Today (January 29) Sherpa’s announced that they’re temporarily suspending delivery in Beijing due to the severity of the coronavirus epidemic. This, of course, makes the lives of expats in Beijing that much harder as Sherpa’s has become to go-to source for food deliveries for us.
But fret not. There are still other apps still in full swing that’ll get your favorite foods (and more) delivered to your door. All you need to do is download one of the Chinese delivery apps and learn a few keywords. You can get your food, groceries, face masks, thermometers, and other necessities delivered to your door.
In this post, we shall be looking at Eleme (饿了么), a close contender to the more popular Meituan (美团) which is also used by many an expat for shopping and delivery.
Here is how it works:
1 – After downloading the app from an app store of your choice, input your address, and your telephone number which will come in handy during delivery.
2 – After keying in the all-important details, it is now time for you to explore the options on your home page. The five large top icons are mostly what you will need in order to have things delivered to your house. If you want them to run specific errands to places not listed in their options, click the run errands option (second from the right) and provide very specific instructions on where to go and what you want.
3 – Input the name of your favorite restaurant. Chances are if they were on Sherpa’s they’ll be on the Chinese delivery apps as well. While the names are listed in Chinese, each item has a picture next to it so you pretty much know what you’re getting. This adds an extra step, but to double-check your order, you can take a screenshot and put it through a translation app like Dear Translate.
Some stores might need you to hit a minimum in order to allow for delivery. Please note that during this period, there is a slight increase in delivery charges but this should not discourage you from searching for your mask.
Translations You Might Need:
facemask: 口罩
bottled water: 矿泉水
thermometor：体温计
handwash: 洗手液
disinfectant: 消毒液
Happy convenient shopping, and stay safe.
Photos: Mina Yan, shine.cn
