Lost My Lunch Money: How Meituan’s “Good Vibes Only” Culture Is Crushing Riders

3 AM. Balcony. Cold coffee.

Another notification about the economy tanking. I sighed.

How much worse can it get?

The “Walking Dead” Order

I saw the news: Meituan is ordering its delivery riders to walk around even when they have no orders.

The reason? Gotta “create the vibe” that orders never stop.

But it gets worse.

$7,000 Fine For Resting

Any rider caught resting in a zone faces penalties.

They can lose their assignments for 7 days.

Translation: starve for a week to keep up appearances.

The Ghost of Li Zicheng

This ain’t just about a bad vibe.

It’s about history repeating itself.

Li Zicheng, the rebel leader who overthrew the Ming Dynasty? He was a delivery rider.

The Emperor cut funding to the postal service. He lost his job.

He picked up a sword.

The Data Doesn’t Lie

The official numbers are in: China’s economy is slowing.

Industrial output growth is down to 4.9%.

Retail sales growth is at 2.9%, a low since the pandemic recovery.

Fixed asset investment is down 1.7%.

No amount of forced cheerfulness can change that.

Lowering the Bar

I used to think tech jobs were the bottom.

But now it’s delivery work.

The last resort.

I guess, maybe, this is it.

The new normal.

The quiet despair.

The Grip

No point in pretending anymore.

The coffee is cold, the night is late.

I walked inside.

This is article #427 of accepting my mediocrity.
I seek not fame in this world, only a clear conscience.
— The Observer