제 11 호 Cycle of Food Delivery: Foundation of Social Issues
Kicker: SOCIETY (DELIVERY)
Cycle of Food Delivery: Foundation of Social Issues
I Bet We All Know What is at Stake Here
Do-Hyuk Kim, Cub Reporter/Yeong-Jin Choi, Reporter
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There’s no area which COVID-19 hasn’t made its way, but everyone will easily agree that food delivery industry’s growth is higher than ever. Rapid food delivery cycle via telephone was one of globally renowned culture and strength of South Korea, and development of smartphone and fear of being infected led it to be one of the world’s most efficient food delivery system. It genuinely is fast and convenient that even a toddler can order what they want, but every single step of food delivery is causing social issues. Skyrocketing complaints over internet implies that we and our society have already collected a lot of troubles over time, but people tend to disregard this issue since its uncanny ease of use. In this article, we decided to zoom in to social issues made by food delivery system microscopically and report problems of each step of ordering food.
Collision between Obnoxious Customers, Restaurants, and Delivery People
What would be the first step when we order something? Pick up our phone and punch a series of numbers and start saying what we would like to have? Sure. Let’s say that we order some foods online by using applications. What would we do first then? We would very likely to turn the app on, select what we want to eat for dinner, and move on to the payment window. If the restaurant offers a good chance such as “extra foods for the ones who write review events”, lots of you would write “Yes, please”. However, this whole ordering process is for normal people who are polite and are completely fulfilled with the system. Some people who are considered as “impolite” are called obnoxious* customers. They tend to think that they are more superior then the clerks, and often ask impossible and incomprehensible things like “I am so hungry at the moment, and I want the food to arrive at my place in less than 3 minutes.” Or “If you do not follow my request, I will rate your restaurant that it is such an awful place.”
Koreans tend to consider a delivery person as low-educated and losers of their life. Some say that their prejudice* is justified. They answer that when they turn on the news, they can easily find out that delivery men sneak some of the foods that people already paid for. Furthermore, when they drive, many delivery people drive too fast, risking the lives of many people on the street. They seldomly break into a line just because they have a delivery to make, which also threatens the lives of many. Of course, it is true that society is focusing on the bad effects that delivery men are causing. However, that fact cannot justify people’s unprovoked* disrespect toward riders. Over 55 percent of the “riders” have answered that they want people to recognize their job from a positive point of view with the question, “What changes do you want for a better service environment?” Even right at the moment, many riders are being heavily offended by obnoxious customers without clear reasons, claiming that they are uneasy while working.
*Obnoxious: Very unpleasant or rude.
*Prejudice: An unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge.
*Unprovoked: Not caused by anything done or said.
Delivery: Rapid Response System of Easing off Hunger Right Away Too Fast
Second process of food delivery system is receiving the food I’ve ordered, and delivery is mainly done by motorbikes. This is the point where Korean food delivery system was highly praised for its expeditiousness, and also is the point where lots and lots of social issues occur. Food delivery motorbikes scarcely obey traffic rules, boasting reckless driving skills on both tarmac and pavement. Public roads are place where everyone coexists and should be respectful to each other, but these motorbikes act like they’re ruling the streets. Korean government claimed that number of deaths from Food delivery motorbike-related accidents has risen last year. The quick food delivery service was born thanks to Korean’s tendency to handle everything super quick, and this now applies to food delivery men, whom are forced to risk their lives to make it on time and give threats to other people. This should have to stop.
Motorbikes not only annoy people by their exuberant driving style, but also make people unpleasant by modifications made on them. Eye-popping neon decorations and extremely loud exhaust noises make people near motorbikes infuriated. Excessively bright accessories installed on motorbikes threat cars and pedestrians especially at night. Some apartments eventually banned entry of these motorbikes in their complex due to safety and noise issues. Our thoughts on those tuned motorbikes are, police should crackdown on illegally tuned motorbikes more often and thoroughly.
Delivery fee per food differentiating by restaurant’s own standards, while asking too much of it considering how postal service delivering package costs, makes consumers of food delivery service feel unfairly treated. These rates range from at least 1,000 KRW up to 6,000 KRW. We all know we have to spend more to save time and receiving food from store few kilometers away within twenty minutes is a big amount of saving, but most people agree that these fees are too highly rated. Since food delivery service is a nationwide-popular industry, I think government should kick in and offer specific guideline.
The key of Korean food delivery services’ success is now holding its bigger growth back, so immediate action should take place to resolve delivery motorbike derived problems.
In-App Store Ratings Threatening Restaurant’s Will to Live
In-App Store Rating System
After consuming what I’ve ordered, consumers can give ratings to the restaurant and delivery service whether they have enjoyed the experience. These ratings make huge influence on store’s sales figures, so restaurant owners always try their best to keep it high.
Sufficient amount of reviews and five-star rating per each review are both required to meet this high standard, and some consumers wield their right and status of giving ratings to make personal profit. Not so few cases of giving the minimum amount of star regardless of the service they’ve received just for fun was once reported on television news, and these fake reviews lead to less exposure to consumers in ordering smartphone applications. Reduced direct exposure to consumers means high chance of declining sales, and in some extreme cases, entire restaurant can go out of business. Responsive attitude is required for writing ratings, and food-ordering platforms should develop filters which can cut off inappropriate reviews and leave proper ones behind.
Disposable Wastes and Environmental Problem
“There is no food which cannot be delivered in Korea.” Korea’s delivery service is very well-known worldwide for its speed and convenience. There are many positive effects we can count of, but many people also criticize that pollution delivery wastes are contributing to. Since COVID-19, the rate of disposable usage has skyrocketed*. Comparing with 2019, food delivery has increased over 78 percent, resulting in 19 percent increase in plastic waste, and 14 percent increase in Styrofoam*. Authoritative* document dealing with the survey on “the most severe usage of throwaway plastic” published on KEI in December 2019 has showed that 28.8 percent of people answered that delivery waste was the biggest threat. It has been long past since disposable wastes became a serious social issue, and both the consumers and food industries are deeply agreeing that using sustainable packing materials is important. Nevertheless, both of them are facing hardships because of its convenience and price.
Customers are feeling guilty of the outcome that their delivery is taking a big part in environmental pollution. Yet, all they can do to lessen the waste is to check “Spoon and a pair of chopsticks not needed”. A non-profit organization to protect the environment, GreenKorea, had claimed that more options must be given for the customers to select “No throwaway container needed” as well as no spoons and chopsticks needed.
Possible alternatives given these circumstances are first, customers must be able to find and choose out the franchise business operators that uses multi-use containers. Second, discounts must be supported if customers bring the containers, and third, there should be discounts on charges from franchises which uses multi-use containers.
*Skyrocket: To rise extremely quickly or make extremely quick progress towards success.
*Styrofoam: A brand name for a type of polystyrene: a light, usually white plastic used especially for putting around delicate objects inside containers to protect them from damage, or for putting around something to prevent it from losing heat.
Food delivery service is considered both convenient and speedy. It is no wonder that people choose to deliver food for their daily meal. In spite of the given benefits, there are many issues pointed out during the cycle of food delivery. Though it is impossible to completely eliminate the food delivery system itself, we must pay closer attention of what impacts can be caused during the delivery and pay even more attention to improve and to make a better life for people, for the environment, and for the future.
Sources:
https://www.mk.co.kr/news/business/view/2019/04/273083/
https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/environment/1007290.html
