It's a love/hate thing

I have sort of a love/hate relationship with Fresh Direct. At first it was total devotion - they could do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. Then they started getting a little sloppy - produce wasn't fantastic, and egg would be broken, they came late or early (and when I've opted for the 8:00-10:00 am time slot I do not want my doorbell ringing at 7:30!). I wonder if maybe they're getting a little big for their britches and unable to cope with increasing demand, not unlike JetBlue's experience a few months back - they were too popular for their own good. Plus RKG gets coupons every week for a free item - she forwards them to me so I benefit, but FD doesn't know that. Why does she get the freebies? Is it because my zip code offers better delivery time slots? That's not really a fair trade.

I had the really bad experience with the raw chicken, but I felt a little guilty afterwards because within two weeks my microwave had shit the bad, and I wonder if the failure of the meat to cook through wasn't one of the first signs of the appliance's demise. My guilt went away, however, when we ordered a massive FD delivery for the accepted-students pre-conference party we had at my place, which included 3 cases of beer (a great feature of this service - you can order beer and wine, plus all your snacks and goodies, and it gets delivered. I can't emphasize how great that is when you don't have a car and have to carry all that stuff). For starters, one case was missing entirely - Sam Adams was on the packing slip, Sam Adams was on the bill, but Sam Adams was not in my apartment. Secondly, I noticed when started packing the fridge that one of the bottles of Amstel had broke. The beer had soaked the entire bottom of the case and all 4-6 packs. I new this meant the cardboard would be week and tried to be extra careful, but sure enough when I was rearranging the dairy to make room for the alcohol the bottom of a 6 pack opened up and 4 more bottles smashed. Now it was 9 am, I was done 5 beers, my kitchen floor was covered in glass and booze, and my apartment smelled like a brewery - not exactly how I like to start my day. The customer service lady was an absolute peach, so that mitigated my unhappiness.

Then today I felt like the god of commerce were smiling in my favor. In my order, along with all the things I had actually ordered, were some extra goodies: a package of almond biscotti, Tide for sensitive skin, and a 6 pack of orange soda. Now none of those are awesome, but it's always kind of fun to get things you didn't pay for (without having to steal them). Now of course this probably means that someone's order will be short those 3 products, but they can call and get a credit.

Maybe next time I'll get something even better - like sausages or toothpaste...