A Burnaby resident is calling out what he sees as exploitative behaviour in his community amid a pandemic of the COVID-19 strain of the coronavirus.
“Skip the stress of crowds and stay healthy,” reads a flyer delivered to Cambridge Street residents.
Chris, who asked his last name not be used, said he got the flyer recently offering a delivery service for pharmacy and grocery items. But it was the price tag – $25 plus 10% of the bill – that got him fuming.
“It’s amazing to me that when all the news everyday is all about the tidal wave of anxiety and concern and worry about coronavirus … that out of the blue you see somebody so openly and brazenly exploiting the situation,” Chris said.
He noted the positive community stories of people rallying together to support one another, but he also pointed to the growing number of stories of people hoarding supplies and profiteering off of the crisis.
One highly publicized example was a Vancouver couple who spent $70,000 on Lysol wipes and other cleaning supplies before turning around and selling them for up to four times the store price on Amazon. The issue even drew the ire of Premier John Horgan, and Amazon later blocked their account, saying there was “no place for price gouging” on the site.
Another B.C. couple in Kamloops was seen cleaning out the meat section of a local grocery store, leading to online outrage.
“In the wake of all that, these idiots are actually masquerading as doing a public service,” Chris said. “I just thought it was disgusting and appalling.”
He said an older member of the community might see the notice and pay what he saw as exploitative rates for the service.
By contrast, Instacart offers deliveries for $6 for bills under $35 and $4 for grocery bills over $35.
The NOW contacted the phone number listed on the ad, and the man on the other end, who declined to give his name, said he was performing a service.
“I can understand how someone would feel sensitive toward the topic, because it’s sensitive to everybody currently. But at the end of the day, someone is going to have to risk their health to go into that grocery store, and it doesn’t have to be someone who’s at risk, 65 years or older, and it shouldn’t be,” the man said.
“That’s the market rate, there. So if someone that’s young and healthy is willing to do it, then they should be compensated for it.”
Asked about the contrast between his rate and the rate offered by Instacart, he said his rate is what he and his group would be willing to do the service for.
“So if you want to use Instacart, go to Instacart,” he said.
The man hung up before any follow-up questions could be asked.
