A Food Program Online: Shortages? What Shortages?
May 15, 2020
Retailers have adapted their sales model to serve customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Humanity’s best qualities have also surfaced as we help each other during the bleak present. Combining charity and shopping in one, Walmart and Nextdoor launched a new assistance program. Techcrunch shares the story: “Nextdoor And Walmart Partner On A New Neighborly Assistance Program.”
Nextdoor is a neighborhood social network and the new “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” endeavor will allow vulnerable people to request shopping assistance from their neighbors who are already going to Walmart. Nextdoor users will post assistance requests in local groups via the Web site or app. Users can work out details through private messages or a message board.
The “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” is a low cost alternative to grocery delivery services and will help vulnerable people on fixed incomes.
The program is voluntary and Walmart is not monitoring the program. Walmart only partnered with Nextdoor to facilitate the “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” program.
“‘We’re inspired everyday by the kindness of people around the world who are stepping up and helping out. In recent weeks, we’ve been blown away by the number of members who have raised their hand to run an errand, go to the grocery store, or pick up a prescription for a neighbor,’ said Sarah Friar, Nextdoor CEO, about the feature. ‘We’re grateful for Walmart’s partnership to make this important connection between neighbors around vital services, and we’re proud to come together to ensure everyone has a neighborhood to rely on,’ she said.”
Helping vulnerable people during the COVID-19 pandemic is important, but the people who would use the “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” program could also be made targets via the same service. Nextdoor has useful information about crime which is not comprehensively indexed right now. The data about shopping and the “address / location” of those in need is a potential problem for users and an opportunity for bad actors to know whom to target.
And if there are food shortages? Virtue signals will light up.
Whitney Grace, May 15, 2020
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