Snowstorm Shuts Down FreshDirect

MARK HAMSTRA

NEW YORK — Web-based grocer FreshDirect said it canceled all deliveries Monday because of the blizzard that swept through the Northeast, while bricks-and-mortar stores in the region reported limited closures.

In a Twitter post, FreshDirect noted that New York City has requested that all non-essential vehicles stay off the roads to allow for snowplows to get through. FreshDirect also said its own snowplows were snowed in, and that it was digging them out by hand.

Deliveries were scheduled to resume at 1 p.m. Tuesday and continue the rest of the week.

Whole Foods Market, headquartered in Austin, Texas, also said its stores in New York City were not making deliveries on Monday.

Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern Food Corp., parent of the ShopRite chain, said it closed some stores early on Sunday because of the storm, but a spokeswoman told SN on Monday that all stores had since reopened.

"Our warehouses are open today and we are making deliveries," said Karen Meleta, the Wakefern spokeswoman. "Our stores were busy [Sunday] morning as customers were preparing for the storm. Because we knew the storm was coming, we were well prepared and anticipated that customers would be stocking up that morning."

Although the storm left thousands of people in New England without power on Monday, a spokeswoman for Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop said all of its stores were open as of 8 a.m., and were "well-stocked and staffed with management and a sufficient number of associates."

"Parking lots and receiving areas were cleared and ready for customers and deliveries," said Suzi Robinson, the Stop & Shop spokeswoman. "While some deliveries may be delayed, we still expect all deliveries today."

She said popular items that customers have purchased in recent days have included water, milk, bread, coffee, breakfast items, batteries, and snow-related products like shovels and rock salt.