When delivery staffers shoulder festive load

The squad that makes sure the process of online shopping is smooth for both the consumer and the supplier is also the one that shoulders the festive burden of discounts and the frenzy to buy new things.

Riding two wheelers with huge backpacks, delivery boys are a regular sight at traffic signals, waiting at apartment gates wiping the sweat off their brows, and going up and down stairs as they go about delivering everything from earphones to flat-packed furniture.

Running into women executives dragging bags as big as themselves and manoeuvring their way up one, two, sometimes even four floors has become pretty common too.

It is not always the “khushiyon ki delivery”, as a pizza brand famously said. Akshay, who delivers packages for the fashion e-commerce company Myntra, said the festive season is a time he looks forward to for that extra income. But the few extra bucks come with longer working hours, dealing with rude customers, and often no additional help from the online portals he delivers for.

“I get paid Rs 14 per delivery, and since there are a lot more orders during the festive season, it helps me take home a little more than usual,” said Akshay, who lives in Wazirabad.