Charles St. Anthony: Beverly Hills Postmate
Charles St. Anthony hosts the hilarious podcast “T with Charles” where he discuss the scalding hot topics in current events and entertainment. He has published several humorous memoirs and short reads. He graduated from Columbia University with a degree in East Asian Studies. After spending 12 years in Japan where he acquired his master’s degree, he returned to the US where he released “Impossibly Glamorous” — his book about gay life in Japan and the American celebrities he met overseas. He followed this up with “San Francisco Daddy,” which took a close up look at LGBTQ dating life in the Bay Area. “Uber Diva” and “DTLA Hustler” are humorous short reads on the gig economy where Charles shows the realities of working as a rideshare driver and Postmates courier, respectively. He continues his work as a wit and humorist maintains the handle @kingcharles0921 on Instagram and Twitter.
What was the weirdest food or drink someone ordered?
I don’t know about weird, but I had quite a few orders that surprised me. For example, I was in Beverly Hills the night the Lakers won their basketball championship, and I’m really excited because I’m hoping for some big orders — like a big order of sushi or ribs. I could just count the tip money rolling in. Then, the first order that pinged me was for order of extra jumbo tampons from Rite-Aid. It wasn’t the type of order I was anticipating the night people celebrated the Lakers winning, but the woman seemed extremely grateful, because she left a pretty good tip for that.
Another surprising order was on Instacart, and it sent me to a CVS to pick a certain brand of fake eyelashes and eyelash glue. CVS was out of whatever brand she wanted, so I’m hunched over the racks in the makeup aisle looking for eyelashes when I’m not really the best expert. I hope she liked whatever I got her, but I suspect I picked up the most drag queen looking lashes for the woman. Maybe she liked them?
Other surprising orders sometimes would come for just one item, because it made me think about the customer’s relationship with money. Like I’ve had order for just one small pack of Oreos from 7-Eleven and another order for just a couple packs of Starburst. I’ve never had the experience of being able to be so nonchalant about money that I’d pay the delivery fees and surcharges to get just a little candy, but people were needing their comfort food during the pandemic, so I tried not to judge.
What’s something about being a Postmate/doing DoorDash/Uber Eats that people who haven’t done it don’t get? What’s that job really like, vs how people imagine it to be like?
The customers that I love the most are the ones with big numbers on their houses. If your address is only spray painted on your curbside, it can be quite difficult to find at night. Also, I sort of cringe when I have to leave food on the ground or on a porch or something. I love the people that have a little table or something set out. Also, I don’t really like going into a strange apartment building. I always get lost, and I imagine it makes female drivers feel uncomfortable.
What are some things you can order at expensive places that are healthy and good deals?
Great that you mention that, because I have an entire chapter called “Beverly Hills on a Budget” where I introduce economical treats and side dishes I discovered in Beverly Hills and the surrounding areas. I’ve been saying for a couple years the Lemon Chicken Plate at a place called California Pita is the best lunch on the Westside of Los Angeles, for its value. If you are vegetarian they have a falafel plate, as well. My favorite burgers are at Honeybee Burger, and their website says that all their food is 100% plant based. No bees were harmed in the making of this burger. It’s just plants, you guys. Cauliflower anything is hot right now, so cauliflower rice and cauliflower pizza were common orders.
Do you have thoughts on the labor issues surrounding gig workers? About health insurance and employee status?
I definitely felt exploited on certain occasions when the apps would malfunction, and you wouldn’t get paid or sent to a restaurant that was already closed. California has improved things quite a bit, since Proposition 22 took effect this year. If you don’t make the designated amount of money you are supposed to make for the time you are working, Uber Eats and Postmates will add money to compensate you.
I don’t think their business model can survive if you impose employee status on the workers. I know that some people do gig work full-time, but if you’re like me and only doing it as a side-hustle then it doesn’t make sense. I like being able to turn on the app and just do a couple deliveries then call it a night.
Were people thankful to get their orders, to still be able to eat out during Covid?
I think the vast majority of people were very grateful for their orders, and sometimes they would come out with nice cash tips and you could see the looks of relief on their faces. Postmates had the highest percent of people who tipped through the app (57%) followed by DoorDash (56%) and Uber Eats (52%), respectively. If you look at online driver groups, it’s not uncommon to see pictures of little baskets of treats and thank you notes to all the people who risked contracting coronavirus by doing gig work during the pandemic.
Why do you think people should read your book?
I spent a year on research, writing, and putting the artwork together for Beverly Hills Postmate. She’s a labor of love, and I think Beverly Hills Postmate showcases some of my strongest writing to date. I tried to make the humor sort of Mae West-style with a little wink and lots of double-entendres, with just a dash of sunny California Valley Girl attitude.
I also work overtime to incorporate cute pictures, enticing visuals, and fabulous infographics for my readers. If you are giving me your time as a reader, I want you to walk away feeling that you learned something and had a good laugh. Thank you for reading my interview, now please go purchase Beverly Hills Postmate here.
