“I thought originally, 'Man, I’m going to meet a lot of girls and have these crazy experiences,' but no.”

~ Shane Archer

By Sam Benesby  |  Send to Friend

Not rain, nor snow, nor sleet can stop the mighty men and women who deliver imperative parcels to desperate recipients. No, we’re not talking about mailmen, but the ever-essential delivery dude (or dudette). You probably only think about them for a second or two before you begin salivating over the piping hot food that’s just been placed in your hands, but what really lies in the minds of the men and women who so diligently ensure that your debilitating hunger is satiated? two.one.five has decided to designate a section to these unsung—and usually under-tipped—heroes of convenient cuisine.

SB: How long have you been working at  Gianna’s?
SA: Since I started on delivery, about four years now.

SB: Have you always been in Philadelphia?
SA: I’ve been in Philly for about seven years, before that I was in Harrisburg. I’ve lived in a lot of places.  I was originally from Arizona, but that’s a long time ago.

SB: Compared to other cities you’ve lived in, how do you like Philly?
SA: Philly’s awesome. It’s small but big, cool people are everywhere you go. It’s really cheap to live here. I pay about $150 a month where I live. It’s a big warehouse place, it’s on the bottom floor, but it’s not finished or anything. It’s still warehousey. I mean, there’s electricity there and everything, but in the wintertime it’s a different story, there’s no heat.

SB: Do you enjoy being a delivery dude?
SA: I love it. I love getting paid to ride my bike around the city. It’s great exercise all day. I get paid to exercise. It has its ups and downs like everything, there’s frustrations every now and again, but it’s great.

SB: Any bad delivery experiences?
SA: People not tipping. People who want us to ride all the way to west Philly for a quarter. It’s ridiculous. I combat cars all day and try not to die, I mean It’s not like we make a lot of money at work, it’s basically all tips and I don’t think people understand that. That one little thing is probably the most frustrating thing.

SB: Have you had any strange delivery experiences, like walking in on something strange out there?
SA: I wish. That’s what we all hope for. That’s what I thought originally, “Man, I’m going to meet a lot of girls and have these crazy experiences,” but no. I mean this interview is cool and I meet a lot of cool people. I met Matt [Bacine, Co-Publisher of two.one.five] from my job, because he ordered here a lot. A lot of my friends I met through work.

SB: What job did you have before delivering?
SA: Right before this I was working at Tower Records on South Street.

SB: Do you have any other ambitions or aspirations you want to accomplish before you die?
SA: I think about that sometimes, about what motivates me, but I don’t really have any one thing. I read a lot, but probably the only thing I’d really like to do is travel around the world. Just take off for two years, travel and get lost. But it’s hard to do without lots of money.

SB: Have you thought about any other ways to make some extra income?
SA: That aren’t illegal? (laughs) Recently I’ve been looking at trying to find another part time job.

SB:You seem to be really into body art. Do you have any artistic skills?
SA: I draw a little bit. Right now I’ve been making magnets and cards. I sell them a little bit here and there, usually at First Friday or the first couple of shops down at the Italian market. It’s not a ton of money or anything, but I think it’s neat that people buy the stuff. I’m like, “Oh, you’re actually going to pay for that?” I’ve gotten a few pieces of art that people have traded for my stuff.

SB: I’d like to know more about your body art. Where does it come from?
SA: Probably my mothers influence, she’s s pretty decorated lady, and she has art all over her body. So I guess that exposure right there. As soon as I hit 18—it’s an addictive hobby, very addictive.

SB: If you could be any food in the world, what would you be?
SA: I like watermelon a lot. I’m juicy and so sweet.