Whether to say “thank you” to delivery drivers shouldn’t be a question at all

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Should one say “thank you” to the delivery driver when receiving food? A online \"battle\" has suddenly broken out. 　　A survey conducted by Meituan shows that over 31% of delivery riders hope that users will say “thank you” when picking up their orders. Regarding this, netizens’ opinions are divided into two camps: one camp believes that, out of courtesy and good manners, it is something that customers who enjoy the service should do by thanking the delivery riders who go to such lengths to deliver the orders ； Another group believes that they are paying to \"purchase\" delivery services, and since the performance of many delivery drivers is far from satisfactory, there is no need to offer thanks. 　　At first glance, this inexplicably arisen debate seems to be over some trivial and unimportant matter. However, as more people join the debate and discussions become more diverse, the arguments act like a prism, reflecting the spectrum of ideas and the gaps between social classes in contemporary society. 　　In fact, when people debate whether to thank food delivery drivers, the group they are referring to goes far beyond just those drivers. The focus of the debate is not so much the relationship between those who order food delivery and the delivery drivers, but rather a more general relationship between those who receive services and those who provide labor. 　　Two different views correspond to two entirely distinct concepts. One view holds that the relationship between workers and employers should be characterized by humanity and moral consideration; therefore, a service contract based on monetary transactions does not automatically exempt those who receive the services from their moral obligation to express gratitude. Another view holds that the relationship between workers and employers is a purely market transaction without any moral implications; both parties pursue their own interests voluntarily, so there is no reason for gratitude. 　　The former concept is rooted in the ideal aspiration for a humanistic society, whereas the latter is based on the assumption of a 100% pure free market. Forcing a comparison between these two concepts to determine which is superior has little practical significance. However, in real life, we do not live in an ideal paradise, nor are we the so-called \"rational economic agents\" assumed by economic theory. Therefore, conflicts of ideas often cannot be resolved through theory alone; social reality must also be taken into account. 　　Once we turn our attention to reality, we find that China’s labor market at this stage is still a long way from the ideal scenario of \"everyone getting what they need, on a voluntary basis.\" The various appealing \"convenience advantages\" of urban life today are all based on relatively low labor costs, and the common practice of everyone ordering food delivery on a daily basis is the ultimate manifestation of this phenomenon. 　　In fact, in many developed countries, businesses also offer delivery services to customers, but not many people order food for delivery; the reason is quite simple – high labor costs. Buying food delivery services is equivalent to purchasing the labor of delivery drivers per unit of time. The reason why everyone can order food delivery every day is that the labor of these drivers is considered \"inexpensive\". 　　The reason why the price of labor at the grassroots level is “low” is that both the urban-rural population structure and the industrial structure are still in the process of development, which leads to fierce competition for such labor ； Second, the protection of workers’ rights and interests is still inadequate; workers such as food delivery riders find it difficult to receive comprehensive labor benefits. In a sense, this is an inevitable part of the economic development process, and there are no immediate solutions. However, as consumers, we cannot ignore this structural injustice, to the point where even saying \"thank you\" to those who work hard feels like a grievance. From another perspective, thanking those who help you is also a basic form of courtesy and good manners, regardless of whether money has been paid or not. 　　The reason many people are reluctant to express their gratitude is that they are dissatisfied with the service provided by food delivery riders. As consumers, we certainly have every right to demand better services from businesses and workers, but at the same time, we must also pay a fairer price for them. As industries that employ many frontline workers, including those in food delivery and courier services, become more organized, their management standards and service quality will naturally improve. Consequently, the compensation and service costs in these industries will also rise – this is the price we have to pay for high-quality services.