From multi-nationals to traditional one-man band high street stores, at this precise moment it does not matter how successful we may have been, we are the subject of Government restrictions whether we like it or not and now more than ever we are reliant on couriers delivering our orders, be it food, clothes, or electrical goods.

Two or three years ago we were happily running our businesses and every now and again we would order something online for a variety of reasons, couldn’t buy it in the town, didn’t have time to go and shop for it, and a day or so later the courier would proudly march through the door with his digital device, “can I take your name” rarely a please or thank you to be heard, “sign here mate” as you did your best to squiggly on the dirty touchscreen device thrust in front of you and he would ceremoniously dump your parcel on the floor in front of you without a care in the world, spin round and head out the door back to his slightly dented van and onto the next drop.
Smarting at his attitude and generally reckless demeaner, we would sigh in despair, before opening the slightly battered package to retrieve our purchase praying it was still in one piece. Now, all of a sudden, couriers have become “key workers” who seem to take pleasure in gaining adoration from the public whilst seemingly working round the clock in order to deal with the added demand placed upon them by the current crisis. “Heroes of the highways” delivering anything and everything that can be boxed and put in the back of their van, so let’s think about this for a minute.
Up until last March delivery drivers were often treated with a degree of disdain by many yet they appear to have been re-invented by society where playing “knock down ginger” has become fashionable again.
They place the parcel on your doorstep, photograph it, ring your doorbell and leg-it, by time you have put your mask on, sanitised your hands and opened the door you might be lucky enough to see the back of their van whistling off down the road.

However, despite all their idiosyncrasies the courier driver has had a lot to contend with during this pandemic, they are constantly handling parcels and boxes which may be contaminated, and they continue to keep their distance from customers who are far too slow to open the door! They have a time frame within which far too many parcels must be delivered before they are allowed home, a journey which will easily take them two hours.
So whilst shopping local is actively encouraged in the real world, at this moment in time lockdown would be a whole lot worse without them.