Coronavirus: Retailers work to tackle weeks-long backlog as online orders soar

Amazon.ae, Carrefour and other retailers said they face 'unprecedented demand' for deliveries amid nationwide stay home order

A fruit vendor with his watermelons at the Abu Dhabi Fruits and Vegetables Market during the Coronavirus epidemic. Victor Besa / The National

Abu Dhabi Civil Defence and Police sterilisation drive in Mussafah. Victor Besa / The National

A vegetable vendor fixes his gloves at the Abu Dhabi Fruits and Vegetables Market during the Coronavirus epidemic. Victor Besa / The National

A key worker wears a facemask as he walks passed a brightly coloured mural in Media City, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A deserted part of JBR, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A digger does some work on an empty Jumeirah beach, this is normally a very popular spot for beach goers, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Abu Dhabi Civil Defence and Police sterilisation drive in Mussafah. Victor Besa / The National

A poster on Sheikh Zayed Road shows a family wearing facemasks tell people to Stay at home, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A man walks past fishing boats in Ajman wearing a mask amid the coronavirus crisis. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A market worker boxes up fish at Ras Al Khaimah's dock. Antonie Robertson / The National

Empty streets in RAK as residents stay home for a third week. Antonie Robertson / The National

Residents of the Northern Emirates must stay home from 8pm to 6am, but can leave home to shop for essentials outside of those times. Antonie Robertson / The National

A sign outside Dubai Parks and Resorts offers support to frontline workers. Chris Whiteoak / The National

No entry signs at the closed Corniche in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

A street cleaner sanitises gutters at Marina Mall car park in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

The normally busy beaches of Abu Dhabi have been deserted in recent weeks. Victor Besa / The National

A shopper picks up essentials at Carrefour in Dubai's Ibn Battuta Mall. Dubai residents must apply for a permit to leave home. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The only vehicles on Dubai's roads are delivery trucks, bike couriers and minibuses taking essential personnel to and from work. Victor Besa / The National

The empty Al Maktoum Road near Deira Clock Tower in Dubai. It would normally be one of the city's busiest streets. Pawan Singh / The National

A 24-hour stay-home order and the disinfecting of streets has left Dubai streets mostly deserted. Pawan Singh / The National

The famous Deira Clock Tower at the heart of the city's old town. Pawan Singh / The National

The bridge to Meydan hotel and racecourse stands empty on Saturday evening. Reem Mohammed / The National

A shopkeeper waits outside his dress store in Al Ain. Chris Whiteoak / The National

An ambulance on a street in Al Ain. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A quiet street leads to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Grand mosque in Al Ain. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The empty bridge to Meydan during daytime. Reem Mohammed / The National

Dubai residents must remain indoors at all times, unless they have a permit for essential shopping. Reem Mohammed / The National

Residents queue outside a supermarket in the Muraqqabat area of Deira in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

A customer enters a pharmacy in Dubai. Pharmacies and supermarkets are the only stores allowed to remain open to the public. Pawan Singh / The National

A man rides his bike across the street in Al Ain. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A medical worker in a booth prepares to swab residents at a drive-through test centre in the Dubai suburb of Khawaneej. AFP

Dubai skyline during lockdown. Antonie Robertson / The National

A man takes a taxi after leaving the Business Bay Metro station, Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

An awareness board on Meydan road, Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

The empty Kite Beach area of Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

A healthcare worker crosses an empty street in Bur Dubai while wearing a mask amid the coronavirus outbreak. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A gentleman crosses an empty street in Oud Metha in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Men in face mask walking by nurseries in Warsan. Reem Mohammed / The National

Supermarkets and online retailers are working to tackle a surge in orders due to restrictions brought in to keep residents at home.

Retailers have faced unprecedented delivery demand for food shopping and other goods in recent days as a 24-hour 'stay home' order took effect in Dubai.

In the city, residents must apply for a permit to leave home for essential shopping. In other emirates, police warned people could only leave home to visit a supermarket, pharmacy or attend a medical appointment.

Some shoppers told of up to a 15-day wait for groceries and more than a month for Amazon-style shopping orders.

We are working around the clock to get back on track and have recruited additional resources to to deal with the unprecedented demand

“I tried to make an order from a supermarket chain but the closest delivery date was mid-May - another told me it would be two weeks at least,” said Irma Vaiciuleviciute, 39, who lives in Dubai's Motor City.

The Lithuanian said she would have to get a permit and go out to the shops herself instead.

“Even if we wanted to stay at home, we have no choice but to go out and get the groceries ourselves," she said.

The UAE has largely escaped panic buying, and most supermarket shelves remain stacked every day, as promised by the government and delivered by daily cargo flights.

But while the country's vast motorbike delivery fleet is geared up to ensure takeaways reach doorsteps within an hour, home supermarket deliveries are relatively new.

Most chains have small fleets of minibuses unused to large orders and some do not offer home deliver at all.

Arousha Fannan, 42, who works in fashion, said Carrefour's same day delivery service was extended to three days last week.

“I placed another order this week and was told it would be 15 days," she said.

“I am finding we are having to plan orders well in advance because otherwise we will just end up ordering junk food.”

Social media users on Carrefour’s Facebook page also told of long delays.

“We have received an extraordinary increase in online orders,” Carrefour UAE wrote in response.

We're working really hard to continue helping customers, while also prioritising the safety of our teams and partners

“We are working around the clock to get back on track and have recruited additional resources to support our colleagues to deal with the unprecedented demand.”

It was not just groceries that shoppers were left with long delays for.

“I ordered appliances from Carrefour and Amazon last week as we’re moving this weekend,” said Dubai resident Sarah Marks, 35, from Canada.

“There is still no word of when they will be delivered and we are left with no fridge or stove.”

The mother-of-two and teacher said her attempts to contact the companies for information had only added to her frustration.

“I’ve got no answer from Carrefour and Amazon just reiterated the information that was already on their website,” she said.

An Amazon.ae representative told The National they were dealing with a huge increase in online orders.

“We’re working really hard to continue helping customers, while also prioritising the safety of our teams and partners, including maintaining safe social distance from co-workers and increasing the frequency and intensity of cleaning at all sites," they said.

“In the past few weeks, many customers have turned to online shopping as a way to find their everyday needs such as groceries, sanitisers, and work from home supplies."

When The National called Choithrams' hotline on Friday morning, a company representative said it would take at least week for a delivery in Dubai.

For an order for essential groceries worth around Dh400 through the Union Coop mobile application, the earliest delivery date was April 12 but only between 6pm and 8pm.

At Kibsons, the fruit and vegetables delivery company, Dubai customers should expect a week long wait with the earliest delivery slot being April 17 between 5pm and 9pm.

Carrefour had a two-week waiting time in Dubai, and a single slot was available on Thursday April 23, after which the next spot was April 25.