The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way people regard grocery delivery business DropIt Delivery, its co-owner said yesterday.Carl Vincent said: “Very quickly, it went from being viewed as partially a luxury to a 100 per cent necessity.”DropIt is delivering 60 to 80 grocery orders daily, Mr Vincent said, a 200 per cent increase over the normal volume of business. It is also facilitating 15 to 20 grocery pickups each day, he said.Mr Vincent revealed: “It got busier last Thursday afternoon. From Saturday, we have been sold out of time slots for a week and a half in advance.“Some people have booked ahead for the next five weeks to ensure that they get a slot every week.”The organisation has 35 delivery agents, as well as a team of 15 to 20 shoppers who fulfil the orders at Lindo’s in Warwick, Mr Vincent said.He added: “The team is growing by the day as new people are out of a job for a little while. They are funnelling right into this.“Drop-offs have mostly been contactless. For pickups, the trunks of vehicles are open, and we have a few quick words through the window, and that’s it. “We are pretty keen on helping to limit people’s exposure. Ultimately, that will end up saving lives.”The company has changed its delivery schedule, moving from a time slot approach to deliveries by parish, which Mr Vincent said was working well.“At midday today (Monday), we were doing shopping for tomorrow’s (Tuesday’s) orders and getting them out,” he said. “For future orders, a customer may have chosen Wednesday for delivery, but they might get it Monday. Customers will receive a call to ask if that is fine.”Delivery charges have been reduced, Mr Vincent said, adding that a percentage of DropIt’s administrative fees have been dedicated to the gratuity pool for shoppers and drivers.