Helping seniors help themselves with group buying
Helping seniors with online shopping and selecting good-value products have been the priorities of the No. 4 compound on Dalian Road W. in Yangpu District's Siping Subdistrict.
As most local residents are locked down due to the COVID-19 resurgence, group buying has become a new trend in the city.
The No. 4 compound is an old neighborhood with 470 residents, among whom are about 100 seniors over the age of 70 and 10 older than 90.
Many of them are not adept at using smart phones to buy necessities via group buying on WeChat.
The compound has formed a regulating way that each building has a leader selected when the pandemic broke out in early 2020 whose role is to update neighbors about new pandemic measures.
"The leaders are people who are interested in and enthusiastic about providing help to their neighbors," said Bao Qing, the assistant to the chief of the compound's residence Party committee.
"When there is a new group, we send information in a WeChat group and instruct building leaders to inquire about seniors' needs," Bao added. "When supplies arrive, volunteers deliver them to residents."
An agreement was forged to regulate group buying.
The agreement focuses on online purchasing, community deliveries, volunteer duties and support-each-other terms.
It lists living necessities, such as meat, vegetables, milk powder and diapers that can be purchased preferentially, and it advises people try not to buy things that are not necessary, such as cold-chain products and strawberries that are hard to disinfect.
Building leaders ensure product sources are legitimate and reliable and prices are reasonable. All goods are disinfected before they're delivered.
"Because the agreement was made by residents themselves, most of them are willing to follow it," Bao said. "We also helped form a team in the compound that includes residents and members of the residence committee to select good-value products."
The regulations made during the pandemic have given residents a sense of security and trust.
"My parents live in the community, and I am very relieved to have such good group-buying organizers, volunteers and neighbors next door. I am grateful for them," a resident said.