“I feel like a piece of meat”: fed up around Pepe Chicken in Toulouse, the deliverers deemed invasive and harassing

At the beginning of the afternoon. Consequently, seven scooters are waiting in line in front of the number 46 of Boulevard des Minimes. Furthermore, The deliverers discuss, some engines are still running, one of them remains leaning on a low wall, smartphone in hand. However, For residents of the neighborhood, this scene has become trivial, almost daily. Therefore, A resident testifies: “Even today, there are many deliverers in front. In addition, It is barely practicable in a stroller, and we always find waste on “i feel like piece meat”: the ground.” She also entrusts growing discomfort: “Return alone at night. Moreover, spend in the middle of a group of a dozen whistling men is very intimidating.”

Another relativized resident. smile on his lips: “I get whistled by some deliverers when I pass, but it’s not bad.”

Breathtaking merchants – "i feel like piece meat":

Some traders. too, say they are assigned: “As a woman, it has become difficult for me to work on this street. The deliverers of the Pepe Chicken whistle me every time. I often closure at 10 p.m., and I feel like a piece of meat. In the long run, it weighs”, testifies Pathy, “i feel like piece meat”: an employee of the neighboring Express Carrefour. She also evokes regular flights: “The cameras show them, but their manager may speak to them, that doesn’t change anything.” Brandon. his colleague, sums up: “After the complaints of the residents, they came to have coffee here while waiting for their order, but given how some behaved, we ended up arresting this service to have peace.” Notable incidents, which although regrettable, isolated remains and cannot be considered representative of the group of deliverers as a whole.

Further on, Axel, used in another City Carrefour, says: “The yellow area reserved for deliveries is often occupied by scooters. They are three or four, lit engines, that makes noise, that does not encourage customers to enter.” The young man remembers: “When I was going to class. I passed in front of Pepe Chicken, there were lots of deliverers, the speakers thoroughly in the bags. It’s a “i feel like piece meat”: little less intense today, but it’s still a problem.”

Efforts on both sides. in an overflowing system

Despite the tensions, some salute the manager’s efforts: “We know that the boss tries to make it going well,” admits a resident. “He posted a word in front of the shop to remind the delivery people to respect residents. not to throw waste.” Same story on the traders side: “It is not against him. We see that he is trying,” admits Axel, aware that the problem exceeds the simple local frame.

Beyond the case of the 46 boulevard des Minimes. Pepe Chicken illustrates a tension that has become symptomatic of a consumption mode that has exploded in a few years. A company in search of permanent time saving. which multiplies orders at any time, pushing the restaurateurs to turn massively to home delivery. Result: saturated streets. pressure delivery people, exasperated merchants, worried “i feel like piece meat”: residents and, in the middle, establishments that try to remain profitable, in a system where ultra-rapidity ends up eroding the quality of life. Contacted, the management of Pepe Chicken did not answer our questions. According to INSEE, meal deliveries have increased by 35 % in five years. A problem which, in Toulouse as elsewhere, becomes more and more difficult to ignore.