Hi! Thank you for taking the time to answer some of our questions. We follow your publications on the Internet (www.dostawca-jeczenia.pl), and we are impressed by their reliability and systematicity.
Maybe first tell us something about yourself: how long have you been working as a Platform Provider? How did you get into this job?
Before the pandemic, I co-ran a restaurant for 12 years. As you can easily guess, the beginnings of the pandemic were a terrible time for restaurateurs. The level of stress we experienced is basically indescribable. We managed to survive the first lockdown, but I was actually sure that this was not the end and that similar situations would probably repeat themselves. So I decided to get out of this business. I took a break for a few months to rest and in February 2021 I started a completely different business. Since running it didn’t take up much of my time, it was natural to look for additional work. During the pandemic, I personally delivered orders from our restaurant and I liked it, so I decided that Uber Eats could be a cool way to additionally finance a new business.
Unfortunately, after a year it turned out that my idea did not work. So I suspended my activities in that area and decided to focus on delivery. I started a blog and then I signed up for Wolt, and after another year I also signed up for Stuart, Bolt Food and Szama Express.
What did you use to work in the past and what do you work with now: a scooter, a bicycle, a car?
When it comes to vehicles, from the beginning the assumption was that when it is safe to do so, I ride a bike, and when it is too wet or frosty, I ride a car. The only thing that has changed over these 3 years is that I switched from a regular bike to an electric bike.
How do you work: under a Partner or do you run a business?
I still have my business. Unfortunately, currently only Uber Eats settles directly on the JDG [Sole Proprietorship Business], so I have Wolt and Bolt through the Partner, but also through my JDG.
You have been working as a Supplier for a long time, so you probably have some comparison: what was work like when you started and what is it like now? What has changed for the better and what for the worse?
First of all, wages were relatively higher then. Nowadays, let’s say you earn a little more on Uber than back then, but taking into account inflation, it’s not very good. In Wolt, earnings are lower, even taking into account inflation. Of course, the war in Ukraine changed everything. Suddenly there were many more of us.
I think what has also changed is the issue of working on several apps. Three years ago, only a few people did this, and applications were also – let’s say – just starting to consider this option. Currently, I think that most couriers in large cities – apart from those from Pyszne.pl – work on more than one app.
Among more prosaic issues, waiting times for orders in restaurants are certainly much shorter these days. Three years ago, when you arrived at the pub and your order was ready to be picked up, it was a rather pleasant surprise. Now the order is usually waiting.
Have you ever had your account suspended by the Platform?
Theoretically, Stuart suspended my account because I simply didn’t start using it. When the time came that I wanted to ride for them, it turned out that the account was not suspended after all. I didn’t have this kind of problems in other apps.
What do you like about this job? What are its advantages?
What I like most is that, unlike regular jobs, where private life somehow adapts to working hours, in a delivery job it is the other way around – we can adapt work to other aspects of life. I come up with the idea that I’m going to relax in the forest, so I just put my family in the car and go. I want to make an appointment with the doctor, go to the barber, go shopping and I can do it at any time. Do I need to be home at, say, 1 p.m.? Cool – I’m here. Tired at work? I log out of the app and go home. For someone who has worked uncomfortable hours for 12 years, sometimes at night and sometimes for a month without a day off, such comfort is amazing. My wife is also delighted with it, we spend incomparably more time together than before.
Besides, I’m not the type of person for long-term projects. I like what’s going on at work. When I can complete individual tasks quickly, here and now. Delivery is exactly like that. I also like the unpredictability of this job. I haven’t been bored with it for over 3 years.
Have you ever had any unpleasant, dangerous situations? Did anyone help you then?
Apart from the bicycle accident when I injured my hand, I had no dangerous options. Unfortunately, at that time I did not read enough about the insurance rules we have in Wolta and did not apply for compensation, which I could theoretically get.
However, you are probably asking about the threat of violence. I didn’t have such options, but I heard about a situation in which Wolt support, suspecting a potentially aggressive customer, recommended that the courier stop processing the order.
If you could give some advice to people just starting out, what would you tell them? What should they pay attention to and what should they avoid?
I would recommend reading my blog 🙂 I created it to make it easier for people to enter this industry. Only later was it supposed to be a place for journalism. I know this isn’t the answer you were hoping for, but the truth is that I would have so much advice like this that it’s hard to include it in an interview. I would definitely recommend taking a relaxed approach to this job. Of course, try to do it as best as you can, but don’t worry about it too much. If something goes wrong, there are still thousands of deliveries ahead of you that you can do better. Of course, it is worth learning from mistakes so as not to make them in the future.
We will publish the second part of the interview tomorrow!