UES Delivery Center Ups Security Amid Neighbors' Safety Complaints

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A rapid grocery delivery center has brought on security guards to police its own workers after repeated complaints from neighbors, according to a report and a local lawmaker.

The Gopuff fulfillment center on the corner of Lexington Avenue and East 90th Street had already come under scrutiny for employing fleets of workers on e-bikes and motorized scooters who flouted traffic laws and clogged nearby streets in an effort to keep the company's promise of deliveries "within minutes," as City Councilmember Julie Menin charged in February.

Unlike many similar companies, Gopuff also employs vehicle drivers, who frequently double-park their cars in front of the Lexington Avenue location, Menin told Patch.

Now, Gopuff has hired a security guard to "monitor" its own workers in response to the double-parking, as well as more complaints that drivers talk loudly and smoke outside the fulfillment enter, the New York Post reported Wednesday.

A Gopuff representative told the president of a nearby co-op building that security would be onsite "each evening," adding that the company reminded workers to use an indoor lounge instead of congregating on the street, according to the Post.

Menin's office confirmed that Gopuff had upped its security at the Lexington Avenue site. But the lawmaker told Patch that she had not requested the presence, which she feared would not address the core issues of double-parking, idling and reckless driving.

"To guarantee you’re going to deliver anywhere in New York City within 15 minutes is creating a dangerous situation for the workers and for pedestrians," said Menin, who has introduced legislation that would bar companies from making 15-minute delivery promises and allow the city to further regulate them.

Gopuff, which once boasted that its average delivery took just 15 to 20 minutes, has apparently scaled back that promise in recent months, with its website now saying deliveries take "as little as 30 minutes."

In a statement, a Gopuff spokesperson said that the company "employs security personnel at locations across the country, including at multiple locations in New York City.

"Security decisions are made on a case-by-case and ongoing basis and vary depending on the specific needs of the store in order to secure inventory, staff and the surrounding area," the spokesperson said.

Not everyone agreed — an executive at Gorillas, a rival delivery service, told the Post that such security was "unusual" for the industry.

The Lexington Avenue

Related coverage:

• Upper East Side Delivery Center Endangers Neighbors, Menin Says
• 2 UES 'Dark Stores' Are Operating Illegally, Boro Prez Says