From condoms to Bird Nest Soup, personal concierges deliver them all

 “When we rang the doorbell, the husband was very surprised and asked why we woke him up so early on a Sunday. But after we explained that the breakfast was from his wife, he smiled, let us in and thanked us.”

Who are they?

Personal concierges who can help you plan a party or run your errands have been around for several years.
But as Singaporeans become increasingly time-strapped and affluent, such service providers say they are seeing more unusual or demanding requests – from hunting down a rare luxury watch to cooking Bird Nest Soup to delivering condoms to a park.
These companies work directly with individual clients, as opposed to the concierge services provided by hotels, airlines, malls, banks and credit card companies.
Part of a relatively young industry that started in the United States in the late 1990s and in recent years here, such personal concierges offer a wide range of services, from buying and delivering groceries, making reservations at restaurants to babysitting.
At least 16 companies here provide personal concierge services from a condom to Bird Nest Soup, and the industry seems to be growing.
One company, A Winsome Life, which was started in 2012, says it can get up to 30 service requests a month. Honestbee, which started just three months ago, has already seen “tens of thousands” of customers, its spokesman says.

From condoms to Bird Nest Soup, personal concierges deliver them all

How much do they charge ?

The charges vary depending on the complexity of the task, but there is usually a delivery and/or service fee.
And however odd a request may be, the companies generally do not turn it down. But there are some requests, like helping to find social escorts, which they will decline.
Personal concierges say they often get food delivery requests.
In May this year, A Winsome Life was hired by a woman who works overseas, who asked for a full breakfast to be delivered to her husband for a special occasion.
Mr Melvin Lee, 27, who runs the business with his wife, Ms Jacqueline Teo, also 27, recalls having to buy about $20 worth of pastries and breakfast items from Baker & Cook in Holland Village, which was the husband’s favourite cafe.
Mr Lee, who charged about $40 for the service, then delivered the food: edible Bird Nest Soup to a condominium in Yio Chu Kang Road.
Another company, Personal Concierge and Property Management, which has been in the business for about five years, has been cooking and delivering Bird Nest Soup regularly to a client’s parents, who are in their 60s and 70s, for the last five years. It charges a three-figure sum for each delivery.
Personal Concierge’s owner, Ms Tan E.T., who is in her 30s, says: “The challenge is in making sure the Bird Nest Soup is still piping hot when it reaches their dining table.
“I can’t tell you exactly how we keep the Bird Nest Soup hot, but it took many tries to ‘master’ this technique.
“When we first started, I even brought along a slow cooker to the parents’ house to re-heat the Bird Nest Soup.”
Personal concierges also get requests to track down hard-to-find items.
For example, in May this year, a middle-aged woman approached Blitz to help her buy a limited-edition Hermes watch that she saw in a magazine.
The $88,000 watch, crafted in Switzerland, features a red and ochre dial hand-painted by Japanese master artist Buzan Fukushima. Only 12 pieces of the watch exist, but none was sold in Singapore.
Says Blitz’s co-founder, Mr Augustine Goh, 28: “We had no luck calling the boutiques here. Thankfully, one of our co-workers used to work in a private bank and had some contacts in the international luxury watch scene.
“We had to extend our reach. After numerous calls, we tracked down one piece in a Hermes boutique in Hong Kong and bought it for the woman immediately. Our service fee was $8,800.”
And in March this year, an Australian man in his 20s asked A Winsome Life to buy a pair of special edition Converse sneakers released specially for Chinese New Year.
Says Mr Lee: “He said they were not available in Australia, so we bought a pair in his size at Nex shopping mall for $210 and shipped it to him via FedEx for another $200.”
But not all unusual demands come with a hefty fee.
In June this year, Blitz, which started five months ago, received a very odd request – a man asked for condoms to be delivered to a tent in East Coast Park.
Within half an hour, a staff member passed the man a box of condoms at a nearby McDonald’s outlet. The delivery fee was $5.
Says Mr Goh: “The request was a little awkward, but we rationalised that the man needed the item and it was our job to provide it.”
Some companies, including Concierge Services Singapore and Blitz, have encountered clients who want help in getting social escorts. But that is a line they will not cross.
Says the managing director of Concierge Services Singapore, Ms Jessica Sanchez, who is in her 40s: “It’s just something we don’t want to be associated with, no matter how much a client offers.”
Experts told Life they were not surprised at the unusual demands.
Says Assistant Professor Elison Lim, 40, from the Nanyang Business School: “People are not likely to go to personal concierges for tasks like household chores. Many families in Singapore already have maids who can do that.
“People are more likely to turn to such service providers for tasks which they lack the time, knowledge or skills for, such as planning an unforgettable birthday party or shopping for the perfect gift.”
But Associate Professor of Marketing Sharon Ng, 41, who is also from Nanyang Business School, says companies should turn down requests that may involve “illegal, unethical or socially undesirable” behaviour.
“Although you want to be seen as helpful, service-oriented and responsive, it is also important to have ethical standards. In the long run, people are more likely to go to companies they can trust.”

About Bird Nest Soup - Those Suitable for Consuming Bird Nest Soup

It has been recorded in the Ben Cao Gang Mu that Bird Nest Soup penetrates the lungs to promote the movement of qi, penetrates the kidneys to promote the movement of water, penetrates the stomach to nourish the spleen and it nourishes without causing heatiness. It has been regarded as the best food nourishment since ancient times.

Bird Nest Soup is rich in nutrition. It is mild and sweet, neither heaty nor cold, making it a good nourishment product for upkeep of health. It is suitable for use by all age groups: pregnant women, babies, children, youths, both male and female and senior citizens. For those who are beauty conscious and care for their health, smokers, those with weak physique, those recuperating from illness or the aged who are weak, those suffering from external injuries, patients undergoing surgery, students who are tense with their work and the busy working class, consumption of small quantities of Bird Nest Soup over long periods of time will definitely be effective.
The advantages of consuming Bird Nest Soup: It replenishes nutrients in children, helps beautify the skin of women, strengthen the body of men, maintain the health of the elderly, replenishes nutrients in pregnant women in their pre-natal stage so that both mother and child receive natural nutrients, and it is an excellent nutritional supplement for those with weak physique, those suffering from chronic ailments, those who are ill and those who have recuperated.
A nutritionist from Zhejiang has determined that Bird Nest Soup is the most suitable nutritional supplement for patients who have just recuperated. Those who have just undergone surgery would be able to absorb lots of natural essence brought in by the swiftlets.

Pregnant women and fetus

Bird Nest Soup has found an important place in the nutritional supplement menu of pregnant women and many pregnant women consume Bird Nest Soup for replenishing nutrients. There is a belief among pregnant women that the consumption of Bird Nest Soup during pregnancy would result in the birth of a child with fair skin.
A famous Chinese physician and nutritionist, Yang Qi Kang said, “The complexion of the fetus becomes fairer and finer if pregnant women consumes Bird Nest Soup” and there is truth in this. Modern science has discovered that Bird Nest Soup contain unique biologically active protein molecules (known as collagen) which promotes regeneration of cells in the epidermis. Collagen also fortifies the immunity of cells and increase resistance of the human body towards harm caused by X-rays. This protein which has been absorbed by the human body is most abundant in Bird Nest Soup.
Bird Nest Soup possesses excellent replenishment of blood function and its consumption during pregnancy not only removes freckles but it moisturizes the skin of both mother and fetus.
Zhang Yi was of the opinion that hospitals encourage the consumption of Bird Nest Soup by pregnant women. Bird Nest Soup is a type of health product which is very beneficial to pregnant women. The collagen contained in Bird Nest Soup makes the skin of pregnant women fine and elastic.
The dosage of consumption of Bird Nest Soup should be determined by one's need and financial position. Pregnant women may take it on a daily basis or on alternate days. Some may choose to take it 2-3 times weekly, at around 5 grams each time.

Children

Taking Bird Nest Soup promotes development in children.
The development, renewal and normal functioning of brain cells and nerve collagen require nutrients. These nutrients are seldom synthesized by the human body itself and they can only be obtained from nutrition. Proteins are important to brain cells and they make up nearly 35% of the weight of the brains. The rest of the brains consist of fats. Proteins play an important part in the stimulation and inhibition of the brain and nervous system. The amino acids in proteins require 3 hours for renewal, making it necessary to absorb proteins from food regularly. The high quality proteins in Bird Nest Soup contain as much as 57% of proteins suitable for absorption by youths.
Bird Nest Soup is a natural nutritional supplement which is very useful to the growth of children. Many children in Hong Kong and Singapore have been given Bird Nest Soup porridge as breakfast everyday. The frequency of intake should be based on the financial position of individuals and the condition of growth of such children.
• Children with weak physique: A suitable intake of Bird Nest Soup is beneficial in elevating body resistance. Bird Nest Soup not only contains water soluble proteins which are easily absorbed by the human body but it is also rich in amino acids and trace elements beneficial to the human body. These substances are excellent in helping the development of growing children.
• Youths who have just embarked on learning: Children face pressure during examinations and they exhaust a lot of brain power. Bird Nest Soup contains a special “Bird Nest Soup acid” which acts on the brains to improve brain power. Therefore, many families have used Bird Nest Soup as an essential nutritional supplement before their children face examinations.

Those who work late

Chinese medicine regards those who constantly work late to be suffering from “false heatiness”. They suffer from constant digestive problems but they may consume Bird Nest Soup added with fresh lily, tremella and pear for protection of the stomach.
Due to the lack of sleep, our skin will lose nutrients. The replenishment of food containing Vitamin C or collagen during dinner will help the skin to regain elasticity and be more lustrous and Bird Nest Soup is the best choice.

Women during menopause

Profuse sweating is a symptom during menopause and modern medical science is of the opinion that it is due to disorders of the secretory and vegetative nervous functions while Chinese medicine is of the opinion that this is caused by weakness of the Yin and lack of sperm. This condition may be improved by consuming the following combination: Add 6 grams of Bird Nest Soup to 9 grams of tremella and soak them in hot water so that they expand. Clean the contents and double boil with the addition of rock sugar. Take it once in the morning and once before bed for a consecutive 10-15 days.