FedEx driver reveals the five items he hates to deliver: 'More back pain than the NFL'
A FedEx driver has detailed his five least favorite items to deliver door-to-door.
The man, who goes by Mr. B on TikTok, is based in Mississippi, and took to the platform earlier this month to unveil the list.
The post - captioned 'The struggle' - has since been viewed more than three million times, and has some entries that has surprised his followers.
As firms like Amazon and Instacart have made shopping for consumers a walk-less walk in the park, we often forget about those on the other side of the order.
And as summer hits full stride and delivery persons are set to be put through the ringer, perhaps a quick perusal is in order.
The driver, who goes by Mr. B on TikTok, is based in Mississippi, and took to the platform earlier this month to lay bare the list. Disclaimer: some of the entries may surprise you, and may make you reconsider what you're packing into your metaphorical shopping cart next time around
Chewy
The first banes of Mr. B's existence are those boxes marked Chewy - a brand that sells pet food and other pet-related products out of Florida.
One of the most recognizable boxes out there, they are almost always a surefire sign of extreme weight - packed with pounds of kibble and tins containing wet food, and other physically dense items.
'If you order this, you have caused more back pain than the NFL,' the delivery driver remarks in a caption of the blue and brown culprits.
The first banes of Mr. B's existence are those boxes marked Chewy - a brand that sells pet food and other pet-related products out of Florida
Moreover, Chewy often repeats deliveries, commenters pointed out - with customers signed up for subscriptions that see boxes often weighing as much as 60 pounds pedaled out on a monthly or even weekly basis.
'Working at fedex and unloading them chewy boxes is straight hell,' one viewer wrote of the pet-food deliveries.
'Worst thing about the chewy boxes is that they're either 3 ounces or 60 pounds and you don't know until you lift it,' another sniped.
Tires
To keep the list rolling, the next item singled out by the courier were none other than tires - an unwieldy entry, to say the least, despite its transport-centric design.
Ironically, the rubber parts are a pain to cart around in a FedEx truck, according to the TikToker - because can weigh anywhere from 100 to 300 pounds.
Worsening matters is that they are a surprisingly popular item for eCommerce, as customers are often sold on the prospect of such a burdensome item being brought directly to their door.
The next item singled out by the courier were none other than tires - an unwieldy entry, to say the least, despite its transport-centric design
But this leaves people like Mr. B in the lurch as to where to put them, as their shape and weight make them difficult to pack away in the back of a truck
'You obviously don’t care about other packages I gotta fit into my car,' he writes in another caption.
With wheeling them not an option, tires may be better off bought in person from an actual tire shot, several experts say - citing how several will match prices seen online for the sake of making a sale.
Perishables
Next up were perishables - an increasingly common item given the advent of online food-shopping.
Moreover, prices offered by Fresh Direct and Walmart are often better than those at physical stores, causing such grocery orders to swell -by customers emboldened by the prospect of not carrying them.
However, foods that spoil serve to create a time limit - one that is complicated by the fact that the ice-packed boxes often weigh well into the double figures.
This puts pressure on people like Mr. B, who writes how he often find the 'bottom of [these ice-packed boxes] soaked by the time [he gets] your house.'
Next up were perishables - an increasingly common item given the advent of online shopping
According to the USDA, Perishables are foods or beverages 'likely to spoil, decay or become unsafe to consume if not kept refrigerated at 40F or below, or frozen at 0F or below.'
This includes dairy, raw meat, frozen items, and eggs - items that are also commonly heavy.
If left outside for longer than two hours, they can become unsafe to consume. Ice meant to slow this, however, adds to the weight, and as Mr B mentioned, can turn into equally heavy water on an especially hot day.
Mirrors
Seven years of bad luck for anyone vain enough to order a mirror, says Mr B - citing a sarcastic '75 percent chance it’s gonna be broke' by the time it's delivered.
That self-professed statistic, he says, also accounts for the likely reality 'it was broke before it made it to my truck'.
Because of this, he hates delivering mirrors - pointing to the slew of complaints that such deliveries typically give way to.
Seven years of bad luck for anyone vain enough to order a mirror, says Mr B - citing a sarcastic '75 percent chance it’s gonna be broke' by the time it's delivered
As is the case with tires, they are also often heavy and at times unwieldy, adding to the difficulty factor when carting them around.
They're also at-times are comprised of hefty frames made of bronze or other metals - making them even more complicated to safely carry to a destination.
While a nice addition to any household, such pieces may be better off being bought in-person, people like Mr B advise.
Mattresses
Last but definitely not least in terms of package pains, mattresses appear to be the White Whale of the TikToker's at-times painful quest to make deliveries.
Ever-popular and a necessity in any home, they now regularly are made of memory foam - and thus can be stuffed in boxes the fraction of the size of the full product, at the expense of your delivery person.
Such boxes can be heavy, often weighing up to 150 pounds.
Last but definitely not least in terms of package pains, mattresses appear to be the White Whale of the TikToker's at-times painful quest to make deliveries
These boxes, however, can get even heavier - however at the shared expense of the driver and the customer, who will have to fork over an additional $100 fee at the behest of FedEx if their sleeper surpasses this marker.
This relatively new phenomenon - seen from firms like Casper and Nectar - appears to anger Mr B the most, considering his accompanying caption.
'Putting a mattress in a box should be a felony,' he writes, in a post that's received nearly 300,000 likes.
Commenters appeared to understand the FedEx worker's plight, but were also not too empathetic.
'I do apologize to all delivery people, but I need those online prices and discounts,' one such person wrote, as inflation and rising food costs continue to burn holes in Americans' pockets.
