BENGALURU: Sneha, a 23-year-old associate product manager at Hopstack India, embarked on a unique social experiment to understand Blinkit’s 10-minute grocery delivery promise. She used her Activa scooty to work as a delivery partner for a day in Indiranagar, seeking insights into the operational challenges faced by delivery riders.
Sneha, who graduated as an electronic engineer in 2022 and authored a book that year, was intrigued by the efficiency of Blinkit’s service. Despite her background in digital warehousing, she wanted firsthand experience of the delivery process. Her experiment revealed several issues: outdated app illustrations depicting only male riders, a lack of clarity about insurance fees, and an uninformative registration process.
During her deliveries, Sneha encountered several obstacles, including Bangalore’s notorious traffic and narrow lanes, which made timely deliveries challenging. The app’s feature to report delays added pressure, and the minimal earnings—Rs 80 for three deliveries—highlighted the discrepancy between the promised and actual income.
Sneha’s detailed feedback on X (formerly Twitter) went viral, garnering over a million views and significant engagement. Her post brought attention to the difficulties faced by delivery workers and sparked responses from industry leaders, including Grofers CEO Albinder Dhindsa.
Her experience sheds light on the realities of gig work and has prompted discussions on improving support and transparency for delivery partners, especially in the context of Karnataka’s recently proposed gig workers’ welfare bill.