elderly folk, caregivers and the disabled community
whose special needs have to be considered.
Given that Singapore has a rapidly ageing population, with many of our seniors having mobility problems, I urge FairPrice to retain its home delivery service, with some enhancements.
There should also be a dedicated hotline for seniors, caregivers and the disabled to call to place orders as some of them may not be Internet-savvy or have access to computers.
Currently, delivery services are priced at $7 for $60 or more worth of groceries. Given that some of these special needs citizens may not be too well-off, I urge FairPrice to consider allowing purchases of $30 to $50 to qualify for such a service, as people in this category need to be prudent in their spending.
FairPrice may also want to consider introducing a daily hot-meal service for these people – a wheels-on-meals service that can provide healthy, tasty meals to suit the needs of these citizens.
Raymond Anthony Fernando
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