Deliveryman Delivered Shopee Parcel at 2am; Claimed to be “Sick” & Need to Clear His Load

Late-Night Shopee Deliveries Raise Concerns Over Delivery Driver Welfare in Singapore

When you’re awaken by a string of messages at an ungodly hour, what would be your initial thoughts? Is there an emergency? Or perhaps if you’re more optimistic, did your Tinder match finally reply to your texts?

Recently, a man was awakened by messages from a Shopee Xpress delivery man, who delivered his parcel at 2am in the morning on 30 November.

Yes, 2am.

Even household pets, like my cat, would be asleep at this hour.

The man took to Facebook to recount this incident and express his concerns about potential overworking of Shopee’s delivery drivers.

Details of the Incident

In his Facebook post, Tan revealed that he was awaken by multiple vibrations on his phone at 2am, only to find that his Shopee parcel had been delivered. The driver had messaged him to notify him of the delivery.

The conversation between Tan and the delivery driver showed that the latter was sick and yet still needed to complete his delivery load.

Adding to the concern, Tan mentioned that the same delivery man had delivered his parcel at 11:53pm the night before. At least he didn’t throw the parcels, right?

Another individual commented on his post, noting similar experiences of receiving parcels at late hours.

Shopee’s delivery driver’s working hours are officially stated to be 12pm-10pm from Monday to Saturday.

It is speculated that these late deliveries could be attributed to some drivers being freelance delivery drivers and choosing to work odd hours that fits their schedule.

Past Incident Involving Overworked Delivery Rider

This is not the first time that concerns of overworked delivery riders have been brought to light. In 2019, a delivery rider tragically passed away out of exhaustion.

Mothership interviewed the rider’s wife, Nur Syafiq, who shared the heartbreaking incident.

She said that her husband, who was the sole breadwinner of their family, passed away in his van out of exhaustion. He was initially supposed to finish his shift at 8pm but decided to help his colleague by taking up one more delivery. Nur Syafiq was informed on his devastating passing later in the night.

Nur Syafiq had been advocating for better conditions for delivery riders, including enhanced benefits and an increased salary and allowance to cover fuel and parking costs.

She recounted that many customers had texted her husband angrily, to enquire about their parcels as they were unaware of the situation.

She emphasised the need for employers to update customers and reschedule delivery when necessary.