The Stop & Shop strike is creating problems for Peapod customers
"We will definitely be contacting all customers with any issues regarding deliveries."
Peapod orders across New England might not arrive as scheduled this weekend.
Some customers of the online grocery delivery are seeing their orders cancelled or delayed, after Stop and Shop workers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island went on strike Thursday.
Jen Brogan, a spokeswoman for Stop & Shop, told Boston.com that while the situation “varies by location,” Peapod orders were experiencing issues “across” the three states due to the work stoppage. Brogan said she couldn’t provide specific details Friday afternoon, noting that the situation is “fluid.”
Peapod, which was acquired by Stop & Shop’s parent company Ahold Delhaize in 2001, provides delivery and pick-up service for the Quincy-based grocery chain’s locations in southern New England.
As of Friday afternoon, Peapod’s customer service telephone line said it was experiencing “high call volume” and directed customers from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island to check their email for updates on their order status. On social media, a number of users in the region reported receiving notifications that their orders had been delayed or cancelled since the strike began Thursday afternoon.
“We will definitely be contacting all customers with any issues regarding deliveries via email and/or auto call and/or text message,” Peapod, which previously said it expected service to continue “as usual,” tweeted Friday.
One text alert to a Massachusetts customer, which was shared with Boston.com, said that their order had been cancelled due to “operational issues” and the items they order had been placed back in their virtual cart. The alert suggested they select a different delivery date.
Stop & Shop workers, union leaders, and their supporters have been urging customers to not cross the picket line and take their business elsewhere until the dispute is over.
More than 31,000 workers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island walked off the job at precisely 1 p.m. Thursday, after months of negotiations between union representatives and Stop & Shop failed to produce a new contract. The two sides are divided over wage, health care coverage, and retirement benefits.
While Stop & Shop says it is offering across-the-board pay raises and above-average benefits for the grocery industry, union leaders argue the profitable company’s proposals don’t keep pace with the cost of living and would result in employees paying more for health care and pension benefits.
