An errand runner is someone who performs errands on behalf of another person or an organization. A number of industries have a need for errand runners, ranging from courier services which deliver documents and materials to personal assistants who do errands as part of their jobs. This position is often viewed as a temporary rung on the ladder to promotion, with people proving their mettle as errand runners and then going on to work in more important positions. People can also run errands as a form of temporary or short term employment.
Some businesspeople and professionals rely on the services of a personal assistant who can run errands such as dropping off dry cleaning, delivering documents to an associate, performing research related to a project, purchasing supplies, and other miscellaneous tasks. Many errand runners do a mix of business and personal work, with their employers using them as time-savers. Some may also be entrusted with delicate or special tasks which the employer does not have the time to attend to.
In addition to working directly for someone else, an errand runner can also work for a group or a company. Gofers are errand runners who assist at film sets, construction sites, and other locations where a large team of people works together to finish a project. Anyone in the group can request the services of a gofer, with most requests being along the lines of “go for...,” explaining the name “gofer,” which is a corruption of “go for” or “go fetch.”
Errand running companies hire out the services of their staff to people and organizations who need them. An errand runner might work for several different people, doing things like waiting in lines, picking up laundry, and performing other tasks which those people do not have time to do on their own. Errand runners also courier materials back and forth between different people and companies. Some people use courier experience as an errand boy or errand girl to become familiar with an industry and the people who work in it, turning that experience to their advantage later in life.
The rate of pay for an errand runner tends to be fairly low, and often benefits are not included. Errand runners are usually viewed as disposable employees who will be released from employment when they are no longer needed. However, if an errand runner can work into a personal assistant position, handling a wide variety of tasks in addition to basic errands, he or she may become indispensable, obtaining a higher wage and benefits as an incentive to stay with a particular employer.
