SINGAPORE: A home-based business’ act of placing signs on the door of their residence has not sat well with the delivery riders who help to disseminate their products.
An Instagram post showing a photo of the signs on the @sgriders account has gone viral, with many commenters expressing sympathy for the riders.
The biggest takeaway here is that in a business ecosystem where parties are mutually dependent, showing respect to everyone is key.
There are three signs posted on the door. The first is right beside a doorbell, and arts innocently enough, with instructions for “riders here for collection” to “please press the bell.”
The sign also tells the riders to “wait patiently,” adding that they can sit on the bench while waiting.
The other two signs grow increasingly aggressive.
The second reads, “If you arrive early… learn to wait!!! Orders take time to prepare… You can always cancel your order,” although it ends with a smiley face, perhaps to soften the blow.
It’s the third sign that takes the cake, however, as it reads: “If you cannot wait… maybe this job not 4 u, here r some jobs that requires no waiting (sic) you can consider: toilet cleaner, grave digger, landscaping, elder care.”
No wonder the riders, as well as many other netizens, were upset.
The IG post begins with appreciation for the bench, but adds that “ the rude and degrading comments from this home-based business are uncalled for and unnecessary.”
The post author went on to seek people’s empathy and understanding when they “we seem impatient at times,” since riders, after all, depend on getting orders from vendors to customers as quickly as they can.
“As Riders, long wait times and unreasonable vendors are just some longstanding issues that affect our livelihood. We hope that other business can be less antagonistic and be kinder to Riders in the future,” they added.
Netizens commenting on the post asked that the home-based business be named so that they can stop patronizing it. The business is allegedly one based in Punggol and sells cookies and coffee drinks.
One commenter, however, claimed to know the owner of the business and spoke up in her defence.
“I work as a grabfood rider too and i do know the owner. Talk to her multiple times and she is really nice! Not sure why she put up the cardboard, i agree that the last cardboard was unnecessary.
“Not siding anyone here, but instead of posting online and bashing the business at the comment section, maybe its good that the person who took this photo dm the business and tell them that it is unnecessary and this might hurt other riders.” /TISG
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