PHILADELPHIA — Jon Roesser, the general manager of Weavers Way Co-op, usually works with banks and suppliers to keep the grocery running, puts together the $34 million budget, or plans marketing promotions, like an upcoming sale on frozen shrimp.
But as the demand for home deliveries exploded during the pandemic, Roesser became a delivery driver, too. For a few weeks last year, he crisscrossed town in his 2000 Honda Accord, the trunk and backseat bulging with grocery bags. Store managers and the executive chef had to help deliver, too. “It was all hands on deck,” he said.
The co-op’s online orders skyrocketed from roughly 15 a week prepandemic to more than 800 by April 2020, excluding those managed by third parties such as Instacart. But the demand has fallen ever since. Weavers Way — with stores in Ambler, Chestnut Hill, and Mount Airy — received about 70 weekly orders last month for delivery and curbside pickup, according to sales data shared by Roesser.
“While demand has declined considerably compared to last spring, home delivery and curbside pickup does appear to be here to stay, now driven more by convenience than by necessity,” Roesser said.