So, what's The Number?

If you ever take a look at bulletin boards around campus or the backs of chairs in Salomon, you’ve probably seen advertisements for The Number. Mysterious yet intriguing posters with a few choice graphics and a phone number or stickers of a pound sign suddenly seemed to fill every public space one week this past October, but few people actually seemed to know what it was all about. A number for what? Whose voice would I find on the end of the line? Adele? Jake from State Farm?Surprisingly, The Number does not induct you into an underground cult, but rather allows you to get food, packages, or any other items you might want delivered to your room within a set radius around campus. Open daily from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., this all-powerful number lets you order (almost) anything your heart desires. This week, I decided to test it out for myself.I started with a classic: nachos from Baja’s. Any true delivery service would scoff at the ease of this order. Walking distance + simple order = no challenge. For the second item on my list, I wanted to choose something that would require a little more effort. My first choice was chocolate-covered strawberries from the Godiva in the mall, a dessert I had been craving for months at this point. But, alas, my dreams were crushed, as the Providence Place Mall is out of The Number’s radius. As a replacement for my more difficult order, I asked for baby carrots and Sabra original hummus from East Side Mini-Mart, figuring I could lessen my sadness about the strawberries by staying healthy. I also just really needed some hand soap, so I threw that in my order as well, because why not?

The Number's delivery radius

I texted The Number at 8:32 p.m., and quickly received a text back from an operator outlining the “golden rules.” The first, reasonably, is that whatever you order, you must be willing and ready to pay for once it arrives. There is a $3.80 service price, plus an additional dollar for every different location the items are bought or retrieved. For certain spots, The Number may need to use Uber and will charge you the fare as well. After getting this text, I simply responded with my Brown email, and within a few minutes I was in contact with my deliverer.By 9:25 p.m., my delivery was at my dorm room door, giving The Number one advantage in that you literally do not have to move more than a few feet to receive your order. My nachos were still warm and fully intact, though they were sadly plain cheese as I had forgotten to specify toppings and in my hungry haste just wrote “nachos”, so make sure to be exact in your order! My hummus, carrots, and soap were all there as well, and my deliverer made the executive decision of choosing a fresh citrus scent (with moisturizers!) that makes my hands smell amazing, so that’s definitely a plus. My total extra charges ended up being $5.80 ($3.80 plus two dollars extra for two additional locations), which you can pay in cash, with card, or via Venmo.The delivery time was relatively fast, especially considering I sent them to three separate places and had to work out the Godiva tragedy. There was one communication mishap in which I was contacted by a second deliverer after my delivery had already been made, but that was resolved quickly. Otherwise, the organization seemed to run pretty smoothly.If you’re feeling especially lazy, let your inner couch potato rejoice by calling The Number at (413) 345-9500. More information can be found here and here.Images via.