TaskRabbit launches new on-demand delivery service

The Deliver Now feature is available via TaskRabbit's iPhone app for members in San Francisco

I like stuff, but sometimes I don’t want to go get it.  That’s my big existential crisis.  How much do I want a Reuben sandwich from the deli down the street?  Enough to get dressed, load up my kid, put the dogs out, and drive there?  What’s the point?  Why do I even want a Reuben sandwich?  What am I doing with my life?

My fellow lazy-asses and I are in luck.  TaskRabbit—the site that connects people looking for odd jobs with people with odd needs—announced Thursday that it’s debuting a new delivery feature in San Francisco.  If you live within the limits of the city, you can request to have anything your heart desires delivered right to your doorstep for an introductory flat rate of $10.  Once you place your order, it’s automatically assigned to one of the 500 “taskrabbits” in San Francisco.  The feature even allows you to track your delivery on your phone.

The on-demand delivery service is an extension of TaskRabbit’s iPhone app.  Simply launch the app, tap the Deliver Now feature, and post your delivery need.  There are a couple of caveats—the Deliver Now feature is only available Monday through Friday from 9am to 7pm, so you can’t get a pint of Ben & Jerry’s delivered at 3am on a Saturday (when you wake up in a cold sweat after realizing you’ve made all the wrong choices in life).

And the on-demand Deliver Now feature isn’t just limited to food orders.  You can also request a delivery for diapers, prescriptions, books, a birthday card, and more.

A company spokesperson tells me that delivery tasks are among the top three most common tasks in the TaskRabbit marketplace. 

TaskRabbit has had a busy year.  In January, the company acquired SkillSlate, and prior to that, it raised $17.8 million in a Series B round of funding that brings its total raised to $24.7 million.  The company has also seen something of a management shakeup in recent months, with founder Leah Busque stepping out of the role of CEO last Fall to focus exclusively on product, and then stepping back into the CEO spot earlier this month.

The company is facing down a rising tide of competition from sites like Zaarly, which was founded last year and has already raised over $15 million, and Postmates, which launched its on-demand delivery service last month.

Image source: Taskrabbit.com