“We’ll buy and deliver anything you want, nothing’s too strange for us.” In today’s fast-paced society, many people are looking for ways to save time wherever they can, and this has led to an industry built around purchasing and delivering items for customers. Errand running companies specialize in delivering urgent items or purchasing goods on behalf of their customers. “So long as the customer is willing to place the order, unless it involves contraband goods, whatever they want, we’ll help them to buy it and deliver it.”
According to one errand running company, they purchase all sorts of products on behalf of their customers and have previously received requests to buy hotpot, pizza, lunch boxes and other food items, while other customers have asked errand runners to pay their water and electricity bills, rent and phone bills. The company also says that the proportion of female customers far exceeds male customers.
As one member of the errand running industry puts it: one customer’s laziness is our business opportunity. One customer, who lives on the second floor, was too lazy to leave his house and asked an errand runner to help him buy breakfast from a breakfast bar on the first floor and then deliver it upstairs. On another occasion, a boyfriend who was working away from home and busy on company business employed the services of an errand runner to buy roses on Valentine’s Day and then deliver the flowers to his girlfriend.
Photo: Pixabay
照片：Pixabay
(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)
「什麼都能代購送，什麼都不奇怪！」現代社會忙碌，不少人為了節省時間，衍生代買代送新行業，跑腿公司專替客戶跑腿購物與急件送貨，「只要客戶敢下單，除了違禁品外，我們都能代購送」。
跑腿公司表示，代購商品什麼都有，有人要求代買火鍋、披薩、便當等食物，還有客戶會請他們代繳水電費、房租或電話費；此外，女性委託代購的比例較男性高出許多。
業者說，只要客戶「懶」，就是公司商機；曾接到客戶住在二樓，因為懶得出門，要他們代購一樓早餐店的早餐送上二樓；也有在異地工作的男友，情人節有公事要忙，請他們代購玫瑰花給女友。
(自由時報記者許國楨)
Follow Up讀後練習
1. Have you ever used an errand running service? If not, when would you consider using one?
你曾經使用過跑腿服務嗎？如果沒有，你在什麼情況下會考慮委託跑腿員？
2. If your boyfriend or girlfriend used an errand runner on your birthday or Valentine’s Day to purchase and deliver flowers or a gift, how would you feel?
如果你的男友或女友在你生日或情人節的時候請跑腿公司代購鮮花或其他禮物送給你，你會有什麼樣的感受？
3. Why do you think there are presently more females than males using errand running services?
目前女性委託跑腿員的比例較男性高，您覺得原因何在？
4. Do you think errand running companies provide a worthwhile service or are they symbolic of modern society becoming more lazy?
跑腿公司提供的服務是否有其獨特的價值？又或者，這種跑腿服務只是彰顯出現代人愈來愈懶的現象 ？
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