Deliveroo and Just Eat and the like make UK cities creepy and miserable

[Pavementworrier]

Guys in balaclavas with no traceable identity (and often no right to work in the UK) racing around on electric bikes in the dark bringing shit cold food to fat lazy punters while cafes, bars and restaurants erode and hospitals fill up with diabetic foot merchants.

I wouldn't ban them but I'd make them treat every single takeaway bandit as a full employee with id checks, criminal responsibility, tax and employment rights.

And people who use them kind of make me sick.

Perhaps they even took themselves out to buy something, or actually cooked! Hard to believe now, I know….

It was Surabaya in Indonesia. I was told explicitly by the hotel staff not to go out after dark on my own and they suggested using Grab (their version of Deliveroo) to order food.

But it's raining 😭😂

I remember when I suddenly ended up with a horrendous sick bug. I was meant to go out to Morrisons that day but couldn’t because I was suddenly throwing up and was curled up in a ball. I couldn’t get the kids to school either. The kids needed to eat, so Uber eats grocery shop it was.

Yeah yeah, what did we do before these services existed? Well you just had to cope and find a way to make do and grab whatever help you could. That’s what I would have had to do, but that would have added to the stress. I wanted to alleviate the stress, not add to it.

By the time I would have rang around asking people for help I could have just done a grocery order via Uber eats and been done with it.

Perhaps a single parent with a baby they can’t leave the house with who may be unwell and it would been easier and quicker to get calpol delivered via Deliveroo than traipsing their unwell child out in the cold to get some at that time of night, or they needed formula, nappies delivered in an emergency.

I agree they often at times (the drivers) aren’t quiet at that time of night on their mode of transport (some use cars) or on their phones but you never know if that person who ordered that something on Deliveroo or uber needed something in an emergency like I mentioned above

We use the Indian equivalents in India. So bloody cheap and gets me my food.

Imagine complaining about having the ability to get a hot meal delivered to your doorstep.

@myglowupera a couple of generations back you would have sent your eldest kid to the shop for you and then packed them off to school by themselves.
Try that these days and people would be horrified and say you're a terrible parent.
Society can't win. Whatever we do.

I don't think anyone (perhaps bar the OP) is complaining about this. I'm complaining about how the sheer volume of delivery riders is making the area I live in very difficult to navigate as a pedestrian/cyclists/driver. And the sheer exploration of people. I honestly think half the people on here perhaps live in an area with one or two delivery riders and don't appreciate what it's actually like elsewhere.

Edited to add comment.

The OP has a point but the way they're going about making their point is completely unhinged. I've reported one of their posts.

I'm underweight and I always tip, and funnily every driver that has turned up with my delivery was driving a car, I haven't checked their passports and their right to work although sone did look forrin, 90% of the things I order are groceries - does all this make it OK for me to use deliveroo? Is it only bad if the customer is fat, doesn't tip, had ordered a kebab, and the forrin-looking driver turns up on a bike wearing a face covering?

I think it leads to less people socialising face to face which is not a good thing.

In terms of urgent situations, I believe it is corroding our society further. I had a sickness bug and was stuck at home with a baby and toddler. Breastfeeding but so exhausted I was worried the baby wouldn't be getting enough milk, I was completely drained. Called my friend from around the corner who also had a baby and she bought me round some baby milk powder. Equally I popped to the pharmacy when she was unwell and dropped medicine round. People complain about lack of village etc but do nothing about it. We rely on paid strangers for help when before it was the norm to rally together. It is sad.

It is sad - I was a lone parent and had neighbours and friends who would do stuff like that for each other. Now people don’t bother getting to know their neighbours.

My neighbour gets food delivered about twice a week. They work and have a car. 1k walk to town.
They have an inability to get their own food or meal plan it seems. Or bring their bins in. (We don't talk).

You’re right. If it wasn’t for Deliveroo etc. the people who use them would be at home cooking healthy, nutritious food from scratch.

You don’t talk to them because of bins and takeaways?

The bins I get are annoying. But nobody’s making you eat their KFC delivery.

That’s really wonderful that you had a friend around the corner who also happened to have a baby too so it worked in your favour.

You see so many comments on here about your problems not being anyone else’s problems and why should people help you etc.. I agree it is sad. And probably partly why I chose to skip it all and ask a stranger for help instead. Fwiw I would help someone if they asked me, but I very rarely ask anyone for help.
I can’t ask my parents for example because the last time I asked I was grumbled at about it. This was at the beginning of this year after I had an operation. So you just learn to make do by yourself and if strangers is the way then so be it.

The Morrisons delivery person who drives a Morrisons van is a stranger too, but I assume because it’s Morrisons delivering it that’s all ok? I relied heavily on food shop deliveries when I was recovering from my op. Nobody rallied around for me but I would do it for a friend or my own daughter, especially because I know how it feels when people leave you to it.

(And it’s here now that I’m expecting to be told on here “People can’t just run around for you when you want them to.) etc”

I had a flatmate, lovely guy, but so lazy, ordering food every evening and twice or thrice a day on weekends, and only using ubers to move around the city.
As a result he was very overweight and unhealthy. A heart attack waiting to happen.

Who doesn’t have at least a bag of pasta and a jar of pesto in the cupboard? Surely everyone has emergency food options?

I find it odd that people moan about CoL and yet order a deliveroo.

They clearly manage to plan the rest of the week. How bizarrely sneery.

Uber Eats have white labeled their back end systems so anyone can purchase the app software and add their own branding. I think it's great for the local economy to have local delivery company businesses. A few I know of are Shrewsbury Eats, Kernow Eats, Grimsby & Clee Eats but I'm sure there are more.

I remember as well on a disabled thread about a woman who couldn't cook due to her disability.

To be honest I wasn't aware there was any ethical issues involved so I will look into it, but the op describing delivery drivers in balaclavas didn't sit right to begin with (maybe they're cold?), also it's sometimes ableist to be anti anything that's convenient, and presumptuous to assume it's all fast food. Could be nappies and formula. Just a very judgey post all round. Like people who think we should all be walking/cycling everywhere when not everybody can.

I have regularly helped elderly neighbors etc.

But actually it suits me to order a shop online when my condition flares and I don't want to be dependent on neighbours.

Not least because when I am flaring my speech slurs and it's actually not safe for me to chat to people as it makes my swallow even weaker. I am sorry if that ruins your idea of what a community should look like.

In my urgent situation, my son was rushed to a hospital 20 miles away. Sometimes it isn't possible to just 'pop' around.

Especially at 1am when I realised I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and my unwell child was finally sleeping. Deliveroo it was.

I happily use deliveroo, order my croissants and coffee from Gail's on Sundays and read the paper in bed. Sorry not sorry