Should we accept it or not? To whom? How to collect it? Controversy over service fees charged by delivery counters to riders in multiple locations

Recently, delivery counters in many parts of the country have started charging service fees to riders. Unlike the "free use" a few years ago and the "pilot fee" last year, this time the fee scope is wider and covers more cities. There is no consensus among all parties regarding whether to collect this fee, who to collect it from, and how to collect it. The interviewed scholars believe that the operation of the delivery cabinet business model involves at least four stakeholders, and specific scenarios should be distinguished, and the use and charging standards of the delivery cabinet should be refined.

"Starting from the 24th of this month, some delivery cabinets in Beijing require a service fee of 0.45 yuan per order for storing and delivering orders..." Delivery rider Zhang Moubin vividly remembers that it was a day in mid July, during the peak dining season when he was delivering orders. Suddenly, he received this notice on the delivery software. "At that time, riding a bike, I was in a panic and had to earn a few hundred yuan less in a month."

"Starting from the 24th of this month, some delivery cabinets in Beijing require a service fee of 0.45 yuan per order for storing and delivering orders..." Delivery rider Zhang Moubin vividly remembers that it was a day in mid July, during the peak dining season when he was delivering orders. Suddenly, he received this notice on the delivery software. "At that time, riding a bike, I was in a panic and had to earn a few hundred yuan less in a month."

"At first, the food delivery cabinet was free of charge, but later we were asked to pay for it ourselves as riders." Zhang Moubin, from Zhoukou, Henan, has been working as a rider in Beijing for 5 years. A reporter's investigation found that recently, delivery cabinets in many parts of China, such as Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Beijing, have started to charge service fees to delivery riders. Unlike the "free use" policy a few years ago and the "pilot fee" policy last year, the charging range for delivery cabinets this time is more widespread, covering multiple cities and delivery platforms, showing a trend of "from point to surface".

What changes have delivery cabinets brought to riders and customers? Should this service fee be charged or not? Is it reasonable for the rider to bear the cost? How to promote the rational use and long-term development of food delivery cabinets while balancing the interests of all parties? A reporter from Workers Daily conducted an interview on this matter.

There is a difference in the utilization rate of delivery cabinets

Delivery cabinets are "smart pick-up cabinets" that have been promoted in recent years to solve the "last 100 meters" problem of food delivery. They are widely used in closed and complex delivery environments such as office buildings, apartments, hospitals, and universities. Each delivery cabinet is equipped with dozens of QR code scannable compartments. The delivery rider can unlock the compartments to store the food, and then the customer enters the verification code to pick up the food.

Recently, the reporter visited the first floor of an office building on Wangjing Street in Chaoyang District, Beijing. There is a food delivery cabinet with 42 compartments next to the access control card swipe. According to on-site statistics by reporters, more than 100 takeout orders were stored in the takeout cabinet within an hour from 12:00 to 13:00, and only 7 orders were directly picked up by customers from the takeout staff. "At noon, the cabinets are full and sometimes they can't fit," said the property staff of the office building.

"Many orders are delivered to the same place, and if there is a cabinet, they can be delivered at the same time without delaying the next order," said Mr. Yang, a delivery rider. "The elevator in the building is not enough at noon, and only the goods elevator can be used. It takes seven or eight minutes to get off, and every time it exceeds the time limit, the money will be deducted. It's better not to spend some money saving the cabinet."

"Putting the food delivery cabinet is very safe, at least it won't be lost." Ms. Liu, who works in the office building, said that the food delivery cabinet brings some convenience. "When there is an urgent matter or a meeting, you can come down to pick it up later."

However, there are also some delivery cabinets with low turnover rates. In the lobby of a certain apartment located in Tongzhou District, Beijing, the reporter saw that only a few scattered takeout orders were stored in cabinets, and most of the dishes were placed on the ground next to them.

"How could I be willing to let it go? I only earn 2.5 yuan per order and 0.5 yuan per cabinet!" The delivery rider, Mr. Wang, who came here to deliver milk tea, shook his head. "There are few orders in the small apartment, and many of us don't put cabinets."

Who should pay for the service fee

What does one service fee after another mean for delivery riders?

"Calculated at 0.45 yuan per order, I paid around 300 yuan to the cabinet in August." After the delivery cabinet started charging, Zhang Moubin's monthly earnings were about equal to his rent for the past week.

Unlike Zhang Moubin, who works full-time as a delivery rider, 28 year old Xiao Kai used to be a part-time crowdsourcing rider. He usually worked as a waiter in a restaurant and would "grab a few good orders" in his free time. After learning that the delivery counter in Beijing was starting to charge fees, Xiaokai hesitated repeatedly and ultimately gave up this part-time job.

"The delivery fee for one order is 3 yuan, the delivery cabinet charges 0.45 yuan, and renting an electric car battery costs 10 yuan per day. If the car breaks down, it still needs to be repaired. After running a few orders, there will be a discount," Xiao Kai said helplessly.

The reporter learned that the charging standards for takeout cabinets vary slightly in different cities and platforms, and the overall price for a rider to store one order ranges from 0.3 yuan to 0.6 yuan. In addition, some food delivery platforms have launched service fee points and monthly card systems, allowing riders to recharge and pre store food delivery cabinet service fees. "The points deduction will be cheaper, but not much," said Zhang Moubin.

It is worth noting that in addition to the high or low service fees for takeout cabinets, another controversial focus is - who should pay for it?

"Why work for the platform and pay for it?" Zhang Moubin, as a dedicated delivery rider, signed an agreement with the platform and received centralized training. In his opinion, using a food delivery cabinet should be free or borne by the platform. A crowdsourcing rider, on the other hand, believes, "If you have a cabinet, you can send more orders, and if you run more, you will get back to your original cost."

The customer service of a certain platform's food delivery cabinet introduced to the reporter that after the delivery cabinet is launched, the platform needs to pay multiple fees such as venue fees, maintenance fees, and electricity fees. "The delivery cabinet has not yet been widely advertised, and many are promoted in cooperation with third-party operators. How can it be maintained without charging?"

And customers also have their own opinions on who should bear this cost. "I have already paid for the delivery fee, and I shouldn't have paid for the cabinet," said a consumer living in Changping District, Beijing. "Sometimes, my little brother puts food in the cabinet without saying hello, and I have to spend time going downstairs to pick it up."

"There are many customers who don't even know how to charge for the food cabinet," delivery rider Zhang told reporters. He often tells customers through private messages that the delivery cabinet charges the rider. "Some customers will directly ask me to put the food next to them, while others even ask me to put it in the cabinet."

Urgent need to refine charging standards based on specific scenarios

"Who should be charged for food delivery cabinets needs to be considered from the perspective of rights and obligations configuration." Professor Wang Sufen from the Law School of Liaoning University told reporters that currently, the common charging logic for food delivery cabinets is "whoever uses pays" and "whoever benefits pays". However, this charging method is relatively extensive, and specific scenarios should be distinguished to refine the use and charging standards of food delivery cabinets.

Wang Sufen believes that "the operation of the intelligent delivery cabinet business model involves at least four stakeholders - ordering customers, delivery personnel, labor entities, and delivery cabinet operators." Among them, the determination of the relationship between delivery personnel and labor entities plays a key role in configuring the rights and obligations of all parties involved.

"Under the premise of establishing a labor relationship, for delivery riders, the necessary expenses incurred due to work reasons, such as the service fees incurred by customers actively designating delivery cabinets as takeaway items, should be borne by the employing party." Wang Sufen suggests that, on the basis of respecting consumers' right to know and choose, delivery riders and crowdsourcing riders who actively choose to use delivery cabinets can bear some of the related expenses by transferring economic benefits, in order to obtain the convenience of time and physical exertion brought by using delivery cabinets.

In addition, "it cannot be denied that the platform benefits from the delivery service behavior of food delivery personnel, and should bear a portion of the cost of using food delivery cabinets based on its overall benefit ratio." Wang Sufen said.

Regarding the measure mentioned by some riders that "the platform will bear all the costs of the delivery cabinet", some interviewed experts pointed out that canceling the fees may alleviate riders' resistance in the short term, but in the long run, it cannot guarantee the sustainable supply of their services. "Ultimately, more and more takeout may no longer be delivered to households, leading to a decrease in customer recognition in the takeout industry, which will inevitably affect the overall development of platform business and lead to a decrease in overall job opportunities for riders," said Wang Sufen.