CNBC AI News, August 3rd – A peculiar gig economy trend has emerged near Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei district: residents, predominantly older individuals, offering “outsourced delivery” services to overwhelmed food delivery drivers, according to local reports.
These individuals purportedly handle 500-600 deliveries daily, potentially earning over 1,000 RMB (approximately $140 USD) at 2 RMB per delivery.
During the summer holiday season, an even more notable demographic shift has occurred, with elementary and middle school-aged children, dubbed “kid couriers,” joining the ranks, sparking significant online buzz.
Journalistic investigations reveal that this supplementary delivery system primarily operates during peak hours.
When delivery riders face bottlenecks, they offload customer orders (typically fast food or beverages) to these substitute couriers. This arrangement frees up riders from time-consuming tasks like waiting for elevators and locating customers. For participating students and their parents, the setup offers opportunities for exercise and potentially valuable experience.
Many of these children are elementary school students, some as young as eight years old and primarily in grades 4-6, while others are junior high students.
The young couriers often wear QR codes for mobile payments. Upon accepting a delivery and noting the destination address, they receive 2 RMB from the original delivery rider.
Children who do not receive direct orders from riders can still participate by assisting established freelance delivery persons, accepting 1 RMB per delivery. In this scenario, the freelancer retains 1 RMB as a “brokerage fee,” highlighting the tiered structure that has developed within this micro-economy.
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