I find the never-ending griping about f.d. boxes, in a city where hot food delivery every other meal is some kind of norm, highly misplaced. As a regular customer I always break down, fold, and tie up my boxes. This takes one minute, and leaves my neighbors with no reason to complain or even notice the boxes. How it compares to the environmental cost of styrofoam take-out boxes or (always doubled) plastic shopping bags I have no idea, but it's not as easy as "FreshDirect customer = wasteful box slob."

And you can't really have this discussion without admitting how bad the grocery situation is in most New York neighborhoods. It is abysmal. The "bodegas" (not-unionized?) and small supermarket chains (unionized) charge fairly outrageous prices for products of average to poor quality. Their stores are dirty and cramped, and their glorious unionized employees treat us shoppers as they would animals (when they recognize our presence at all). This why no one shops at these places to cook regular meals for their families--what city do you guys live in? My family shops at the Union sq. greenmarket, and Whole Foods for some things, but it's FreshDirect that allows us to cook and eat together.

Recognizing the increased burden that not just f.d. but traditional package delivery services are placing on the city (in the age of online shopping), I second the above calls for scrapping free street parking and replacing it with a lane for delivery trucks with semi-expensive permits. Delivery serves the needs of the many; we should be going after the uses of automobiles that don't.

Dare we suspect a conspiracy?

No reason to get FreshDirect that I can think of, although some of my neighbors do.

If the supermarkets got their deliveries via smaller trucks it would be better, but other than a greenmarket, that's the only improvement I'd make.

http://www.panix.com/~steveo/links.html

The numbers of people typing in Fresh Direct that then come to this page must be quite high.

Let us know what you think?

Unions stink. They hold businesses hostage and pay people more than they are worth. Why do you think cars cost so much? Who pays for all that low level overpriced labor? YOU DO. They should be outlawed.
People should get a raise because they out work others or they invest in their education or they have longevity.
NY is in debt up to their butt, because of the jerks in Albany. I'm tired of working hard and paying high taxes to fund all of you weaklings.
When will you stand up and give back to the economy instead of taking from it with your "sense of entitlement attitude?

This company is great and so is walmart.

You ungrateful ingrates don't know what you are talking about.

http://www.4thstreetfoodcoop.org/

(I've never been myself; I see that it's not member-only, like in Park Slope.)

Rock a bike, sister.

Or cash out and ditch the wheels The LES is one of the few neighborhoods that still has diverse, locally-owned small stores on a scale that would make Jane Jacobs proud. All the hidden and dispersed costs of your car ownership (public expense in more ways than one) more than make up for the 50% discount.

The East Village Community Coalition is unveiling their Get Local campaign next week, so check it out. Shop by Bike, it's actually quite easy once you get used to it. I even put a 40 lb sack of kibbles in my pack for my mutt and ride it home the few blocks from the pet store. It can be done.

Wasn't trying to justify. Called my subsidy just that. I could talk about the failings of regional transit (it takes 14 hours to take the train to my parents, 390mi away) if I really cared. I was adding some info to the argument, because economic conditions often drive commuting logic. My parking is subsidized by the city, my car is paid for. Therefore, saving 50% on groceries seems like a rational choice. I drive during off hours, and I really don't think the Fairway in Red Hook delivers to the LES (of course, I've never checked).

Why I should cater to local merchants who take advantage of real estate scarcity drive up prices, I don't understand. Plus, as noted in my post, is the net emissions effect of shopping twice a month at Fairway via a fuel efficient car worse than the frequent restocking of small merchants who are supplied by many sources? After all, Fairway is so good on pricing because they have a more efficient distribution chain.

Whereas Trader Joe's isn't as suspect, running of the glib flag of Whole Foods sounds a naive as stumping for a greenmarket as the solution to food delivery woes in Manhattan. Whole Foods is an extraordinarily vicious capitalist enterprise that may be undermine the benefits of organic food distribution worldwide.

Another good option to save money AND get superior quality produce is through CSA, if there is one near you. www.justfood.org, click on CSA in the City.

Granted, all of these options are much less feasible if you live in a poor community. In that case, you probably don't own a car. Food justice is a larger issue.