NYC moves to crack down on ‘dark stores’ operated by fast delivery apps

[Kamaji]

NYC moves to crack down on ‘dark stores’ operated by fast delivery apps

By Lisa Fickenscher
May 6, 2022

Mayor Eric Adams is moving to crack down on the proliferation of warehouse-like spaces that grocery delivery apps have created inside former Big Apple storefronts – ordering them to allow customers to shop there or move to the outskirts of the city, The Post has learned.

Critics including City Council members Gale Brewer and Christopher Marte have argued that storefronts operated by apps like Gopuff and Gorillas violate zoning laws because they operate mostly as warehouses and should therefore move out of neighborhoods zoned for retail use.

In response, some of the stores recently began allowing walk-in customers in an ad-hoc manner.

This week, the Department of Buildings issued more specific guidance on how the storefronts can continue to do business, saying they must allow shoppers to enter, pick up items or place an order — without requiring them to first download an app.

Businesses that don’t allow shoppers to enter the store and to purchase goods on the spot would be relegated to areas of the city zoned for manufacturing, a DOB spokesperson told The Post.

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Source:  https://nypost.com/2022/05/06/nyc-moves-to-crack-down-on-fast-delivery-apps-dark-stores/

[Fishrrman]

I'm wonderin' if the real reason behind the establishment of these places is to stop shoplifting and theft?

Relocating them to the "outskirts" of town will kill the businesses, because they won't be able to make as many deliveries, and "fresh" items won't be so fresh...