The sweltering heat, the hazy smoke from vehicles, the long distance you need to cross, the waiting hours for orders and food preparations in restaurants—these are just some of the common encounters that food delivery riders have to experience in their everyday journey on the road.
In fact, these are the things that this writer has experienced herself when she stepped into their shoes during the GrabFood Walker experience, which allowed representatives of the media to become immersed in the realities and stories of GrabFood delivery-partners.
On-demand delivery services have changed the way we access our essentials and food cravings. This experience has shown me, however, that our orders mean so much more for delivery-partners as every booking fulfilled on Grab represents an inch closer towards their goals.
Such is the case for 44-year-old Rosito Marcelino Guatno Jr., known as Kuya Sito to many.
Kuya Sito has been with Grab since 2018 when he started as a GrabCar driver after quitting his former job. Shortly after, he became a GrabFood delivery-partner. He usually travels from 12 midnight to morning or until he reaches the quota he set for himself.
“Minsan ang byahe ko ay hanggang 6:00 a.m. lang para maihatid ‘yung mga anak ko (Sometimes, I only deliver until 6:00 in the morning to fetch my children),” Kuya Sito shared. “Minsan din lumalagpas ako sa 8 hour-duty, lalo na kapag may mga kailangang bayaran at kailangan magsipag (Sometimes I also exceed the 8 hour-duty, especially when I need to pay some bills and I need to work harder).” Sito underscored the importance of the flexibility that platforms like Grab offer him, as he balances his efforts to earn with the time he dedicates for his family.
Bringing smiles at people’s doorsteps through customer service etiquette
The 44-year-old GrabFood delivery-partner has his fair share of interesting stories about the customers he had interacted with.
“Hindi mawawala ‘yung mga customers na nagpa-prank, mga na-encounter ko na ‘yan (I have encountered customers who play pranks on us),” said Kuya Sito, explaining how those kind of customers make their job difficult. “Marami ring nagca-cancel na lang bigla. May iba naman na magagalit sa’yo (There are those who suddenly cancel their orders. Others will get angry at you).”
“Isa ‘yan sa mga natutunan ko sa Grab, paano ang tamang approach sa mga customers since iba’t ibang klase ng customers yung naeencounter mo (That’s one of the things I learned at Grab, how to approach customers carefully since you’ll encounter different kinds of people,” he went on to say.
But despite these experiences, he remained steadfast in providing quality service to his customers.
“We still provide them good service kasi gusto namin uulit ‘yung customer. Tsaka iniingatan talaga rin namin ang image ng mga Grab delivery-partners.Kung ano ‘yung ipapakita naming ugali, magrereflect ‘yun sa lahat. Kaya kailangan mo rin talaga ng mahabang pasensya (We still provide them good service because we want the customer to patronize us again. Besides, we do our best to preserve the image of Grab Delivery-partners. Whatever our attitude and actions toward our customers will reflect on everyone. So, you really need a lot of patience),” Kuya Sito explained.
On a lighter note, Kuya Sito also shared his favorite moments with customers who had shown their appreciation to him while on duty.
“‘Yung favorite moment na masasabi ko ay syempre, ‘yung tip na binibigay nila—maliit o malaki man ‘yan (The favorite moment I can say is, of course, the tip they give—whether it’s small or big),” Kuya Sito admitted, adding that the tips he receives from his customers serve as his children’s additional pocket money when going to school.
“Pero bukod doon, mas naa-appreciate namin na pagdating sa drop off ay sasalubungin na kami ng customers (Aside from that, we appreciate more when customers are already there in the drop off locations),” he added.
“Para sa amin, mahalaga ‘yung oras eh. Hindi naman kami kagaya ng iba na hourly ang rate. Depende kami sa booking at ‘yung oras na ilalaan namin sa paghihintay ng matagal, pwede namin ‘yun magamit para mag-pick up ng order at magdeliver sa iba (For us, time is important. We are not like others who have an hourly rate. We depend on the booking and the time we spend waiting for our customers, we can use that to pick up the order and deliver it to others),” he continued.
More than just his uniform, Kuya Sito is an advocate, friend, and family man
Kuya Sito is not only just a trusted delivery-partner, but also an advocate of his fellow riders’ interests. He’s also a community leader of of GrabFood delivery-partners in the cities of Taguig and Makati and the municipality of Pateros, dedicated to helping solve concerns raised by his colleagues.
“Being a leader is hard dahil ‘yung problema nila, problema ko na rin. Pero nasa passion ko na ang pagtulong kaya para sa akin okay lang (Being a leader is hard because their problem is your problem as well. But my passion is to help so I don’t mind it),” he said, adding that he and his fellow riders will help each other whenever one needs it.
Outside his green uniform, Kuya Sito also values his family, and thus, everything that he does as a GrabFood delivery-partner is for his family’s future, particularly for his three sons.
“Lagi kong sinasabi sa kanila [kapag may nakikita kaming delivery rider] na, ‘Ganyan ‘yung trabaho at ginagawa ko araw-araw.’ Ginagawa ko kasi ‘to para makapagtapos sa pag-aaral ang aking mga anak (I always tell them [when we see a delivery rider] that, ‘That’s the kind of job that I have and I do it every day.’ I do it so that my children can finish their education),” he shared.
Message to everyone
If there’s one thing that Kuya Sito wants to share with everyone, it’s to learn to appreciate your delivery riders by not making them wait longer.
“Para sa amin, time is money. Kaya mas okay sana kung h’wag ninyo paghintayin ang inyong mga riders ng matagal, gaya ng 15 minutes (For us, time is money. So it would be better if you don’t make your riders wait for a long time, like 15 minutes),” he advised.
For his fellow riders, Kuya Sito also shared some words of wisdom that will help them in the long run.
“Marunong sana tayo gumalang din sa ating mga customers at h’wag din tayo sana masyadong tip-conscious. Matuto rin tayong mag-update sa ating mga customers kung ano ang status ng orders nila (We should also know how to respect our customers and not be too tip-conscious. Let’s also learn to update our customers on the status of their orders),” he added.
Kuya Sito’s story is just one example of the everyday life experienced by GrabFood delivery-partners. They’re more than just the uniforms they wear; they’re also dreamers who are committed to delivering happiness at our front doors. Because for them, they view every delivery as a step closer to reaching their dreams.
INQUIRER.net BrandRoom/LMR
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