TL;DR – Food delivery riders encounter a lot more struggles than we know.
In a vlog that has since garnered more than 415,000 views, an National University of Singapore (NUS) undergrad, Nini Jiang, shared about her experience as a GrabFood delivery rider.
While there were lighthearted and heartwarming moments like the little kitty who wouldn’t let her take her bicycle, there were also tough moments where she encountered a really big order that she almost couldn’t carry 🙁
Jiang also described a heart-stopping moment when she fumbled on an order that she hadn’t completed…
In the closing scene, the NUS undergrad shared how much she earned from the deliveries.
A honest day’s work and a total of $48.70 for 10 deliveries 🙂
In the short video, Jiang gave viewers a glimpse into her life as a food delivery rider where she made deliveries from dim sum, fried chicken to Subway sandwiches. You can watch the full video here:
Pretty interesting, huh!
By now, we’ve heard lots of stories from delivery rider, including some very weird ones too.
But have you ever wondered how it’s like being a food delivery rider in Singapore, and what are some of the common struggles they faced while working as a food delivery rider?
Rude customers do exist…
The reality is that not everyone is as kind and polite like the customers in Jiang’s video… From grumbles to rants, food delivery riders kena from customers when doing their deliveries all the time. We all know how hangry people are…
Food delivery workers really appreciate tips!
A few dollars in tips may not mean much to us, but it really makes their day! Remember this the next time you order your bubble tea, bak chor mee and fast food. C’mon, don’t skimp on tips if you can afford to give?
Traffic (traffic enforcement officers – oops) is the bane of their lives
Before you tekan a delivery person for arriving with your food late, do consider that they probably aren’t the ones truly responsible for the delay.
You see, at times the restaurant may be staff-strapped, and other times, there could be bad traffic conditions causing the delay. Often, they get stopped for speeding and exceeding weight limits as well… These are things completely out of their control. To take it out on them is rather unkind, right?
Put on some music, read a book and chill while you wait for your yummy food in the comfort of your own home!
Food delivery riders do recognise the need to upskill
Azhrin, 31, is one food delivery worker who believes that everyone needs to be adaptable and upgrade themselves. He is now an area manager with foodpanda! Azhrin credits his success to the in-house training offered by foodpanda. Among others, Excel and leadership courses were some of the training that the company sent him for.
While many food delivery workers are more focused on critical bread and butter issues day to day, other food delivery workers have taken advantage of the support for SEPs to go for training.
With these training support, hopefully our food delivery workers can upskill themselves and pivot in time to come!
In the meantime, for you and me, it doesn’t hurt to offer a few words of concern and a little empathy when you meet them yah. Oh, and tip, tip, tip if you can! After all, many of us couldn’t have made it through the Circuit Breaker period without these invisible essential workers.
I don’t know about you, but when the craving hits at home and I’m too lazy to get my a** off the sofa, they are more essential to me than anything else!
Cover image via