A staggering £10.1 billion was spent in the UK on courier delivery services in 2016. That’s over double the amount that was spent on beer in the same period. Private courier services are now even outshining the Royal Mail when it comes to consumer satisfaction, with a number of these companies ranking above the postal service in a survey of the best delivery companies of 2017. The Which? survey found that 1 in 5 deliveries arrived late in 2017, and 14% of deliveries never even arrived at all. This has led many to use specialist secure courier services, such as those which use security guards to deliver packages. And it’s lucky we have those, because couriers are being used for a whole host of weird and wonderful reasons.
- Human organs
Ever wondered how human organs are transferred from one hospital to another? Providing a truly valuable service that helps to save many lives, medical couriers are employed by hospitals and donor agencies to get them from A to B. It is not just organs that they transfer, but bone marrow and blood too, ensuring that those who need them can receive transplants.
- Ashes
Finding a way to successfully transport the ashes of a loved one is hugely important, meaning a reliable courier service that can guarantee safe delivery is imperative. This has led to a number of courier services that are dedicated to the transport of ashes either throughout the UK, or internationally. Being able to find a service with the knowhow and understanding to carefully deal with an an urn will take a great weight off the shoulders of those who are grieving.
- Cats and dogs
That’s right, you can transfer your furry friends via an animal courier service. For those needing to transport their pets when moving home or to a holiday destination, either nationally or internationally, these delivery services offer a safe and reliable way to do so. These services are run by trained animal handlers who have experience in animal welfare, and are able to handle a range of different pets.
- Live fish
It’s not just furry pets that need transport. If you’ve just purchased a new fish and need to transfer it to your property, or are moving house and need your tank transported, you could hire a courier service to help with this. Whilst transferring frozen or chilled seafood from place to place simply relies on having a vehicle with refrigerating capacity to keep it fresh, moving live fish is another matter entirely. Just as with other pets, courier services must of course treat them with added care, ensuring there is sufficient water in the vehicle and that they are fed.
Fish owners were dealt a blow in 2016 when courier company APC Overnight suspended their fish carriage services, as they were the only reported company in the UK with a dedicated service like this. For the sake of pet fish across the country, let’s hope someone else steps up to the plate soon.
- Sex toys
With the most recent estimations putting the sex toy industry’s value at around $15 billion, and with the online market a big part of this, sex toys have now become a more regular part of the courier service world. Most adult companies now include courier delivery as part of their online services, including sex toy heavyweights Ann Summers.
The delivery of sex toys was taken even further in 2017 when London sex toy retailer Sh! devised a same-hour delivery service called Love Drop, ostensibly an Uber Eats for marital aids. By ordering over the phone, London-based customers can now have sex toys dropped off at their homes within an hour for £30, or on the same day for £25.
