Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
Christmas and the Holiday Season are almost upon us. And I think everyone is looking forward to a break from the manic pressure of work and life during the pandemic.
However, not everyone is getting downtime during the upcoming holiday season. For some, their workload is going up because everyone who doesn’t want to cook isn’t going to, and are most likely to order from Grab, FoodPanda, or even Shoppee (yes, you can!).
Here are a few stories from the delivery side of the line, highlighting the strange, the haunted, the hilarious and outright bizarre:
The haunted hospital
It’s not uncommon for Malaysian hospital staff to order food and snacks for the hospital break room for the enjoyment of those stuck on the overnight shift. Fariz, however, has no plans to make any deliveries to hospitals. Or at least, not anymore.
He told me the reason why:
“I was making the delivery to a hospital’s maternity ward really early in the morning, around 7AM. I made my way to the check-in desk and there was no one around.
“There were a few rooms where the doors were open but the lights were out. I didn’t dare peek inside. I didn’t want to disturb any patients. I checked the corridors for a few minutes, and called out softly, hoping to get a nurse’s attention but nobody answered.
“Then came the voice, it sounded sad and it was sobbing, “I just want to go home with my baaaabbbbyyyy…”
I peeked my head into the room, hoping to find a nurse, only to see a young woman sitting up in bed.
She had an IV line going into one hand, a nose thing to help her breathe, but it was her sobbing that got to me – these great heaving sobs that shook her body. She looked up and locked her tear-stained eyes with me.
Somebody who worked there suddenly appeared and we took a moment to confirm the details. I delivered the selection of coffees and pastries from Starbucks to them.
I turned to leave and looked into the room where the young lady was… only to see no one. The lights were off, the bed was made, there was no sign that anyone had been in that room. I pretended to have been lost and a bit confused so I could really look… but I found nothing and no one.
I don’t deliver to hospitals anymore.
Two warnings for the price of a pizza
I was delivering pizza to a house in Kota Kemuning and I’m not familiar with this area. It was pretty late in the evening and I almost missed the turn on Waze. I was alone on the road so I cut across to make the turning before the light could turn red.
I saw the police car on the side of the road just after I made the turn, beating the light by a few seconds at most. I pulled to a stop in front of the house to make my delivery when suddenly there were flashing lights behind me.
I had already stopped and switched off my lights by the time the officer got out of his car and asked me why I was trying to evade him by cutting across to make the turn. Apparently, I was acting suspiciously which was why he followed me. I told him this was my delivery destination.
I had the Foodpanda bag on the back of my motorcycle and I was wearing their shirt, but he still didn’t believe me until I showed him the app, proving that the address before us is my delivery destination. He apologized and let me go off with just a warning.
Then the customer came out to collect his pizza, and I think she thought I had gotten a ticket for something, and tipped me RM20.00 through the app. I turned around to make my way to the next delivery job.
I reached the road where the cop was parked in his car and then he pulled me over for the second time!
It turns out, he pulled me over because my lights were not on – and I had turned them off earlier. The officer just laughed and let me go with another warning.
I think he didn’t want to be working during the holidays either.
Okay, it’s not a paranormal story, but getting pulled over by the cops in the middle of a job is definitely a horror story for delivery riders!
Never mind the delivery of non-halal goods, customers also (supposedly) come in the supernatural variety!
My family was craving fried chicken, so we ordered a bucket of chicken, sides, and drinks for delivery. The rider called to confirm that he was on the way, so I decided to wait in the lobby for him. He was only five minutes away, at that point.
I waited. He called and said that he’s arrived. But obviously, he hasn’t because I was already in the lobby. Then he told me that my unit doesn’t exist! We went back and forth, getting more confused and frustrated until he read out the delivery address.
I realized that there was a mistake on my end: I’d given him the right apartment and floor, but the wrong building. My old building doesn’t actually have 17 floors, just 14. No wonder he said my unit did not exist!
I told him to wait there and I’d be down in five minutes. True to my word, I go up two floors by elevator, cut across the communal playground space, enter that building and come out of the lift, to find my delivery guy looking at me with wide-eyed disbelief.
His voice was shaking as he asked me whether I came from upstairs. I didn’t even think about it, I just said yes. I mean, where ELSE could I have come from.
The look of shock and confusion on his face was unforgettable as he gave me my food, change, and left – almost at a run to get out of the building and away from me.
It only occurred to me as I crossed my front door that the poor guy must have thought that I was a ghost!
And lastly: James Bond delivered my groceries
Twas the night before lockdown 3.0 would begin and I decided to order a fair amount of food so I wouldn’t have to cook for a few days. Delivery, I figured, would be done by someone with a car because of the amount of food.
My app pinged to let me know that the rider was almost here but I heard it, long before I saw it. And I had to stop and stare.
This beast of a vehicle was black and silver and positively purred along the road leading to the front of my apartment building. I know NOTHING about cars, which made it only obvious to me that this was a car that your car bro type would salivate over.
I could also tell that this was a car that probably cost more than what my apartment will be worth in the year 2030.
Needless to say, everyone had stopped whatever they were doing to just stare at this magnificent mastery of precision German engineering. Then the vehicle stopped, the door swung open, and out stepped a gentleman in a tuxedo, complete with bowtie and cummerbund.
I couldn’t resist, and asked him, “007?”
The only thing missing was the Walther PPK as he confirmed my name, then reached into the car and pulled out the numerous bags of food that comprised my order. Fortunately, I had paid by card so I didn’t have to fumble with my wallet or anything.
And without missing a beat, he replied, “the name’s Food. Grab (slight pause) Food.” Then he drove off, with as much sauve and panache as he had arrived with.
I still have no idea what that was all about.
Treat these people right.
The holidays are upon us, and let’s be honest, the reason many of us are going to get downtime to rest and relax and recover is because these are some of the people who are going to be working.
That also includes treating the unusual ones right… just in case…
For more stories like this, read: What It’s Like Working a 13-Hour Kitchen Shift on Christmas Day and Working in The Food Industry Can Whip You Into Your Future (Shape). Here are 4 Reasons Why.
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