My delivery driver knows my order by heart. Is this a problem or a feature?
I've been ordering from the same jianbing stall on Meituan for 6 months.Yesterday, I opened the app. Before I could tap anything, the driver messaged me:
"Jianbing, no cilantro, extra spicy, large milk tea? 15 mins."
I hadn't even placed the order yet.
The Chinese delivery ecosystem is... intense.
Speed:
Average delivery time in Shanghai: 28 minutes. In Tier-2 cities: 35 minutes. In villages: somehow still under an hour.
Cost:
Delivery fee: ¥0–3. Sometimes free. Sometimes negative (they give you a coupon).
What they deliver:
• Food (obviously)
• Groceries
• Medicine
• Documents
• Flowers
• Alcohol
• Birthday cakes
• A single McDonald's ice cream cone (yes, I've done this)
The apps:
Meituan: The king. Everything. Everywhere.
Ele.me: Alibaba's answer. Slightly different restaurant selection.
Dada: Groceries and express delivery.
SF Express Tongcheng: Same-day document delivery.
How it works:
1. Open app
2. Browse photos (most have English names now, or at least photos)
3. Tap what you want
4. Pay via mobile
5. Track the driver in real-time on a map
6. Driver arrives. Doesn't knock (too loud). Texts you: "I'm here."
7. You open the door. He hands you the bag. Leaves immediately.
Total human interaction: zero words.
The dark side:
• Drivers are under extreme time pressure. Accidents happen.
• Some apartments have "delivery rooms" because drivers aren't allowed upstairs.
• The packaging waste is insane. Every order comes in 3 layers of plastic.
The bright side:
• I haven't cooked in 3 weeks.
• I've tried 47 different restaurants within 2 km of my apartment.
• I can get soup delivered at 11 PM.
• My jianbing guy knows my order by heart.
The weirdest delivery I've received: A live lobster. In a bag. With oxygen. It was still moving. I didn't know what to do.
What's the weirdest thing you've had delivered in China?
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