Hi Ömer, maybe first tell us who you are?
Hi Hey! I am 25 years old, I am a student, I came to Poland in 2018. I worked in various places, but mostly as a delivery person in a restaurant in Wilanów, Warsaw. A year ago I worked in logistics for 3 months as a translator and forwarder. I dealt with documents, for example driver certificates and truck permits. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get along with my boss, so with my last paycheck I bought a Golf 4 (with gas!) to make deliveries.
I do deliveries because I can’t find a job in my field or in a regular local store. Not that I don’t know the language (I have level B2). I am experienced in various fields, but I don’t really know what employers want. So now my only option is to drive.
When did you start working for the Glovo Platform?
I started working for Glovo last year, in September to be precise. After three months I got banned because I canceled slots too often. Then I registered on other apps. Later I found out that you can appeal against a ban. So in April they unblocked my account, the next day I drove without any problems, but the next day I was banned again – the same reason. So now I’m probably the world record for the fastest ban (after 15 hours! Then I went to the hub in Wola again and they unblocked my account again. Now I have an active account.
How do you work? Directly for Glovo or do you have an agreement with a Partner?
I work through a partner (Natviol), but I would prefer to work directly for Glovo or other Platforms. “City guardian”, i.e., the person who is in the Glovo hub, told me that it used to be possible to work directly for Glovo, but now only through Fleet Partners you can work, even crap. I have a mandate contract with the Fleet Partner. I believe that Partners are frauds, they charge PLN 120 or more per month from one person. It depends on how they settle accounts with the courier. You can, for example, every day, then the partner charges PLN 15 per day, or PLN 450 per month. I believe that everyone is able to settle their PIT, a partner is not needed, it is just a waste of money. They don’t influence anything anywhere, they don’t help in anything. On the first withdrawal, they collect PLN 50 as an activation fee. But no one knows what they are activating. If you are going to work as a delivery person, you need to make money for them first. This means that the first few orders will be for them, and only later may you start earning money for yourself. Several thousand people work for such partners throughout the country. If you do the math, it’s an astronomical amount. Personally, it pisses me off, they earned over PLN 1,000 from my work, so… I don’t want to swear, but I don’t know any other word for it.
And before you started working, what else did you have to do? Did you have to have some equipment?
Well, apart from the car, I also had to buy a thermal bag. It cost PLN 50. I travel by car, so only a bag was an option.
What do your earnings look like at Glovo? Has it changed somehow over time?
Now the earnings are not encouraging. From the beginning of this adventure, in September and October, I was able to withdraw PLN 1,300 per week. It was worth it, it was really nice. Generally, I drove after 6 or 8 p.m. until midnight. Hourly rate, always (yes, always) over PLN 40/h. So I had no problem.
But now, I can call this work modern slavery. I get up in the morning, I want to work, I have time blocks reserved, the planned ride is 5 hours. I think to myself, today I will earn PLN 200. I get my first order for PLN 8. I say: okay, maybe the next one will be cool. But the next one is for PLN 12, then an order from Biedronka, you can see that the customer bought over 20 kilograms a month (I never, ever hold a grudge against the customer, because I also order via the app). I will receive PLN 13 for such an order. If you do not split the order, you have PLN 1 (one zloty!) bonus for a heavy order. This is a laugh in the room. Later, you wonder because you received a tip of PLN 7 from your previous order. And after three hours of work, you have earned PLN 58. You have to subtract fuel from this (I’m assuming you weren’t hungry and didn’t eat anything). So the hourly rate is PLN 20, or if you’re lucky, PLN 25. Being angry with myself and the application, I use the emergency exit: I click “my transport broke down, I can’t drive”, and that’s it. This job would be profitable if I rode my bike from morning to night, but I’m not cut out for it, I wasn’t born for it.
And I’m really not making this all up. I’m on Dexterowski’s discord, everyone there has almost the same results as me, I check every day out of curiosity. Most people work on Glovo because it’s the only place where you don’t really have to wait between orders. Once delivered, your new order is already waiting for you. That’s why Bolt, Uber and Wolt are out.
Additionally: after registering in the application, the employee does not have any training or any introduction. I remember that the first order I had was paid in cash, the client paid me for shopping from Biedronka. I didn’t know what to do with this banknote, so I went to the same Biedronka again and asked if I should give it back to them. A gentleman explained to me that I had a balance in the application and that I should have cash with me. And I didn’t know that heavy orders could be separated.
How do you evaluate your work as a supplier? Easy and fun? Hard?
Overall, the job is really enjoyable (assuming you’re happy with the salary). The only problem is orders that weigh over 15 kg. I’m not strong, so every time I try to split these orders (yes, literally every time), I don’t want to break my back for fifteen zlotys.
Have you had any difficulties or problems at work? A moment of hesitation, doubt about its meaning?
I didn’t have any difficulties. The job was such that you don’t even need to speak Polish. You drive from point A to point B, anyone can do it. Well, but of course there was one question in my mind: wasn’t I born for something greater?
Have you had any situations when you needed support from the Platform?
Once, it was an order for a dormitory that had no driveway. There is security and barriers, but couriers are not allowed. It’s raining, and to get to the client you’d have to walk half a kilometer and come back. I wrote to the client that there were problems and described what was going on. And then another delivery guy from the pizzeria arrived. And his client came to him. And if I remember correctly, there was an option in the application: the customer does not collect the order. I press and after a few minutes someone from Glovo calls me. I explain what and how. And the order was canceled. But the kebab went to the trash, unfortunately it was not good.
You work by car. Are there any pros and cons of working by car? Are you doing more orders? How long does one order take you on average?
I always have to find a place to park. I’m wasting my time because of this. If the order is from a restaurant, it will take about 20-25 minutes. If it’s Biedronka, then, as I said, it varies. On average, 20-30 minutes per order. I must add that I ride in Warsaw on Praga-Południe and Wawer. I prefer to be as far away from the paid parking zone as possible, because if I get a ticket, I’m three days behind – that’s the fine for not paying. The fines are only my business, my concern, Glovo does not support it. If I remember correctly, if you die at work, they probably cover the cost of transporting the body to your home country. But I’m not sure about that. If this is true, that’s a big plus from me. There is also some insurance, but I wouldn’t like to have to use it. Of course, they also wrote on the website that they fight discrimination and support multiculturalism. But that’s where it ends.
Wait, what’s going on with these Biedronka? Why are you taking longer to place these orders?
Because sometimes you have to wait for an order: sometimes a minute, but sometimes more than half an hour. Personally, I try not to approach Biedronki. People don’t know that there are two types of them: one is an average store in the housing estate, and the other is a store only for couriers, the so-called Biedronka Express. I avoid them because I know perfectly well that I will waste time there. Store staff must first serve regular customers and then external orders. Of course, if they want or notice that there is an order to prepare. Maybe now someone will say “but you get money for waiting”. Yes, it’s true. 60 minutes of waiting is PLN 6, but this time starts to be counted only ten minutes after arriving at the place. After all, it’s nothing. There are also special orders, that the application reserves them especially for you. You go to the point and you have to wait until the details of this order are displayed. So this point has not even received this order, but you have to go there and wait at the point they will either increase (you are lucky) or decrease (well). You accepted the order for PLN 10, but you will do it for PLN 8. But that’s not the end! Sometimes, e.g. after twenty minutes of waiting, they cancel the order, and we get the same amount as we arrived at the point collection. Usually PLN 5 and bye.
And then there are the bonuses for large orders. An example: when I had an order weighing 17 kilograms (6 bags), I received a bonus: one zloty! In this case, a nice gentleman tipped me, so I had a reasonable amount.
What do other people working for Platform think about all this? Have you talked to anyone?
Conversations in front of Biedronka or McDonald’s are gold. While we’re waiting for orders, I often start conversations with others because I really enjoy it. I just ask how things are going, how things are going, etc. I talk to others because I want to find out and confirm whether I’m the only one who’s fucked (sorry, I don’t know a better word). It’s hard to find a satisfied person, maybe 1 in 10. There are always some problems or other problems. I communicate in Polish, a little Ukrainian, and when someone comes from another country I only understand swear words. Well, we’re all alike, so I hear similar things. There are still those who don’t care about everything, like a robot, they only do what they are supposed to do. I’m not a robot and I feel emotions.
Well, in my opinion, this is what exploitation looks like, this is how people are exploited. Thank God that I now have another source of income and I don’t care about Glovo anymore. But I feel so sorry for the people who HAVE to do this.
#zentrale_rzeczywistosc