Though Hermes is not the only delivery company with its issues, it is by far the most renowned for its terrible service—so much so it has become a running joke. It was just in January 2022 that a poll conducted by Martin Lewis’ website MoneySavingExpert discovered that Hermes ranked second-last in a list of 17 delivery companies—with nearly 50 per cent of surveyed respondents stating that its service is “poor.” Unsurprisingly, Amazon ranked first overall.

Following its rebrand to Evri—with the whole internet laughing it up—to challenge the perception and attitude towards the service, it looks like nothing has really changed as a plethora of videos continue to show package carnage, ridiculous parcel locations and of course, theft. Though the following clips have not been verified by SCREENSHOT to be from Evri (Hermes), the internet seems to be building its arsenal against the service.

In one viral video, the TikTok page of trainer trading group @yorkshirecreps showed an Evri courier stealing their stock. In the clip which has amassed over 3 million views, the delivery driver can be seen placing the package in the recycling bin, snapping a photo (to show evidence of its ‘delivery’) and then just walking away with it. The driver did not knock or provide any notice of a delivery taking place. The act was caught on security footage on the property.

@yorkshirecreps

Footage Of Hermes/Evri Courier Stealing Our Parcels 😡 @Nike

♬ original sound - yorkshirecreps

The clip sparked obvious outrage with one user commenting, “They called it Evri because every parcel gets stolen.” Another wrote, “No point changing [the] name if you aren’t changing the delivery drivers.” Though the following comment cannot be confirmed (so be sure to take it with a grain of salt), one user shared, “I used to work for ASOS, and a Hermes driver threw a massive box over someone’s fence. It killed their dog. Worst call I ever took.”

Because Evri parcel goes missing? Because Evri day they’re reputation somehow manages to get worse? Because Evri time I see they’re delivering my parcel, my heart sinks? https://t.co/q1Uuckegjz

— Shaughna Phillips (@Shaughna_P) March 11, 2022

Soon after, another video surfaced showcasing the same action. With around a quarter of a million views, the clip claims to show a Hermes/Evri courier placing the package on the driveway of the property—without even knocking of course—taking a photograph, picking it up and walking away with it. The crime was also captured in security footage found on the property, with one user commenting, “I love when these are caught on camera.”

@jake_land1994

Hermes stealing parcel #hermes #parcel #fyp #foryoupage #viral #ohno #wtf #giveitback #deliverydriver #fu #housetok 😡😡😡😡

♬ original sound - Jake

It doesn’t end there. Yet another user shared their experience with the delivery service. In footage that they claim to be of their local Evri courier, parcels are being thrown at the door aggressively. The treatment of the packages is consistent throughout the small clips shared.

@emmalonsdale123

Wtf Hermes #hermesdelivery #hermesdriver #fyp #viral

♬ Working - Katchafire

But it’s not just Evri that seems to have this problem, a few delivery drivers of other companies like Amazon, FedEx and even Domino’s have been accused of the same. In videos shared on TikTok, footage is shown of Amazon delivery drivers in the US and Canada conducting the same tactic, photographing and then stealing.

@ctvnews

An Amazon delivery driver was caught on camera stealing an Ontario woman's package from her porch, seconds after dropping it off. #fy #foryou

♬ original sound - CTVNews

@rydercox03

What a donut 😒 #MyBrawlSuper #SnowballFightAgainstHunger #JBLGreekOut #fyp

♬ You're a Jerk - New Boyz

Other clips accuse delivery drivers from other companies like FedEx of trying to get into packages or even stealing packages left on doorsteps—take the Domino’s courier in the second clip. While delivering the food order, he comes across another package left on the doorstep of the same property. Taking that parcel and leaving the pizzas, the man walks away.

@dmj_kicks

Who else?😂 #sneakers #foryoupage #fypシ #fedex #deliverydriver #delivery #comedy #shoes #hypesneakers

♬ Substance - 03 Greedo

@prettyprincess30

#PrimeDayDealsDance #foryoupage #dominosdeliveryguy #caughtoncamera #youabouttoloseyourjob #godisgood #goingviral

♬ original sound - Prettyprincess31

In my own case—buckle up for a story time—after ordering a much anticipated pair of Nike Dunks, my package was supposedly delivered. At the time at which this was meant to have occurred, I was at home, not a doorbell ring or knock was heard. After emailing the delivery company, I was informed that indeed, my parcel had been delivered and that I should check thoroughly. I looked everywhere, it must have looked like a right sight to the neighbours, but oh well. Upon this sinking feeling that my package was probably stolen, I emailed again. Following an investigation they made upon request, they discovered the delivery driver acted irresponsibly. In other words, the courier stole my package.

This back and forth which went on for about a month was just such an irritating and disheartening experience that when given the choice between a refund and a new pair of trainers, I opted for the money. It’s such an annoyance that leaves you not even wanting the package at all anymore, an experience most may feel.

Ever since 2016, the internet has made a tradition out of celebrating surveillance capitalism in the guise of tailored reports that recap our habits of the year. Following the launch of Spotify Wrapped—the coveted feature that fans routinely grind towards and base their entire personality around when it drops every December—the concept of a ‘year-in-review’ has gripped most digital services today.

While Apple Music has its revamped Replay feature and YouTube Music offers a Recap experience, Deezer releases its summaries in the form of #MyDeezerYear and Amazon Music generates rather disappointing playlists for users. Heck, even Reddit has its own Recap feature that illustrates the amount of time you spent shitposting and visiting various subs in the hopes of finding a custom long Furby.

Over the past few years, Spotify Wrapped’s impact has catapulted the feature as a cultural reset among gen Zers and millennials alike. Today, both generations expect every single online platform to track and judge their data in exchange for aesthetic statistics they can share with the rest of the world. And, as it turns out, their dating lives are no exception.

A Spotify Wrapped report essentially gives you insights about your top five artists, genres and songs, audio personality (what even is Sorrow Escapism Liminal Space?), and amount of minutes listened. Now, imagine such information being pulled from your miserable presence on dating apps like Bumble, Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, and more.

If you ask me, the report would read something like this: “In 2022, you swiped right on 26 crypto bros and 38 people named Matt. You went on a sum total of 25 dates with your matches, out of whom 5 kittenfished you, 13 ghosted you right after, and 2 blocked and reported your profile to our teams. You took 150 screenshots of cringey profiles to share with your WhatsApp group chat, and even rage quit our app 7 times. What was that all about, huh?”

“You also received 57 unsolicited gym selfies, but to top things off, you were among the top 1 per cent of users who slid into people’s DMs at 3 am! Congratulations, your dating app rizz is doomed beyond recovery!”

It’s worth noting that the conversation about dating apps having their own year-in-review feature has been making the rounds for a while now. In 2020, comedian Grace Hayes went viral after she uploaded her DIY Bumble Wrapped on TikTok. Leveraging the green screen effect, Hayes curated #bumblewrapped on the video-sharing platform—with 44,800 views and counting. The clip was so popular that even Bumble left a comment stating: “This is AMAZING. Inspiring us 😏😏”

The following year, software engineer Niko Draca created a third-party website for Hinge users to generate their own Wrapped reports. “First thing you’ll see is how many people you encountered on the app and how many you said yes to,” Draca explained in the widely-circulated clip. “Then you’ll see all of the likes, rejections, matches, etc over the year. You can also see what time of the day you sent the most chat messages, how many people you chatted with in total, and how long those conversations lasted.” Apart from the top three emojis, the website additionally provided users with a word cloud made up of the terms they deployed the most in DMs.

Draca was undoubtedly the trailblazer for Hinge Wrapped, and it’s safe to say that the dating app has been real quiet since the video went viral.

@nikodraca

@Hinge 🖤 Wrapped #spotifywrapped2021 #selflove #manifestation #hinge #datingapp

♬ All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault) - Taylor Swift

Fast forward to 2022, TikTok users have now taken things up a notch with a trend called ‘Dating Wrapped’—where they are seen brutally recapping their past year in romance in hopes of manifesting a better love life. Here, insights are no longer restricted to a single dating app. Instead, they focus on the participants’ relationship exploits in general, including how they met their matches, what they did on first dates, and how many times they cried over someone.

All of the data is then collated onto… a PowerPoint slideshow, and the deck is later presented using a laptop angled towards the viewers.

“[This is] truly one of the most depressing things I’ve ever done,” said Toronto-based TikToker Alexandria McLean in her video which is believed to have kicked off the trend. “I went on 21 first dates… Yikes! I met 66 per cent [of matches] on Bumble and 33 per cent on Hinge. In terms of where we went, activity and dinner are tied at 30 per cent, coffee [and] walking dates [are] at 28 per cent, and drinks are 42 per cent. I don’t know why I went on so many walking dates, I hate walking dates.”

“In terms of who ended it, 90 per cent [of matches] ended it with me. Honestly, [that’s] a low number considering I’m a walking red flag,” McLean continued. “So, if you want to go out and want to be a part of my 2023 Dating Wrapped, hit me up!”

@alexandriathemediocre

It’s brutal out here ✨ #spotifywrapped #dating#datingintoronto#bumble#hinge

♬ original sound - Alexandria

Shortly after McLean’s video floored TikTok, users started querying the creator about the PowerPoint template and font she’d used for her presentation. It even paved the way for the rise of #datingwrapped, now with 8.1 million views and counting.

“If any of these men see this, I want you to know that you’re not special and you’re just a number to me,” TikToker Amber Smith captioned her video, which has since garnered over 3.1 million views. In the clip, Smith detailed that she went on 18 first dates, was handed two parking tickets, and spent a total of $383.36 on her matches. “I wish I had not calculated this number,” she stated. “What could I have done with this money? Literally anything else would’ve been better.”

@amberwavesofbrain

If any of these men see this, I want you to know that you’re not special and you’re just a number to me 😌✌🏼 #datingwrapped #wrapped #tinder #hinge #facebookdating #firstdate

♬ original sound - Amber

As of today, the concept of Dating Wrapped has evolved to include star signs, age gaps, red, beige and pink flags, the number of hoodies participants have stolen from their partners, STIs they’ve treated, as well as the number of tattoos they regret getting. While some bestow digital awards to their dates, others are seen creating introvert and queer editions of the trend.

Given how 2022 still has a couple of weeks left to conclude, I wouldn’t be surprised to witness the introduction of even more metrics to publicly analyse our love lives on the internet. Maybe the presentations can have a section where people note the different aesthetics and subcultures they’ve dated in the past year?

At the end of the day, no matter how many slides you choose to include in your deck, the aim of Dating Wrapped at its core is self-reflection. So, you’re good as long as you walk away with actionable insights and don’t bring all the negative energy gathered in 2022 into your love life in 2023.

If you’ve stumbled across #datingwrapped on TikTok before, you might have noticed comments along the lines of “Don’t be shy, drop that PowerPoint template,” and “What’s the name of the font you’ve used? Where do I download it from?” Sure, these remarks might just be pointers that ultimately help others jump on the trend, however, it’s also another incognito factor that aids the popularity of Dating Wrapped.

With a presence that can be traced back to the COVID-19 pandemic, PowerPoint presentations have become the zeitgeist of gen Zers in cyberspace today. Be it to mansplain our hobbies or interests to others, give a crash course about our favourite series nobody asked for, plot moves in Clash of Clans, prove “the One Piece is real,” or justify that Chainsaw Man’s Makima is worth simping for, slideshows have become our weapon of choice to present peers with digestible chunks of information about the most unhinged topics.

If you really think about it, the resurgence of PowerPoints can be linked to our pathetic eight-second attention span. Gen Zers crave dynamicity in everything they are exposed to and what better way to explain something to the generation than using infographics they can breeze through?

The format also harbours parallels with LOL graphs or ‘silly graphs’ that first gripped meme culture in the mid-2000s. The statistical representation essentially doubled as a visual aid—designed to explain the most non-academic and trivial subjects “for teh lulz XD.”

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A post shared by Sufiyan Junaid (@sufiyanjunaid)

Back to the case of Dating Wrapped, the trend checks out—considering how gen Z Spotify fans have proved to be least concerned about how Big Tech uses their personal data. “I wonder about all my stats on Youtube, Discord, Instagram,” an enthusiast previously told SCREENSHOT. “I wish there were things like Spotify Wrapped in each of them where we can see all our data like the most watched video, channel etc. And even further, I wish god would show us data of our life.”

All that being said, the possibilities of dating apps implementing a Wrapped-like feature seem bleak for the foreseeable future. Until then, you can choose to follow TikToker @cobiscreation’s advice and sneakily screenshot your crush’s Spotify Wrapped report the moment they share it on Instagram. You’ll know the exact songs and artists to stream the next time you guys hang out together.

Who knows, maybe it’ll work wonders for your 2023 Dating Wrapped… or not.

@cobiscreation

Spotify Wrapped is free game #dating #hinge #sneakylink #spotify #fyp #spotifywrapped #fypシ #fypage

♬ original sound - Cobi 👨🏽‍🎨🖼️✨