Delivery robberies surge in the Bronx, impacting local businesses and workers

THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) -- In the Bronx, delivery orders from your local restaurant or supermarket may be hard to find.

Business owners have become aware of a new type of robbery in which delivery workers are not paid for their goods.

Bersania Alba owns Amor Supermarket; her business has been around for 17 years. PIX11 News spoke to her, and in Spanish, she said Monday that in the last weeks, three of her delivery men have been robbed. She said customers call asking for delivery and will wait for the delivery workers outside. Once that worker arrives, they are met by a group of individuals who are usually on mopeds. Then the customers told the workers they didn’t have money to pay. They take the delivered goods and whatever cash the delivery worker has. 

“They have helmets, glass and masks. Their faces are covered, so it's very hard to see who they are,” said Francisco Marte.

He is the president of Bodega and Small Business Group. He said these local stores implemented delivery after seeing big companies like Amazon doing it. Lately, he’s been hearing an uptick about this type of robberies, and with no evidence like video, it has been hard to report to the police.

“All the bodega and supermarket owners, we know that if you call the police if there’s not a knife or gun involved, they take long to go,” added Marte.

So far, none of the delivery workers involved have gotten hurt, but small businesses take a big financial hit when this type of robbery occurs regularly. Marte has a theory about who could be behind the thefts.

“Many people that are out shelters and they don’t have work,” he added. “Because this thing are doing now, they never do that before, its something we have to reinvent every day to face the situation.”

That business owner has put restrictions in place. Now, payment is required ahead of the delivery, and she’s even implemented delivery cut-off times to prevent putting her workers at risk.