Postmates, an on-demand delivery service that brings the food people order to their homes, is now offering non-contact deliveries. According to The Verge, this new option was designed to help reduce the spread of coronavirus. That said, I can see where non-contact deliveries could benefit people in additional ways.
Today, we’re introducing Dropoff Options which will give our customers the ability to specify how they’d like to receive deliveries. Customers can choose to meet their Postmate at the door, as they have before, meet curbside, or go non-contact and have deliveries left at the door.
Postmates explains that to use this new feature, you should order as you normally would. You will then be prompted to select your delivery preference before checking out. Postmates also makes it clear that they know “there are always people who, for health or other reasons, might prefer a non-contact delivery experience.”
It should be noted that non-contact delivery is not mandatory. It is simply another option for customers who can choose which delivery method they prefer.
Obviously, this change is intended to reduce the spread of coronavirus. It is possible that a Postmates contractor could have come in contact with the virus, without showing symptoms. Conversely, a person ordering from Postmates could potentially have coronavirus, which might subject the Postmates contractor to the virus. Non-contact delivery could also help prevent the spread of other things people don’t want to catch – such as the flu.
Non-contact deliveries could also be beneficial for people who are chronically ill and who don’t want to answer the door in pajamas. It might make food delivery easier for people who have autism and who don’t want to have to participate in a social interaction just to receive their food order.