(Yicai Global) April 19 -- During a recent conference call arranged to glean insight into the outlook for the retail sector, analysts in locked-down Shanghai were less interested in quizzing the delivery worker invited to join in, but considerably more eager to place orders with him for daily essentials.

The securities brokerage analysts were keen to ask the deliveryman -- until recently a driver for Didi Global in a small Chinese city -- to buy and drop off items such as cola drinks, cigarettes, and infant formula, Yicai Global learned.

Some stores, restaurants, and supermarkets have resumed business in Shanghai, but delivery workers are in short supply. The man came to the city early last month and gets about eight hours of work a day running errands, mostly thanks to word-of-mouth, as online orders are scarce. Clients usually want cigarettes, alcohol, snacks, vegetables, beverages, and other daily necessities.

His average daily income has climbed, but not to the widely exaggerated CNY10,000 (USD1,567) or more that online rumors would have people believe, he told the analysts.

“In normal times, I worked about eight hours a day and could earn CNY200 (USD31.34),” the man said. “Now, amid the pandemic, I can earn at least CNY300 to CNY400 a day, and even as much as CNY700 to CNY800.”

Most of his time and energy go into negotiating the source of goods and queuing up outside supermarkets. “We’re not allowed to enter supermarkets, so we have to scan QR codes at the entrance to enter WeChat groups and post there what we need so that staff can get the goods for us and bring them to the door,” he said. “I usually have eight to 10 people lined up in front of me.”

“Prices have more than doubled during the Covid-19 lockdown and many goods are out of stock,” the man noted.

He always wears an N95 mask and gloves when he is working to avoid being infected. Every day he needs to take a nucleic acid test to be sure he does not have Covid. He rides an electric bike, which he charges at points along the road, and stops at restaurants when he needs to eat.

And he also has been sleeping under bridges, in cash point booths, and in parks for more than 10 days to avoid paying high accommodation fees, which shocked the analysts.

“We’re all migrant workers here in Shanghai,” said one of the analysts. “We’re all embracing the fighting spirit.”

Editor: Futura Costaglione