Help Me Think — What's So Wrong About Grabfood work?

 I was catching up with a group of old friends from secondary school recently. It was one of those rare reunions where you laugh about the past, but at the same time, reality hits hard. Times are clearly tough. To my surprise, a few of them had been retrenched. These were people I always thought were comfortably climbing the corporate ladder. Yet, here they were—out of work, trying to stay afloat.

Oddly enough, I hadn’t really seen much in the news about mass retrenchments lately. So hearing it firsthand made it feel all the more real. Naturally, I asked what they were doing now. Most of them simply said, “Just looking for jobs.” Some had enough savings to coast by for a while, so they weren’t in a rush to jump into anything temporary.

I casually floated the idea of doing GrabFood or some kind of gig work in the meantime—just to generate some income, reduce the burn on savings, and keep the wheels moving. I wasn’t expecting applause, but what I got instead was a chorus of laughter.

They mocked the idea.

I was honestly taken aback. I wasn’t trying to be condescending or suggest they weren’t trying hard enough—I was just sharing something real. You see, I had done GrabFood myself for two solid months when I was between jobs. On a bicycle, no less. It wasn’t glamorous. I wasn’t raking in cash. On a good day, I’d complete 6 to 8 orders and make about $30 to $40. It was physically tiring and mentally draining. But it was something.

And in those difficult days, that "something" made a difference. That little bit of income helped me slow down the depletion of my savings. It wasn’t just about the money—it was about momentum, pride, and keeping myself mentally in gear.

I tried to explain this to them. I argued that even if it’s not ideal, doing something—anything—is better than sitting still and watching your hard-earned money vanish day by day. But they brushed it off, saying the effort wasn't worth it. That the income from a few hours of gig work couldn’t match even one or two hours of their old corporate salaries.

They weren’t wrong, mathematically. But maybe they were missing the point.

I get it—there’s a stigma. Some people see gig work as a step down. They think it's only for people who "have no choice." But isn't that all of us, when life throws a curveball? When did being resourceful become something to scoff at?

So now I’m left thinking: Is pride really worth more than financial resilience? Is doing nothing better than doing something just because it pays less?

Help me think—what’s so wrong about Grab?