The current pandemic has forced us within the confines of our homes. With the rising number of cases pertaining to the deadly Delta variant, most of us are indeed afraid of leaving our respective households. In times of crisis as such, going out to buy groceries, food and daily necessities seem like a huge risk to take. At most, the options available would be to starve or to risk one’s health by leaving the house. Therefore, the only viable option at this point in time would be online food or grocery delivery services.
Now, the existence of these services has indeed been the light at the end of the tunnel — allowing us to order and eat food from the comforts of our home. The two most prominent services in Malaysia include GrabFood and FoodPanda. Their iconic pink and green logos have been of utmost popularity during the pandemic. Due to the dining restrictions throughout the pandemic, even business owners are forced to shift to these platforms to increase their sales and subsequently, sustain their business.
Having said that, while this shift might have profited large businesses, small business owners continue to struggle on platforms as such. Recently, a Twitter user shared an invoice detailing the fee charged by FoodPanda towards a satay businesswoman. According to the invoice, it could be seen that the initial revenue earned by the vendor is RM1460 from a total of 40 orders.
However, it could be seen that there is a commission percentage of 30% and charges for fees and adjustments, leaving the vendor with an amount of RM82.62 That’s not all! After deducting 6% worth of SST from the amount aforementioned, the balance would be a saddening amount of 24 sens.
The businesswoman, Nur Syahzila Syafrizal, apparently took this issue to “Foodpanda Vendor Malaysia”, a Facebook group. Her caption translates to, “I just checked the invoice and got a shock when I saw the amount deducted. They only paid 24 sens. I never took any promotions either. How can I survive with this?”
This is indeed frustrating especially for small business owners who are depending on platforms such as FoodPanda and GrabFood to sustain their businesses and their livelihoods.
With many business owners ceasing operations amidst the pandemic, it is absolutely ridiculous for them to be charged heftily. We hope there would be a solution to this issue!
Update:
For those wondering why was the RM939 imposed under Fees and Adjustment – it appears that the satay seller had opted for a FP promo that didn’t not yield profit.
