A new wrinkle in online 'grocery stores'

   Earlier this month, I placed another order from Jet.com. This time there was something different.
   A new category had been added. Everything in the new category had one thing in common. When the goods arrived, they would be 'Cold Packed.'
   This meant, that, now fresh foods would be available to online shoppers. Meat, dairy, salads, fruits, bakery goods including French bread, were, for the first time, available.
   There was a brief description of how the delivery would work.
   A combination of ice packs and dry ice used together in large insulated bags with a sticky cover flap would get the goods delivered. Add to this the 2-day shipping and online fresh food would now be a reality.
   I waited with anticipation. Previously, Jet had always been happy to refund damaged goods promptly and in a friendly manner. The cold packed goods carried a caveat: no returns. Understandable since fresh perishable foods were involved. Who would be able to resale a head of lettuce after several day in the back of postal vehicles? Cream and milk would sour by the time they were returned.
   The delivery arrived. The time was the stated two days, but, the shipment was a day or so in preparation before the actual ship.
   Among other things, I had ordered a ready-to-eat box of fried chicken, a steak, Greek yogurt, and ice cream.
   A total of $81.+ for fresh foods. When I say fresh foods, I'm using that as a synonym for perishable foods and therefore 'cold packed' goods.
   I ordered a couple of prepared salads to go with the chicken for a picnic style meal. The prepared salads, e.g. cole slaw, came in plastic tubs. Both were damaged. Ice is hard and hard on, plastic and other relatively delicate materials. The damage was minor and the food very edible. The biggest casualty was the guacamole in a plastic bag inside a pasteboard cover. The bag had been punctured and the dip squeezed like toothpaste over several items. The least damage occurred to a container of ice cream. The product had softened on the upper half inch of the upper surface, the inner area remaining much firmer, though not hard. The chicken, on the other hand was frozen solid as a rock.
   I found one other issue with the order. A package of 24oz of ground beef had been replaced by a 16oz package of ground veal. Taste-wise, the beef is more robust in flavor, the veal more delicate. The latter might be used in a gourmet preparation (read: subtle flavors). I actually enjoy veal. I had not eaten veal in so many years, I had forgotten to check on availability.
   I contacted Jet and was generously refunded the cost of damaged items as well as the substituted item. They remain one of the best run stores, online and off, especially when ti comes to customer service.