Post-COVID, are retailers getting amnesia about drive-ups and curbside pick-ups?
Has the worldwide pandemic forever changed customer attitudes?
Two minutes turned into five minutes. Five minutes turned into 10 minutes. I watched McDonald’s customers bang on the door, huff in their cars and complain about the wait. One customer was so upset about how long his order was taking from the drive-up lane that he didn’t even want to back out of his parking spot. He just turned his car sideways and drove straight through four empty parking spots, including the drive-up location I was standing in with my dog. (Karma won though because four cars blocked him in by the exit, so he ended up stuck in McDonald’s parking lot anyway.)
During the pandemic from 2020 to 2022, customers had no choice but to wait outside or shop in small groups. If we didn’t, we’d all be at risk of getting COVID-19 from each other. With face masks on and standing 6 feet apart, vaccinated or unvaccinated, we tried to stay as far away from strangers as we could. And in 2023, while no customer wants to revert back to three years prior, some of us have learned the convenience of drive-up shopping and curbside pickups.
The perks of not shopping in stores:
Customers can stick to their grocery list.
Impulse buying significantly decreases.
Crowded aisles and lines become almost nonexistent.
Retailers and restaurant employees have become our personal shoppers, even without a Shipt, goPuff or Instacart membership. But with retail sales plummeting in recent months, and both established workers and younger employees having mixed opinions about applying for traditional corporate jobs, retailers may not be ready to continue with this convenience.
Recommended Read: “Boredom buying: Why impulse shopping is becoming the new norm”
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I didn’t just notice this during my 10-minute wait in the parking lot of McDonald’s. (I gave up and went to the door. I found out they didn’t have enough staff to man the counters and the drive-thru and outside pickups. My order was just sitting on the counter getting cold.)
I also noticed that the drive-up parking spaces at Kohl’s now have covered signs. Then, I realized the Starbucks app had so many complications with ordering a curbside pickup that I uninstalled the application altogether and went into the cafe. After multiple arguments at Target about bringing my dog for drive-up pickups, I threw up my arms in disgust.
Recommended Read: “Why the drive-up lane makes sense for dog owners ~ The dog sitters I never asked for at Target (and Starbucks and McDonald's)”
It’s as if retailers said, “The pandemic is over, and so is your solo shopping option!”
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In one recent Better Business Bureau complaint about Target, another customer brought up a point I hadn’t thought of: “I am no longer able to purchase items online or drive up/in store pick up … When I email guest relations they refuse to provide a reason for this ban just say that I can only shop in stores now. I have 2 special needs children and cannot always get to the store therefore need online and drive up. They say it is not discrimination but it is.”
But before the pandemic happened, these outside pickups weren’t an option. So are customers being unreasonable or is it retailers?