The Life of a Stuwie
Our independent couriers are at the heart of what we do, so we decided to catch up with our community and pick their brains about what it’s like to work for Stuart.
Xavier (from France), Adam (from Poland), Alex (from London), and Telcio (from Brazil), have all become independent couriers for Stuart because of their shared love of cycling. When they aren’t out riding and delivering, Xavier is working on his PHD and Alex has a full-time office job. These stellar Stuwies (as they are affectionately named) recently opened up to us about their day-to-day lives zooming around London.
What is your favourite part of the job?
Being full time students or working office jobs, many of our Stuwies see their independent courier work as an additional income and a nice change from their routines. Telcio and Alex said they love the sense of community at Stuart — “it’s like a family”, and not only can you see other independent couriers on the map, but “you can get help from them easily”. Xavier said he loves the sense of responsibility he is given and that his favourite time to work is in the evenings when it’s the busiest.
Why did you choose to work for Stuart?
Most answered that they had heard about the job through friends and thought it sounded fun and interesting, but Xavier had a lot more to say. Xavier had previously worked with another delivery platform which he didn’t enjoy because it was “messy and unprofessional”. He found out about Stuart when he saw a video of a bike race in Paris sponsored by Stuart. Xavier thought the video was really cool and instantly felt that Stuart was an exciting and innovative company. He was eager for a change and now that he works with Stuart he is happier than before — “I like that service quality is a focus of the company…I haven’t worked for any other company since I started working with Stuart.”
What has been your most memorable delivery?
Smiles instantly broke out among the Stuwies as they began to remember their most interesting customer interactions.
They looked at each other as if urging the other to speak first. Adam was the first to share — “I had just gotten to the door to deliver food and I had an unexpected greeting from a kitten…no-one else came, the kitten just sat there staring at me as if it were the one retrieving the package.” Xavier also got a surprise when he showed up for a delivery once — “I was at the door with a delivery and the customer answered the door completely naked…I had no idea how to react in that situation.”
Alex had a funny story to share about delivering to a hen party where the guests forced him to do karaoke and take selfies with them. Telcio told us about an awkward Valentine’s Day delivery where he was delivering flowers to someone who thought the bouquet was from him!
What do you like to do in London for fun?
They almost all collectively replied “besides cycling?!” It took some pushing to get them to share what other activities they enjoy, but we did manage to get some answers. In his free time Xavier likes to build bikes (he cheated a little) and ride horses. Although he doesn’t get the chance to pursue this hobby much in London, Xavier was previously a very talented horseback rider who almost became a pro a few years back. Telcio likes staying active and playing football with his friends. Alex likes to “skate around” — proving that his skills on wheels go beyond cycling! Adam takes advantage of his free time to relax and do jigsaw puzzles. He finds them calming yet challenging.
The interviews were a great success and it was lovely to speak to such enthusiastic Stuwies, find out about their lives and hear about the rarely-dull, always-lively “Life of a Stuwie”.
