TL;DR – No rider in the right state of mind would want to delay our orders. So let’s not take it out on them, it’s probably not their fault.
A Facebook post by a food delivery rider Jerry Toh went viral over the weekend. I just had a look again, it’s been shared 7,000 times at this point of writing.
In his post, Jerry shares some of the challenges food delivery riders face. For instance, he appeals for restaurant staff’s understanding when food delivery riders ask if their food orders are ready for collection. He shares that some can get agitated when asked, and will tell the riders they can always cancel if they cannot wait. Sure, the riders can cancel, but they would need to know how long the wait is or how many customers are ahead of their orders before they can make the cancel decision.
Fair enough, methinks.
And there’s really no need to be rude to anyone, whether you’re the restaurant staff, restaurant boss, food delivery riders, Grab customers, or walk-in customers.
Jerry also wonders why some restaurants start accepting orders on the app even before they start their operations for the day. He was just sent to a restaurant to pick up food on Saturday only to be told to wait 30 minutes since the restaurant had not yet opened for operations.
Why, though, do restaurants do this? They’re wasting the riders’ time by making them wait, and also risk the customers’ wrath by making them wait. The poor riders will probably have to be bear the brunt of the customers’ anger for the wait, you know.
On the customers’ front, Jerry shares that there are not-so-understanding ones,
“I once had to deliver an order which box was too big to fit into my thermal bag on a raining day.
I ended up at the customer place with his order, rain drops on the plastic bag but food was intact. He asked me. “How come the bag so wet?” “Er.. Because it is raining Sir?” Most probably, he gave me a 1 star rating.”
But Jerry is quick to add that “there are many kind souls out there. Often I will receive texts asking me to ride safely, take ur time etc etc. Its just the minorities out there that spoils our day/ mood.”
Jerry wraps up his post by asking for patience from customers when we next order our food. Delivery guys are human too. He also shares that they will be grateful if customers tip them a dollar or two if they like their service.
So yea, during this challenging COVID-19 situation, let us all be kinder to one another.
And if you’re one of those blessed enough to enjoy stable income from a stable job and if you can afford to tip, it’s a good time to be a little more generous by helping those who do not have a steady income stream right now.
Here’s the Facebook post in full, in case you can’t see it.
Sometimes, life feels like shit. It feels even shitter when you are a food delivery rider and being rude at.
Many atimes, when we reach the restaurant & ask if our order is ready, we get replied rudely by restaurant staff, especially so during peak hours.
Many restaurants are understaffed and lack manpower during this period. They simply can’t cope with the orders & their walk in customers.
The common replies we often get shouted at during peak hours? “You can, you wait. If you cannot wait, Cancel!” Yes. We do have the option to cancel the order but at the very least, restaurant staff should let us know how many orders there are infront of us before we can decide right? Nope, some choose to shout at us yet greet their walk in customers with a big smile and serve them first before proceeding with our orders. And when we checked our orders again? They would simply reply “Preparing! Preparing!”
Riders would often encourage each other and tell each other to wait patiently. I can understand the stress & pressure we all go through. Peak hours is the only time we can get more orders. The rest of the timings we are basically just waiting for orders.
Then there are those resturants that are not ready for operation but they start to take in online orders. Was sent to a restaurant this afternoon but they were not ready for operation and was told to wait 30mins. Why would these restaurant do that? Not only we riders need to wait, their customers would also have to wait.
So, who gets the blame when your orders are delayed or you waited too long for ur orders? Us. Riders. Here’s the thing. No rider in the right state of mind would want to delay your orders. Get this clear.
Everyone wants to clear their current order ASAP and recieve the next order. Some are rushing for their daily targets, some are rushing for their incentives.
Its tough being a food delivery rider. I once had to deliver an order which box was too big to fit into my thermal bag on a raining day.
I ended up at the customer place with his order, rain drops on the plastic bag but food was intact. He asked me. “How come the bag so wet?” “Er.. Because it is raining Sir?” Most probably, he gave me a 1 star rating.
Having ranted so much, there are many kind souls out there. Often I will recieve texts asking me to ride safely, take ur time etc etc. Its just the minorities out there that spoils our day/ mood.
So, the next time when u order ur food. Pls have some patience. Delivery guys are human too. They are not superman (Ok, maybe some are ironman).
When ur next order arrives, thank your delivery guy. If u can, tip him a dollar or two if you liked his service. He will be grateful.
By the way, Jerry is one of those self-employed persons who have been impacted by the circuit breaker measures.
Before turning to food delivery work, he actually runs an enrichment school. His school, The Water Family Enrichment Centre runs tuition and swimming classes and Jerry is a swimming coach himself.
All swimming lessons have to be suspended during the circuit breaker period, so he’s decided to take up food delivery work for the time being.
Loving how positive Jerry is!
And how he has faith that self-employed persons and freelancers can be some of the strongest and most resilient people.
Good on you, Jerry, and good luck!
Since we’re on the topic of self-employed persons (SEPs), have you applied for the Self-employed persons Income Relief Scheme (SIRS) from NTUC yet?
Yes, NTUC is trying to help working Singaporeans cope better and to help with our livelihoods during these challenging times, including SEPs and freelancers. So do check out the support that NTUC is offering for the SEPs and freelancers and also for the unemployed.
In the event you’re looking for a job, be it permanent or temporary, you can also join these Telegram channels for job alerts under NTUC’s Job Security Council:
