- Indian quick delivery services take minutes, while German deliveries take days with no weekend service
- India's logistics rely on dense dark stores and many riders, enabling fast, efficient deliveries
- German returns are slow and complex compared to India's streamlined process
An Indian man living in Frankfurt went viral on LinkedIn after comparing India's quick delivery system with Germany's slower-paced one. Sahil Choudhary said that Germans find India's 10-minute delivery services, commonly offered by quick-commerce companies like Blinkit and Zepto, "unbelievable" and that the service feels like "teleportation" to them.
In his post, Choudhary outlined the key differences in the delivery cultures. He noted that a delivery in Germany might take several business days, with no weekend services, while in India, a similar order could arrive in minutes. Choudhary further wrote that Indian logistics is fueled by a dense network of "dark stores" and a vast number of riders who navigate traffic efficiently. This contrasts with Germany's more methodical, slower-paced system.
He also pointed out the stark difference in return procedures, which are often cumbersome in Germany compared to the streamlined process in India.
"Here in Germany, forget instant delivery, your parcel arrives only during specific business hours. No deliveries on weekends, and painful return procedures. Back home, logistics runs on caffeine. Thousands of riders weaving through traffic, dark stores every 500 metres, and ETAs that defy physics. This speed has stimulated the economy in a way even policy couldn't - boosted consumption, created liquidity, and employed millions across India," the post on LinkedIn read.
However, he also acknowledged that such speed comes at a human cost.
"When I tell Germans about this, they stare at me in disbelief, like I'm describing teleportation. It makes India sound more first world than the first world itself. But the cost of this speed is paid by the ones racing to deliver it - low wages, long hours, rising pollution. It chokes roads with traffic and still bleeds bottom lines. But still, we've innovated an extraordinary capability that we can potentially scale to redefine global logistics", he added.
See the post here:
Reactions to Choudhary's post on LinkedIn were mixed. While some praised his storytelling, others highlighted deeper systemic issues. One user noted the stark contrast in how labour is valued across regions.
He wrote, "What Europe treats as a scarce and protected resource, India still treats as an abundant and replaceable one. The same demographic dividend that powers our instant delivery ecosystem could have been our greatest innovation dividend — if only we invested in upskilling, fair wages, and human dignity. Speed is impressive, but sustainability comes when that speed doesn't come at the cost of the people who enable it. It's time we see our delivery riders not as the "couriers of convenience," but as the backbone of a modern economy that must learn to respect and uplift its workforce."
Another commented, "This comparison misses the essence of what makes a system first world. Germany's "5 business days” isn't inefficiency — it's discipline. It's a society that values predictability over chaos, people over convenience, and sustainability over speed."
A third user said, "Much as I like the convenience of getting stuff in 10 minutes, it simply leads to over consumerism, which I definitely am not a fan of."
"Instant delivery feels convenient but fuels isolation. Even small errands like grocery runs can offer moments of connection — something we're losing," a fourth added.
