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Woman’s hilarious food delivery mix-up

Kristi ordered one taco with avocado and no meat, assuming she’d be given a taco including avocado and plenty of salad options, veggies and sauces. To her surprise, she received a tortilla smothered in avocado and a hot sauce container on the side. "This is a tortilla with avocado. There is nothing else in it. It is full avocado, like pounds of it just in a tortilla. There's no cheese, no lettuce," Kristi explained in a TikTok. "What is happening?! They think just because I choose avocado, I don't want anything else?" she questioned. Her video received more than 280,000 views with many TikTokers seeing the funny side. "Whoever did your order is probably wondering why someone only got avocado lol," one said. "I mean, I don't see the problem," another teased. "Okay but that's probably $345 worth of avocado," added another. Kristi revealed there were no options to choose sides when she placed her order. One viewer explained, "Cheese, lettuce, tomato is a very Americanized version of a taco. I'm used to getting just meat.” Others joined in to share their own stories of mixed-up food orders. One said, ”One time I ordered a salad and selected my toppings - well I apparently had to select lettuce cos I just got a pile of toppings only.” While another wrote, "Once my sis in law ordered a cheese steak but said just the cheese and steak. She got steak in bread. That's it.” Kristi said she didn’t call and complain, rather she added her own sides from what she had at home. Image credit: TikTok

Food & Wine

Post apocalypse: the end of daily letter deliveries is in sight

Australia Post is seeing red. A lot of it. After posting a razor-thin profit of $23.6 million in the last six months of 2022, it anticipates a loss for the full 2022-23 financial year – only the second time since being corporatised in 1989. The last loss was in 2014-15, following a $190 million investment in “transformational reform” of Australia Post’s letters business. At the time, it expressed confidence those <a href="https://auspost.com.au/annualreport2015/docs/australia-post-annual-report-2015.pdf">efficiency improvements</a> would allow it “to maintain a five-day-a-week delivery”. Now it is pessimistic. With the ongoing collapse in demand for letter delivery, it sees only more losses ahead. That’s a huge problem, because Australia Post has two main obligations, enshrined in federal legislation. It is required to operate on commercial principles – that is, the federal government wants it to deliver a dividend – while also meeting strict <a href="https://auspost.com.au/about-us/corporate-information/our-organisation/customer-commitment-and-service-charter">community service obligations</a>. Those obligations – established in 1989 and <a href="https://www.transparency.gov.au/annual-reports/australian-postal-corporation/reporting-year/2019-20-78">last reviewed in 2019</a> – require delivering letters to 98% of all Australian addresses five days a week, and in more remote areas to 99.7% of addresses at least twice a week, generally within two days of posting. The Morrison government <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2020L00579">temporarily relaxed</a> those obligations between May 2020 and June 2021 so Australia Post could divert resources to its parcel delivery services as online shopping boomed during the pandemic. Now the organisation wants those community service obligations reduced permanently. <h2>Cost of service obligations</h2> Meeting the obligations cost $348.5 million in 2021-22, says a federal government discussion paper on “<a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/postal-services-modernisation-discussion-paper.pdf">postal services modernisation</a>” published this month. It says they “are no longer financially sustainable and are not well targeted at the needs of Australians due to changes brought about by the digitisation of the economy”. It’s hard to disagree. The numbers are incontrovertible. The hundreds of millions of dollars a year being lost on letter delivery will only get bigger. People just don’t need a daily postal service like they used to. <h2>In the red, and dying</h2> In the 2021-22 financial year, Australia Post made a slim profit of $55 million on revenues of $8.97 billion. That’s a 0.6% profit margin, far below the 8.5% average within the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/industry-overview/australian-industry/latest-release">transport services sector</a>. The surplus was due only to its parcel-delivery business, which grew about 12% in 2021-22 after four years of growing at more than 20%. Letters now account for less than 20% of Australia Post’s revenue. The discussion paper notes letter volumes in Australia is now less than half what they were in 2008. This is not as severe as countries such as New Zealand or Denmark, but worse than Germany, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom. Government agencies and businesses now account for 97% of mail sent. Overall volume will decline as they move to cheaper, more efficient online methods. Even major postal events like election campaigns are likely to disappear, with postal voting replaced by <a href="https://101blockchains.com/blockchain-in-voting/">digital technology</a>. <h2>What can be done?</h2> The discussion paper flags a range of possible responses. One is to charge higher prices. Britain’s Royal Mail, for example, has raised postage prices by <a href="https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/cymraeg/amdanom-ni/about-us1/media/press-releases/citizens-advice-responds-to-royal-mail-raising-stamp-prices/">64% over the past five years</a>. Australia Post increased the rate for standard letter delivery from A$1.10 to A$1.20 in January, which the discussion paper notes is significantly less than the average of $2.08 for OECD countries. Higher prices may boost profit for a year or two, but in the longer term will just accelerate the transition to non-postal methods. Another option is investing in more efficient sorting technology, particularly automation. The French and German postal services are doing this. But Australia Post has already made huge investments in efficiencies, and doing more will cost the federal government money – something it won’t want to do given the budget position. <h2>What about local post offices?</h2> Another option is to reduce Australia Post’s network of post offices, of which there are more than 4,300. This number is tied to another community service obligation: that no one live further than 2.5km from a post office in a metropolitan area, or 7.5km in a non-metropolitan area. The discussion paper notes Australia has more post offices than supermarkets. They cost $1.3 billion to operate in 2021-22. These provide posting, pickup, banking, transaction and retail services. But their need is diminishing as all things are progressively digitised. An argument could be made that some, at least in metropolitan areas, could be replaced with smart lockers for parcel pick-up. But that’s likely to be politically contentious, with less financial gain, than the most obvious choice – to scrap the community service obligation to deliver post five days a week. New Zealand’s postal service did this in 2013, moving to delivery every other day. Sweden did so in 2020 as a trial, with the intention of making it permanent. Some will miss the daily service. But most of us won’t. As the relaxation to deliveries every second day showed during the COVID period, it is likely most people won’t even notice. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/post-apocalypse-the-end-of-daily-letter-deliveries-is-in-sight-201094" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Money & Banking

Elderly pizza lady receives $390k tip after falling during delivery

Barbara Gillespie was completing a typical Friday night pizza delivery when things took an unexpected turn. The 72 year old had just made her way up a home’s front veranda stairs, arms laden with her pizza boxes, when she stumbled and fell on to a small white chair. The family, whose <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@momofthe5ks/video/7195696356508372266" target="_blank" rel="noopener">security camera captured the entire tumble</a>, came outside to see what had happened as the elderly driver was picking herself up from the ground. On shaky legs, Barbara apologised again and again for what had become of the family’s food, telling them that she’d “ruined” it. But the family - otherwise known as the Keighrons - were only concerned about her. “I opened the door and there she is, just laying on the ground trying to get up,” Kevin Keighron said on Good Morning America. “She was more worried about the food than anything else. And I was like, ‘I don't care about the food. I care about you’.” Kevin and his wife, Lacey, described Barbara as being “the sweetest”, and after the incident - which occurred in early February - the pair decided to set up a GoFundMe to give Barbara a “tip” for her hard work. “We would like to bless her by bringing by a ‘tip’ to help her with anything she may need,” Kevin said. “She is an older woman who fell and only cared about the food she dropped. “Let’s show her some kindness and take off some of this burden that our economy is causing the older generations especially!” More than 14,000 people donated, and the fundraiser achieved a whopping $390,000. “We thought we would get her a bigger tip and bring it to her. We never expected to get as much as we did,” Kevin said of their successful campaign. “We were just so excited and thrilled to be able to tell her the next day.” And when taking the surprise to Barbara, Kevin - Lacey, and two of their children - decided to make the grand reveal at her work. They later shared footage of the reunion to their TikTok account. <div class="embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; vertical-align: baseline; width: 620.262px; max-width: 100%; outline: none !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7195971641262755114&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40momofthe5ks%2Fvideo%2F7195971641262755114&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-useast5-p-0068-tx%2F763d48ec7b5b4f728dcbe02bb60cc22f%3Fx-expires%3D1677142800%26x-signature%3DPCfbQDrxw5It6Ey%252FV9NWSJXsZ6A%253D&key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> They have since shared that with the extra funds, Barbara was able to put in her two-week notice and finally enjoy her well-deserved retirement. Barbara said that the generosity of everyone involved was overwhelming, and admitted she was close to giving up on people because some of them can be “so mean.” “And here we got loving, caring people. They care about someone else” she declared, seemingly delighted to have had her mind so thoroughly changed, “about an elderly woman.” Images: TikTok

Money & Banking

“Very questionable”: Kmart mocked after customer's "ridiculous" delivery

A woman has taken to Facebook to mock Kmart over her recent delivery. The shopper shared on Facebook she had ordered a 20mm combination padlock from Kmart and was caught by surprise when it was delivered to her home on February 13. The woman had received a large cardboard box, and when she opened it, it was filled to the brim with plastic wrap to protect the item. However, once she dug out the plastic, she saw a small padlock at the bottom of the unnecessarily large box. “My delivery arrived today,” the woman said on Facebook. Other Kmart fans were shocked by the large box for such a small item, with many users deeming it “ridiculous.” “Omg! Seriously,” a user commented. "Ridiculous honestly yet a pair of jeans get scrunched up into a bag for delivery," another added. "It's absolutely rubbish that they waste like that," a third chimed in. Another comment read, ”How ironic ... how easy is it to break this lock that it needs to be so protected when shipped? Would you need it if it is so fragile? Very questionable Kmart ... What a waste,” Many other users joined in on the teasing, claiming they also received small items delivered in unnecessarily large boxes. "This happened to us recently with a car air freshener," one shopper said. "Yeah they keep sending me one item in a stupidly big box. I’d be much more appreciative of multiple items jammed into a big box to stop wastage or happy to wait for all items to be ready together," another claimed. "I thought my three bowls packed like this was bad!" another commented. Back in May 2021, another Kmart shopper complained that she received a small book in a “huge box.” Although some said it was “terrible”, other users claimed the size of the box shouldn’t matter because it’s recyclable. A Kmart spokesperson told Yahoo Lifestyle that the complaints have been forwarded to Kmart’s online team, and they will reassess how they manage and replenish packaging materials. "Regrettably, in this instance, it appears the team member who has packed this order did not have available or use the most appropriately sized packaging components," the spokesperson said. "While our team are trained and aim to minimise packaging use and waste, it is likely that they did not have access to appropriately sized packaging options so used what was available in an effort to pack and dispatch this order as quickly as possible." Image credit: Facebook

Food & Wine

Drone delivery is a thing now. But how feasible is having it everywhere, and would we even want it?

In recent years, cafes, supermarkets and online shops have started to trial drone delivery in a handful of locations around the world. More than a <a href="https://builtin.com/drones/drone-delivery-companies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dozen drone delivery companies</a> are now running such trials. Wing (owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet) announced a partnership with Australian supermarket giant Coles to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-26/qld-supermarket-drone-delivery-available-gold-coast-/101573808" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deliver small items via drone to customers close to a Gold Coast supermarket</a>. Wing is already operating in parts of Canberra and Logan, Queensland. Given the technical success of various trials so far, it is worth exploring whether drone delivery might become mainstream and can actually be scaled up geographically. As you would expect, the answer is “it depends”. There are many issues when considering drones around people, such as safety and infrastructure. For example, a recent <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-30/food-delivery-drone-lands-on-power-lines-qld-browns-plains/101489670" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crash of a delivery drone on electricity lines</a> in a suburb of Logan left thousands without power. There is also potential <a href="https://theconversation.com/drones-to-deliver-incessant-buzzing-noise-and-packages-116257" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unwanted noise</a> and visual pollution, and a perceived issue around privacy. <h2>Safety first</h2> Adding potentially dozens of small aircraft to the sky above our homes, workplaces and roads each day is a serious business. As you would hope, currently the operation of commercial drones is a highly regulated undertaking in most countries. In Australia, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority <a href="https://www.casa.gov.au/drones/industry-initiatives/drone-delivery-services" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has strict regulations</a> that aim to make the operation of drones as safe as possible. They also prohibit drone use if the craft can’t be used safely in a given situation. In fact, Australia was one of the first countries to have drone regulations. For example, you cannot fly a drone close to an airport, or directly over people. Commercial operators of drones are acutely aware of this and gain a licence to operate – it is not in anyone’s interest to operate unsafely, and it would be bad for business. <h2>A limited geographic market – for now</h2> To satisfy the requirement of operating drones safely, delivery operators focus on flying drones over unpopulated land, generally very low-density areas, and in particular the urban fringe. These are newer suburbs where drone flight paths can be planned to eliminate or minimise safety issues, such as an unexpected crash. It is no coincidence Wing has been running drone delivery trials in low-density areas of Southeast Queensland, and outer <a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6009932/wings-delivery-drone-service-gets-the-green-light/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canberra suburbs</a>. These places are ideal for drone delivery and a great place to continue to develop this business, even if the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-11/wing-resumes-drone-deliveries-after-raven-attacks/100689690" target="_blank" rel="noopener">odd bird attack can disrupt things</a>. But drone delivery in dense parts of major cities? This is very unlikely in the medium term, due to extreme difficulty in safely operating drones in dense suburbs. If you live in an apartment building, where would the delivery take place? On the roof? Maybe, if your building was set up for it. This is where scaling up faces the largest difficulties, and the logistics of running potentially hundreds of drones from a distribution centre become truly challenging. However, if there was a high demand for it, and the right investments were made, it is feasible that drone delivery to dense city areas could be achieved. But just because it might be technically possible, doesn’t mean it will happen. The long-term business case would need to make sense, of course. But there is a more critical issue in the near term – the <a href="https://ethics.org.au/ethics-explainer-social-license-to-operate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social licence to operate</a>. <h2>A social licence</h2> A social licence is not an official thing, a government body does not issue one. It is more about whether the general public accepts and supports the new thing. At the end of the day, this social acceptance is what often determines the success or failure of widespread uptake of new technology, such as delivery drones. Take nuclear power, for example. Many countries have nuclear power and the public there seem happy with that. Other countries had a social licence for nuclear power and lost it, such as Japan. In Australia we do not have a social licence for nuclear power, but that does not mean we won’t gain it in the future. A social licence is an ever-evolving construct based on the pros and cons of a technology, all of which is influenced by its perceived value. Most people are now seemingly comfortable to be tracked 24 hours a day by their smartphones, as they believe the benefits outweigh the potential negative impacts. It is likely we already have a solid social licence to use drones to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41591-022-00053-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deliver emergency life-saving medicine</a> to people in need. In a potential life-or-death situation like that, it is easy to see that normally the benefits outweigh any risks or inconvenience to others. But delivering a coffee or a tube of toothpaste by drone? I think the social licence for that is up for grabs. At this point in time, it could go either way. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/drone-delivery-is-a-thing-now-but-how-feasible-is-having-it-everywhere-and-would-we-even-want-it-193301" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Travel Trouble

Australia Post announces hard dates for Christmas deliveries

Australia Post has revealed when Aussies should send Christmas gifts to loved ones overseas, warning that it will be another busy holiday season. For cards and gifts travelling by economy air, the postal service said that many destinations require they be sent by November 14, while packages sent through International Standard and Express shipping have some more time. "If posting with International Express, some popular destinations like the USA, the UK, New Zealand and Canada should be sent by 9 December," Australia Post said in a statement. "Recommended last sending dates for posting within Australia will be released in the coming weeks." The deadlines for shipping cover more than 180 international destinations and can be found on the <a href="https://auspost.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australia Post website</a>. Gary Starr, Australia Post’s Executive General Manager, Customer and Commercial, said the organisation had worked closely with international carriers to give Aussies as much notice as possible. "We know our last sending dates provide an important guide for people in the lead up to Christmas and we've been preparing all year for another busy peak season to ensure things run as smoothly as possible," Mr Starr said. "For anyone who wants to send internationally for Christmas this year, we're encouraging them to visit our website and post by the dates advised. "As always, we'll continue to deliver items sent after these dates as quickly as possible but they may not arrive until after Christmas." Australia Post also warned that factors beyond its control, including custom delays and overseas postal disruptions, could delay packages. Meanwhile in New Zealand, the national postal service has also announced <a href="https://www.nzpost.co.nz/personal/christmas-sending-dates-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cut-off dates</a> for sending packages for Christmas. Packages and cards sent by economy delivery need to be ready to send by November 23 if they are heading to Australia, November 18 for the South Pacific, UK, North America, and Europe, and by November 14 for the rest of the world. Delivery through a courier and express comes with later deadlines, with cut-off dates of December 6 for everywhere except Australia, the South Pacific, Asia, the UK, Europe and North America. Image: Getty Images

News

Supermarket delivery by robot better for the climate

Along with their <a href="https://twitter.com/historymatt/status/1525776275939418113" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cult following on social media</a>, autonomous delivery robots travelling on footpaths could be the most climate-friendly way to do your grocery shopping. Around the world, <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/will-covid-19-change-our-cities/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">COVID-19 has seen a change</a> in the way people shop for groceries. Instead of driving to the supermarket more people are ordering online for pick-up or home delivery, and even in some places, delivery <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/robotics/drone-delivery-groceries-canberra/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">by drone</a> or robot. In the United States supermarket home delivery services grew 54% between 2019 and 2020. In Australia, Woolworths and Coles experienced <a href="https://theconversation.com/coles-and-woolworths-are-moving-to-robot-warehouses-and-on-demand-labour-as-home-deliveries-soar-166556" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unprecedented demand.</a> The rapid growth in e-commerce has seen an increased focus on the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/sustainability/to-help-the-environment-should-you-shop-in-store-or-online/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">‘last-mile’ delivery</a>. A study by University of Michigan researchers and the Ford Motor Co modelled the emissions associated with the journey of a 36-item grocery basket from shop to home via a number of alternative transport options. Their study is <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.est.2c02050" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. “This research lays the groundwork for understanding the impact of e-commerce on greenhouse gas emissions produced by the grocery supply chain,” says the study’s senior author Greg Keoleian<a href="https://seas.umich.edu/research/faculty/greg-keoleian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">,</a> director of the Centre for Sustainable Systems at University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability. The researchers modelled 72 different ways the groceries could travel from the warehouse to the customer. Across all options, the results showed ‘last-mile’ transport emissions to be the major source of <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/food-transport-emissions-cost/">supply chain emissions</a>. <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p201307-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> <form class="wpcf7-form mailchimp-ext-0.5.62 spai-bg-prepared init" action="/earth/climate/robot-delivery-better-for-the-climate/#wpcf7-f6-p201307-o1" method="post" novalidate="novalidate" data-status="init"> <input class="wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text referer-page" name="referer-page" type="hidden" value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/" data-value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/" aria-invalid="false" /> </form> </div> </div> They found the conventional option of driving to the supermarket in a petrol or diesel car to be the most polluting, creating six kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2). All other choices had lower emissions, with footpath delivery robots the cleanest for the climate, at one kg CO2. A customer who switched to an electric vehicle could halve their emissions. But they could achieve a similar impact on emissions by reducing their shopping frequency. Without buying a new car, households who halved the frequency of supermarket trips reduced emissions by 44%. Keoleian says the study emphasises the “important role consumers can serve in reducing emissions through the use of trip chaining and by making carefully planned grocery orders.” Trip chaining refers to combining grocery shopping with other errands. All home delivery options had lower emissions than in-store shopping – in part due to the efficiencies gained in store operation and transport – with the potential to cut emissions by 22 – 65%. Footpath robots are being trialled in cities across the United States, Europe and China. These four or six wheeled robots carry items like supermarket shopping or retail items over short distances. Most have a delivery range around three kilometres. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <div class="entry-content-asset"> <div class="embed-wrapper"> <div class="inner"> <div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered spai-bg-prepared" style="display: flex; max-width: 500px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" class="spai-bg-prepared" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 500px; height: 612px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=CosmosMagazine&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1525776275939418113&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcosmosmagazine.com%2Fearth%2Fclimate%2Frobot-delivery-better-for-the-climate%2F&sessionId=84ec360f0f0db6f38136f997db6585736d09d60a&siteScreenName=CosmosMagazine&theme=light&widgetsVersion=b7df0f50e1ec1%3A1659558317797&width=500px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-tweet-id="1525776275939418113"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </figure> <a>Starship robots</a> is one example. Since launching in 2014, their robots have completed three million autonomous home deliveries in cities across Estonia, the United Kingdom, Finland and the United States.  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=201307&title=Supermarket+delivery+by+robot+better+for+the+climate" width="1" height="1" />  <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/climate/robot-delivery-better-for-the-climate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/petra-stock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Petra Stock</a>. Petra Stock has a degree in environmental engineering and a Masters in Journalism from University of Melbourne. She has previously worked as a climate and energy analyst. Image: Getty Images </div>

Technology

Couple receives $3000 from Aus Post for botched deliveries

Australia Post has been forced to pay out over $3000 to a Melbourne couple after drivers repeatedly failed to deliver parcels to their home for over a year during the pandemic.Wayne Short and Veronica Libson took the postal giant to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in December to seek compensation, claiming that Australia Post failed to deliver parcels to their home and continued sending them to the local post office instead.Mr Short said some of the parcels contained important items such as medication for their daughter, who is waiting for a liver transplant, and other contained goods for their hire party business.He told the tribunal that the issues began in 2019, when the couple started experiencing difficulties getting parcels delivered to their home.Despite filing a complaint directly to Australia Post at the time, it was not responded to.Then in March 2020, the couple were undertaking renovations on their stairs and Mr Short said delivery drivers couldn’t safely deliver parcels for a week.However, after the renovations were completed the parcels were still not delivered, with the driver claiming they were still unsafe to climb.After this, Australia Post drivers stopped delivering parcels altogether, instead sending SMS messages to the couple to pick up their parcels at the post office.In June of the same year, the couple filed a second complaint, this time to the local post office. The manager reassured Mr Short that the issue would be sorted out.A few days later, a heated argument erupted between Mr Short and a delivery driver at the couple’s home.When the driver handed over the parcel, Mr Short then told the driver they were tired of tracking down all their other parcels. The driver responded by taking back the parcel and telling Mr Short they could “go pick up their own parcels”.According to the tribunal, Mr Short lost his temper, grabbing the parcel abc and telling the driver to “get the f**k off his property”.After the incident, all deliveries apart from their normal mail ceased.As for how the compensation was calculated based on how long it took the couple to collect their parcels.Having found that they spend around 30 minutes travelling to the post office every week between June 2020 and December 2021, VCAT member Neil Campbell calculated the compensation of $3100.He said the tribunal found the deliveries were “not undertaken with due care and skill” as they were “not delivered to the residential address” and there was “no basis for them not to be”.In a statement shared with <a style="background-image: initial;background-position: initial;background-size: initial;background-attachment: initial;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline" href="https://7news.com.au/business/australia-post/australia-post-ordered-to-pay-3000-to-melbourne-couple-over-botched-deliveries-c-5556891" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News.com.au</a>, a spokesperson for Australia Post said the company respected the tribunal’s decision.“Australia Post respects the decision of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and can confirm that parcel delivery has recommenced to the address,” they said.Image: @auspost (Instagram)

Legal

"Over the moon": UberEats makes first delivery into space

UberEats has teamed up with a Japanese billionaire to send canned food onboard the International Space Station. The delivery was made by Japanese entrepreneur Yusaka Maezawa on December 11th, arriving at the ISS 8 hours and 34 minutes after Maeawa's departure from Earth. The dishes include boiled mackerel in miso, beef bowl cooked in sweet sauce, simmered chicken with bamboo shoots and braised pork. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.uber.com/newsroom/uber-eats-in-space/" target="_blank">statement</a>, "One small handoff for Yusaku Maezawa, one giant delivery for Uber Eats!" "We're over the moon to have helped make our first successful delivery to space. Our goal is to help people go anywhere and get anything, so we're proud to serve the astronauts at the International Space Station." "Yusaku Maezawa gets a thumbs up on this delivery, even though it took a bit longer than the usual 30 minutes to arrive." Maezawa and his assistant will spend 12 days onboard the ISS before returning home. After receiving a flood of criticism for the deciding to pay a fortune for the trip to space, Maezawa defended his decision saying it was an "amazing experience". "Once you are in space, you realise how much it is worth it by having this amazing experience," he told the AP in the first TV interview since he arrived at the station. "And I believe that this amazing experience will lead to something else." Maezawa and his assistant are the first self-paying tourists to visit the space station since 2009. When asked about reports that claimed he had spent over $80 million for the 12-day mission, Maezawa didn't disclose the contract sum but admitted he paid "pretty much" the rumoured amount. When responding to criticism from those who claims his money would be better spent helping people on Earth rather than a space mission, Maezawa simply claimed that "those who criticise are perhaps those who have never been to space." Image credits: UberEats

International Travel

Coles shopper baffled by “ridiculous” delivery order

A Coles customer has been left flabbergasted by her home delivery order. Disgruntled shopper Claire took to social media to share her frustration after she discovered a baffling find in her home delivery order. Taking to Facebook, Claire admitted she couldn’t help but be frustrated after discovering 11 items she purchased had been placed into five 15 cent bags. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841361/coles-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/704ac7fb154541abb9fac01dfd3c01db" /> Claire posted a photo of her Coles Online order, showing just how many groceries were included in each bag. Two of the bags had just one item in them, while another had just two. Claire said the number of bags used for her small order was “not good enough”. “Ok Coles, this is getting ridiculous. “Not only is there now no way to uncheck the bagging option for home delivery, which means I have to pay for bags I don’t want, this is how they are packed. “It’s not good enough that you say you’ll take the bags back for recycling, they shouldn’t have been used in the first place.” Image: Facebook

Food & Wine

Coles makes huge home delivery announcement

Coles is bringing a whole new level of service to online shopping with Coles Plus, a new subscription-based service aimed at rewarding its members. The service, which costs $19 a month, allows shoppers access to special benefits on liquor, home delivery and unlimited access to the supermarket giant's latest venture Click&Collect Rapid. Click&Collect Rapid allows customers to order up to 40 products with a minimum spend of $30, and pay a flat fee for $5 for it to be collected, packed and ready for collection 90 minutes later. Coles says the service is "unlike anything currently available in Australia". However, Woolworths offers a similar service called Delivery Unlimited, which has been running since 2019. Coles Chief Executive eCommerce Ben Hassing said Coles Online was building from 20 years’ experience to deliver a seamless customer experience and elevate the shopping experience for Coles Plus members. What is Coles Plus? “We know customers love the convenience of Coles Online, but they want more. Coles Plus is the latest way we are rewarding the loyalty of our digitally-engaged customers, ensuring Coles leads anytime, anywhere, anyhow shopping,” he said. “We continue to see significant growth in demand for online grocery shopping and we are investing in customer experience and capacity, which is having a positive impact on customer satisfaction. “Feedback from Australian families already using Coles Plus has been overwhelmingly encouraging and we are planning on adding more exciting updates in the future.”

Food & Wine

"How is this possible?": Woolworths delivery leaves family in shock

A family from NSW has taken to Facebook after they unpacked their Woolworths home delivery to find "dodgy" carrots, rotting onions and missing items. “These were part of our home delivery tonight. The bag of carrots is use by tomorrow - even if it wasn’t already dodgy, I couldn’t eat a bag of carrots in one night... Also a whole bag worth of frozen groceries missing,” the frustrated customer wrote on the store's Facebook page on Tuesday. The customer posted photos of a bag of carrots with some that appear to have turned into mush and two rotting red onions. The customers said the "dodgy" delivery wasn't a one-off incident that they received deliveries with missing items quite often. “I think this is about our fourth delivery in a row where items that were supposed to be delivered were not,” the man said. “We never get an apology, just a refund,” the woman replied. Facebook users were appalled at the state of the delivery and took to the comments to condemn the supermarket giant. “How is this even possible? WTF,” one person commented. A few people were concerned that those who relied on home deliveries for groceries were not receiving products of the highest quality. “I guess it’s their way of getting rid of produce they can't sell. Taking advantage of those who can't get to shops. Covid has certainly not helped,” one user insisted. “The other thing that breaks my heart is what about the poor elderly that rely on delivery services like these? They can't use a whole loaf of bread for example in a day... (that's even if it's in date),” another person replied. “Care factor for customer health? Zero. Care factor for profit margins? 100 per cent,” the original poster wrote. A spokesperson for Woolworths said the supermarket was aware of the customer's complaint and apologised "for missing the mark on this occasion". “We know it's frustrating when the quality of some products in our online orders aren’t up to our usual standard,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We’re keen to follow up with our in-store team and are awaiting more information from the customer to do so. “If our customers have any concerns about the quality of the product they receive, we always encourage them to return the product back to their local store for a refund or replacement.”

Food & Wine

Last-minute loophole: How to get your deliveries before Christmas

Australia Post has stated the deadline for online shopping deliveries has long passed, but there’s a loophole that could allow Aussie shoppers to still get their gifts on time. According to Australia Post, their deadline for delivery before Christmas is December 12, but new data shows some courier services can still deliver in just one day. The one day shipment applies to deliveries from one part of most capital cities to another, while a shipment from Sydney to Perth could still take a few days. According a report from e-commerce fulfilment company Shippit, a delivery from Sydney to Perth would take three days if shipped through TNT Express - which was the fastest - or 12 days via Fastway. Single day shipments were possible if parcels were delivered within Sydney through InXpress or StarTrack Premium; within Melbourne with InXpress or TNT Express; and within Brisbane via InXpress or CouriersPlease. The report also stated that it was possible to receive a delivery within one day if the package was sent from Brisbane to Melbourne through InXpress or TNT Express; and from Sydney to Brisbane with TNT. Multiple businesses, including Harvey Norman, Sephora and Strandbags, are now offering alternative delivery options, like priority shipping, express and ship from store, to allow for extended shopping dates.

Money & Banking

Australia Post responds after delivery goes horribly wrong

Australia Post has addressed an incident where a security camera captured the moment a delivery went horribly wrong. In a video uploaded to Reddit, a delivery van was seen pulling into a person’s driveway and appearing to park on Wednesday. Only a few moments later the driver is seen walking up to the front door to deliver the parcel, while, unbeknownst to him, the van begins to move forward, before crashing into the resident’s garage. Speaking to 7News, a spokesperson for Australia Post said they were aware an employee had been “involved in an incident in a customer’s driveway”. “We immediately engaged with the customer to apologise for the inconvenience and to organise repair of the damage,” the spokesperson added. The Reddit user who posted the video said Australia Post insurance will be paying for the garage’s repair. “No one was hurt and no cars were in the garage,” the user wrote. The user added the incident was a “frustratingly stupid” mistake but he commended the driver for owning up to the crash. “He called his manager who knew what had happened, so he owned up. Though I did offer footage and he said they shouldn’t need it,” he said.

Travel Trouble

Woman's perfect response after bungled Woolies delivery

A Woolies shopper has taken to TikTok to share the hilarious alternative to triple-A batteries after the supermarket was out of stock. The video by @gracevp102 which has been watched over 130,000 times shows the woman replace batteries with the next best thing: Bread. “Is there anyone here that works for Woolies?” Grace asks in the clip. “So I ordered triple A batteries and they swapped me with a loaf of bread … I’m allergic to wheat.” Seeing the funny side of the situation, Grace then shared footage of her using the bread in place of the batteries she had really needed to fix her smoke alarm and recharge her TV remote. <img style="width: 376.20578778135047px; height: 500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838529/screen-shot-2020-10-30-at-113435-am.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a35172c3bb22456faa975ce6b9108012" /> A Woolworths spokesman told news.com.au that while their personal shoppers work hard they’re also understandably human and make mistakes. “We know it’s frustrating when our substitutes are wrong and we apologise to the customer for missing the mark on this occasion,” they said. “Our team of personal shoppers work hard to pick perfect orders for our customers, but they’re human and don’t get it right every time. “We’re happy to offer refunds when we get it wrong and will contact the customer to offer one.” Many viewers found the video hilarious, posting comments about their own experiences. “We ordered 5kg of potatoes and got a single potato in a plastic bag,” one person wrote. “I ordered So Good soy vanilla ice cream and they replaced it with cookies and cream,” one comment read. “I’m allergic to gluten and dairy.” “You did it wrong, you’re supposed to put the bread inside of the remote,” another joked. “But yeah I always get random things.”

Food & Wine

Australia Post imposes strict deadline for Christmas deliveries

Consumers are being urged to make online purchases well before the end of November to ensure gifts they intend to send arrive in time for Christmas. Australia Post has set a deadline of December 12 to guarantee parcels will be delivered before Christmas Day and December 19 as the guarantee for Express Post deliveries. Usually Australia Post delivers packages within two to three business days in metropolitan areas, but due to the pandemic and the increase in online shopping, the timeline has been forced to change. State-wide lockdowns throughout the year also wreaked havoc when it came to timely deliveries. It also meant more people chose to shop online rather than in-store. Consumers also need to make sure their online purchase arrives well before December 12 so they have enough time to forward it on. In August, Australia Post delivered 600,000 more parcels than for the same month last year and the expectation that some interstate borders will remain closed until the end of the year, Australia Post is expecting its busiest festive season yet. “We are encouraging people to plan their Christmas shopping early,” Mr Starr said. “There will be lots going on in November with sales like Black Friday, and people will want to take advantage of the sales. “We are hiring 4000 more people to help us through what we know will be our busiest Christmas ever we’ve ever seen in terms of online shopping.” He said letters to the North Pole need to be posted by November 26 to give Santa enough time to reply before Christmas.

Domestic Travel

Unexpected note in Woolies home delivery leaves shopper speechless

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> Shopper Leanne was left speechless after receiving an unexpected note in her latest Woolworths home delivery. She explained that while placing her online order, she left a message thanking staff for the "valuable" work they're doing during the coronavirus pandemic. “I also shared that due to my health I’m unable to go shopping and so I greatly appreciated the shopper doing it for me,” Leanne wrote on Facebook. “Whilst unpacking my shopping, I found the following note tucked safely in one of my bags of shopping.” The note was left by the Woolworths picker who made up Leanne's online order. “Thank you for your very kind message,” the letter read. “It’s lovely customers like you who made our job worthwhile. “I hope everything I have picked for you today is nutritious and what you wanted. “I wish you a peaceful week with no pain and lots of love to surround you.” The note brought Leanne to tears. “I’ll happily admit that I got all misty eyed for so many reasons,” she said. “It restores your faith in humanity. “After a challenging morning it put a smile on my face to accompany the gratitude tears. “It made me feel like a person and not just a delivery number. “Most importantly it has created a memory that will stay with me long after the note is taken off my fridge where it’s currently on display.” A Woolworths representative said the supermarket was touched by the “heartwarming feedback”. “We’re also glad to know that this is something you’ll remember forever,” the spokesperson said. </div> </div> </div>

Caring

House-bound shopper slams Woolworths over “unbelievable” delivery blunder

A Sydney shopper has voiced her frustration over an unfortunate incident with a recent Woolworths home delivery order. Cecilia, who suffers from a chronic condition and physical limitations, was forced to call a relative to drive over and help after a delivery driver refused to bring her order to the house. She said the driver left the bags 30 metres from the front door while it was raining, as she shared a photo showing just how far the bags were left. A spokesperson for Woolworths has apologised for the incident, promising to investigate further. <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fwoolworths%2Fposts%2F4074399355965498&width=500" width="500" height="727" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe> According to the supermarket, the customer’s experience is not in line with Woolworths home delivery policy and as a standard protocol, drivers are meant to take the customer’s items to their doorstep or requested location. Taking to Facebook, Cecilia mentioned that she’s been using Woolworths’ delivery service for some time and has had no complaints until now. Things went awry when she asked the driver to bring her order up the side of her house, to the front door. “He said that he understood and began stacking the bags outside at the top of the driveway in the rain,” Cecilia wrote. “I informed him that the gate was unlocked, how to unlock it (no one else seems to have trouble getting through the gate) and could he please bring the bags up to the door. He said he would. “My mother opened the gate for him, but he kept stacking the bags outside. I saw him heading down the driveway and called for him to come back. “He yelled back that he was done. I yelled back (as he was running away from the house) that no it wasn’t done, could he bring them to the house and he said he was done, he got in his truck and quickly drove away.” Cecilia went on to explain she has physical limitations and was approved for deliveries when the coronavirus pandemic hit. “Not everyone who uses your delivery service does so out of laziness or an unwillingness to shop in-store,” she wrote. “Many people, like me, use your delivery service because we need to. My chronic condition has recently flared up, and I can’t physically leave the house.” She added: “I had to call a relative to drive over to my house and bring in my shopping as perishable items were sitting out in the rain. “If I had wanted to ask a relative to help me with my shopping, I would have done so. “Instead, I tried - in vain, to assert some independence, but Woolworths made sure that didn’t happen.” “I understand that staff members have quotas to meet and are keen to get their job done and get home, but dumping my groceries 30 metres from my door, when I cannot physically leave the house, is not their job. “Today’s delivery driver practically told me to get stuffed. This not good enough Woolies. Not good enough!” Speaking to 7News, a representative for Woolworths apologised for the incident, describing it as a “one-off”. “We pride ourselves on customer service, whether it be in-store or when our home delivery drivers greet you at your door,” the spokesperson said. “Our drivers are trained to deliver a customer’s order safely and to adhere to specific requests where possible. “We apologise that wasn’t the customer’s experience on this occasion, and will follow it up with our delivery teams. “While we regret this one-off event, it’s definitely not representative of the positive experience thousands of our home delivery customers have every week.” Any shopper with an unsatisfactory experience is urged to contact the Woolworths Customer Hub on 1800 000 610.

Food & Wine

Woman slams Coles delivery service for frustrating detail that left her kitchen "flooded"

A Coles customer has slammed the supermarket after an online order went terribly wrong and was left out in the pouring rain for so long, the groceries “flooded” her kitchen when they were brought inside. The horrified shopper claims the delivery driver did not heed her online instructions which asked for the groceries to be left undercover next to her front door. The driver apparently did not knock when he delivered the bags full of items either. She explained that after a frustrating experience trying to resolve the matter with Coles’ customer service team, they asked she direct her complaint to the Bateau Bay store, on the Central Coast, where she purchased from. “It’s common sense to not leave someone’s groceries out in the rain. I did specify in the description to have the groceries left next to my front door in front of my shoes rack which is on my front porch, out of the weather,” she told Yahoo News Australia. <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7836114/coles.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/adbfc3a1941443d680f43166e6456421" /> “If I was not home my groceries would of sat in the rain for however long and I wouldn’t of known.” She also went on to say each time she had gotten groceries delivered, there had been a text to notify here, however this time there had been no notification or warning given. “My floors were flooded from the groceries bags and my boxed groceries also were all soggy and wet. They were falling apart so had to be chucked,” she said. She says deli meats and marinated salmon also had to be thrown away because of the water damage, with consolidating a total loss of about $80. <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7836113/coles-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/91bd19ca3e1e4031b0916056e89cc22c" /> “I couldn’t believe someone would actually do that. Especially someone who probably makes multiple deliveries a day.” The woman says that while she accepted the partial refund for the items that were completely unusable, she thought it to be only fair she received a full refund for the inconvenience it caused her and her children. “It wasn’t just a light sprinkle or rain it was heavy. The spot it was placed on my grass was flooded. That’s how heavy the rain was,” she said. The shopper says she has ordered a number of times from the Coles delivery service and has not had any issuers beforehand.

Food & Wine

Warnings over Australia Post scam amid coronavirus delivery rush

Australia Post has warned customers of online scams as the postal service continues to struggle with unprecedented demand during the coronavirus pandemic. A fraudulent email is circulating which prompts the recipients to click on a phishing link. The link leads to a fake Australia Post website, which requests personal and financial information. “The email claims that your parcel was unable to be delivered and overweight, and asks for a payment to retrieve your package,” the company said. <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Faustraliapost%2Fposts%2F10158359308595667&show_text=true&width=552&height=482&appId" width="552" height="482" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe> A previous alert also warned customers against fake websites branded with the Post Billpay logo. “Please note that Australia Post will never email or text message you asking for personal information, financial information or a payment.” Australia Post advised customers who have sent any personal or financial information to a scam email address or website to call ID CARE on 1300 432 273. The scam alerts came as Australia Post continues to deal with increased parcel volumes. In late April, the postal company said its parcel deliveries had <a href="https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/consumer/2020/04/22/australia-post-parcels-coronavirus/">doubled in the past month</a> as online department store purchases rose <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-22/waiting-on-a-parcel-from-australia-post-why-its-taking-so-long/12172772">473 per cent</a>. Many Australians waiting for deliveries at home have seen their online orders delayed for weeks. “We are doing everything possible to keep delivering during the Coronavirus pandemic,” Australia Post said on its website. “The challenges presented by the pandemic mean there are delays as our business adopts additional safety measures to protect our people and customers. “Other factors contributing to delays include fewer domestic flights, international delays and increased volumes as more people start shopping online.”

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Unexpected note in Woolies home delivery leaves shopper speechless

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Warnings over Australia Post scam amid coronavirus delivery rush

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