Groceries arrive damaged with ice cream leaking, FairPrice reviewing incident with logistics team
A FairPrice customer was shocked to find multiple items in his grocery order damaged upon delivery, including Häagen-Dazs ice cream tubs with cracked, leaking lids.
Stomper L, who said he has been a regular FairPrice customer for years, placed his order on Aug 30 and had it delivered on Sept 1 between 4pm and 6pm.
He said the delivery man left the groceries at his doorstep, after which he unpacked the items and discovered that almost all of them appeared to have been dented, crushed or damaged.
Among the affected items were two tubs of Häagen-Dazs ice cream. L said one tub had a badly dented and cracked lid, with ice cream already leaking out. The other was also badly dented and leaking.
He said the ice cream was “quite soggy” and that the damaged packaging and torn seal led him to discard both tubs.
Other affected items included a carton of Peel Fresh’s Powerberries juice, which was badly dented and crushed, and Pokka Pomegranate juice drink packets, which L said was badly crushed and “extremely hot” when he received it.
He also found an apple that he said was “unusually warm upon delivery”.
L said he was particularly concerned about the condition of the ice cream packaging. “Imagine the... (lid) is so hard. Yet still can crack,” he said.
L said he contacted FairPrice immediately and was refunded for the affected items.
He told Stomp this was the first time he had encountered such extensive damage despite having placed more than 100 orders with FairPrice over the years.
“This is far beyond what I would consider normal handling damage,” he added.
He said he continues to order groceries online because of occasional exclusive discounts and because buying drinks in bulk can be more convenient than transporting them himself.
“Why share with Stomp? Because I was extremely amazed with how violent the packer was. Maybe they would spark many (conversations) on this article,” shared L.
FairPrice reviewing incident with logistics team
In a Sept 3 response to L, FairPrice apologised for the condition of his groceries and said it has standard operating procedures to ensure chilled, frozen and fragile goods are properly packed and transported.
It said fresh items are securely packed and kept at room temperature, while chilled items are transported in cooler boxes at 7°C or below.
Frozen items are packed with dry ice in Styrofoam or cooler boxes designed to maintain temperatures of -12°C or below.
FairPrice also said its drivers are trained to open the Styrofoam and cooler boxes when delivering the items, and that regular temperature tests are conducted to ensure the cold chain is maintained.
“We take your feedback seriously and are actively reviewing this incident with our logistics team,” it said.
Regarding the damaged Pokka Pomegranate juice drink, Peel Fresh Powerberries juice and Häagen-Dazs ice cream, FairPrice said it would “seek improvements on this to ensure our packing and handling standards are consistently upheld from our warehouse to your doorstep.”
As a goodwill gesture, FairPrice offered L a $20 promo code for his next online purchase.
L accepted the offer, and said the case was subsequently closed.
Stomp has reached out to FairPrice for comment
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