In The Age Of Coronavirus, The Milkman Cometh

By Susie Madrak — May 25, 2020

How about that? I never thought I'd ever see a milk truck again. On CNN's New Day:

"In a world dramatically changed by this pandemic, some of what is old has become new again. The milkman in fact is making a comeback. CNN's Athena Jones has the story," Alysin Camerota said.

"These are fresh pints of half 'n half."

"For Doug Wade in Bridgeport, Connecticut, March was a scary time, with schools shutting down and stay-at-home restrictions forcing many other clients to close their doors," Jones said.

"And we lost 50% of our business, literally overnight."

"So he switched gears, supplying grocery stores facing shortages, and as schools ramped up programs to feed needy students stuck at home, his company regained some of the lost business. Then --"

The phones started ringing for people looking for home delivery service. Do you do this? No, we don't. We did it in the past but after you get enough of these calls, you start saying geeze, I wonder if this could be a viable way to sell milk again.

"The delivery service he launched has been a hit with customers like Christine in nearby Fairfield."

It's been a big boon for us because we were struggling with grocery deliveries. It was just really eased a lot of anxiety and stress.

"Wade's delivers to 260 customers in some 30 towns across the state, and recently bought another truck. Being a milkman is it in Wade's blood."

I was 7 or 8-years-old, the 'cling cling' noise of glass milk bottles banging up against the metal dividers is something I'll never forget.

"His great grandfather delivered in a horse and buggy in 1893. After a century, Wade's halted deliveries in 1992 as clients' habits changed. Covid-19 is shaking things up all over again and not just for Wade's. Producers and distributors across the country are reporting a surge in demand for home delivery. Doorstep Delivery in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, delivers 300 families a week, another 300 on a waiting list and hiring more staff to try to keep up with demand," Jones said.

We probably tripled our home delivery customers in a three or four-week time until we maxed out our capacity.

"Chateau has a waiting list, seen demand rise some 230% since late March to more than 4,000 customers and have doubled their staff," she said.

We purchased four new delivery trucks and created countless new routes, probably about 14 new routes throughout the metro over that period of time.

"Each company provides no-contact delivery to protect social distancing."

Would you like to have home delivery for tomorrow?

"It isn't just milk. Wade's sells a variety of dairy and non-dairy products, including yogurt, cheese, eggs, fresh bread, orange juice and meats."

The bacon will not be available until the end of May.

"The companies are hopeful that strong demand will continue even after the pandemic. Suddenly in this business, everything old is new again. Athena Jones, CNN, Bridgeport, Connecticut."

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