The Delivery Heaven

Year of Production
2023

Video

Summary

This is a novel that depicts the hardships of small business owners and reveals the power tripping of so-called black consumers, such as malicious commentors in South Korea where delivery systems are well established.

You can enjoy any food at home with just a few clicks on a delivery application. However, some people endure hell to sustain this convenient system.
Korea is a delivery heaven. With only several clicks on a mobile phone, you can get anything from a cup of coffee to heavy furniture through superfast delivery. Among other things, delivery applications serving as hubs for various restaurants have become essential apps for Koreans. You can order and pay all at once. Then soon, steaming hot food arrives at your door.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have become accustomed to a non-contact-friendly lifestyle. Due to the social distancing policy, many restaurants closed or limited their service. Manseok, a restaurant owner, starts a delivery service in order to recover plummeting sales. However, with the non-contact characteristics of delivery, he has difficulties dealing with malicious consumers. Some customers on the app make unreasonable demands for refunds by threatening to upload negative reviews on the app. So ever since he started a delivery service, Manseok has been in a state of stress.
One day, Manseok reads a malicious comment, which humiliates his 20 years of managing a restaurant. The comment is full of lies and exaggerations. Manseok cannot tolerate this and responds against it, which creates a miserable situation: it becomes the beginning of an endless war against bad commentors.
This book discloses to readers the fierce competition of the delivery world in South Korea. In addition, it candidly depicts the bleak reality of platform capitalism in which delivery platform companies profit by collecting fees from small businesses. Due to the spread of infection, we have become accustomed to a non-contact-based life. COVID-19 accelerated non-contact delivery systems to be established not only in Korea but all around the world. This story pays attention to the bare situation of workers and self-employed small business owners who are exploited by these platform services, instead of the convenience that recipients enjoy. In this regard, many of those suffering from the harsh business environment will relate to and find comfort from this story.

Company Profile

Other

SANZINI

"Sanzini", which means the highest and furthest-flying hawk born in the mountains, is a publishing company located in Busan, Korea. Since its establishment in 2005, Sanzini has published more than 750 books in various fields such as humanities, society, literature, social sciences, and children's books. Among them, approximately 160 titles have been selected as outstanding books. In 2015, We won the management and sales category of the Korea Publishing Association.
We plan and produce various contents that go beyond the limits of the region, and also focus on exporting copyrights to Thailand, Taiwan, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Japan, France, and other countries. We also annually import about 10 titles, introducing good foreign content to domestic readers.
Since 2013, we have consistently participated in international book fairs. Last year in 2022, we attended various international book fairs including Frankfurt, Gothenburg, and Guadalajara. In 2023, we also participated in the Taipei and Bologna International Book Fairs.

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