Tired of 'sob stories' shared online, veteran food delivery rider tells newbies to toughen up

Since the coronavirus outbreak and the implementation of the circuit breaker, folks who’ve had their income affected have turned to the one job that’s very much in demand: making deliveries across the island. 

An unforeseen side effect from the influx of people joining the dispatch workforce? An increase in personal experiences and accounts shared on social media about the challenges faced while making deliveries. 

One veteran delivery rider who’s been at it since before the dawn of food delivery apps and services, however, is “slightly sick and tired” of reading all the complaints and sob stories online from his fellow associates during the circuit breaker. 

You know, stories like this GrabFood rider who detailed the pressures he faced from both customers and F&B staff. Or this local artist turned food deliveryman who shared some heartbreaking experiences on the road. Or this statement by the man who got into a very public quarrel with the staff of a bubble tea outlet.

Facebook user Mathadi Kassim believes that there’s no need to post such setbacks on social media — the challenges faced by food delivery riders these days are no different from how it was way before the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“All the apparently sad stories being shared are really normal and part and parcel of a delivery rider. Waiting time, rude customers, etc,” he wrote on Facebook. “It's actually very very normal. There's really nothing to complain about.”

Though he mentioned that there’s no need to share sob stories, he shared some of his — including waiting for an order of two plain pratas for an hour, eating his meals by the side of the road, and receiving low ratings for late deliveries despite some things being out of his control. 

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/mathadi/posts/10158445424092698[/embed]

“This is all very normal,” he asserted. “It's just this current pandemic and CB has seen a surge of new delivery riders who are not used to this and suddenly create all [these] sob stories that the rest of us have been going through for YEARS. [sic]” 

Mathadi went on to list how his fellow seasoned riders have kept their emotions in check despite other challenges, including seeing lower earnings when “PMD kias and cyclists” entered the fray and when the circuit breaker induced many more to join the delivery services market.

“We sucked it up and move on. These new CB delivery riders just need to suck it up and move on too,” he wrote. 

”It's a life and path you chose, so just suck it up and move on or don't do it.”

Many agreed with Mathadi’s views, but some tried to explain to the man how newbies would need some time to toughen up to his level. 

ilyas@asiaone.com

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