The email addresses tenants by name but comes with a picture that shows a QFM management logo but has a filename that misspells Fresh Meadows. The email offers free, same-day grocery delivery “with NO delivery fees and NO minimum order and a customer service number that, strangely, has a western Alabama area code. Could this be a spam message?

No. Avonow is a legitimate company that has successfully delivered groceries to such developments as Stuyvesant Town. That’s not to say you should click on any of the links, which are heavily encrypted, presumably for data tracking purposes and possibly for commissions to signupforebill.com, a website notable for its lack of a posted privacy policy.

A FMTA volunteer visited the Avonow.com website to check the price of liquid detergent and toilet paper, two items that can heavily or awkward to carry home to an apartment up flights of stairs. Avonow showed inconsistent pricing. An 8-roll package of Scott 100 Sheets toilet paper was $12.21, overpriced, but 12-roll package of the same was lower, $12.09. A local Food Universe, offering free delivery (first order) via InstaCart, priced the smaller size at $10.49 and the larger size at $13.99.

A 46-ounce of Tide detergent was priced at $11.77 and $7.59 (with coupon) at Food Universe, a significant savings. If you are wondering, for 20 cents more than the Avonow price, one could have ordered 92 ounces  (twice as much) of Tide detergent from Amazon prime free one-day service (free for a 30-days trial).

The inconsistent and sometime excessively expensive prices might make one think twice before using this service, which gets as high a mark for service from existing customers as its online app gets a low mark (better to use the website).

However, when most of us think of grocery delivery, we think of groceries being delivered to our apartments and not a laundry room. That’s correct, unless you a resident of the twenty-story building (6700 192nd St.), Avonow will be delivering your grocery order to a nearby Laundry Room! As the FMTA volunteer-turned researcher said, “That kinda defeats the whole purpose of online grocery ordering and delivery.”