Grofers co-founder defends 10-min delivery service

Grofers recently launched 10-minute delivery in 10 cities has met with criticism after netizens took to social media, alleging that the service will push riders to drive fast and break traffic rules to deliver groceries in 10 minutes, increasing the plight of gig workers with regards to compensation and working conditions.

Co-founder and CEO Albinder Dhinsa had announced the move in a blog post a couple of months ago.

Breaking the silence on the criticism that Grofers is an "inhuman valuation seeking corporation which puts lives at risk to deliver groceries in 10 minutes," CEO Albinder Dhinsa issued a clarification. He said,

"It breaks my heart that instead of celebrating innovation coming from India, some of us stay cynical/envious of people who are trying to break the status quo. And that not all companies are built on the back of exploitation of the poor. There are companies which are built by creating large swathes of employment, and generating tremendous amount of value for all stakeholders. We are and want to continue to be one of these companies."

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Albinder said the company's partner stores are located within 2 kilometres of its customers, and it has more than 60 stores in Delhi and 30 stores in Gurugram.

He added that its stores are so densely located that the company can deliver 90 percent of the orders within 15 minutes, even if its riders rode under 10 kmph.

"Our in-store planning and tech is now so good that we can pack most orders under 2.5 minutes. Our riders are not (dis)incentivised to deliver orders fast. They do it at their own pace and rhythm," said Albinder.

He clarified that Grofers has had zero reported riders' accidents in the last two months since the launch of the 10-minute delivery service.