At Gold Rush Express, we’ve had the pleasure of fulfilling thousands of deliveries across the Bay Area and beyond. As couriers, we’re used to meeting strict deadlines no matter what you need, where it needs to go, or when you need it.
Many of our deliveries are routine shipments of documents, packages, and other ordinary items. But every so often, we get a highly unusual or incredibly meaningful request, and some delivery requests are more memorable than others.
From transporting lucky shoes for a big game to safely escorting donated organs across the globe, we’ve tackled virtually every type of delivery challenge imaginable.
The following requests might seem unusual, but our team always handles each delivery with the same level of care and commitment, no matter what we’re hauling!
Bringing Exactly What You Need, When You Need It
Delivering pay stubs or legal documents is one thing – it’s very important, but relatively common. Transporting uncommon items, often with sentimental value, is something else entirely!
We’ve had the opportunity to fulfill some very special requests to bring our customers peace of mind or make someone’s day.
Lucky Shoes
A single pair of shoes isn’t usually what decides who wins and who loses, but you never want to risk it. It would have been cheaper to buy a brand new pair of shoes, but when something is “lucky,” it’s much harder to replace. For this request, a mother wanted to make sure her son had his lucky shoes for his football game – 50 miles away. Before making the delivery, our curious driver took a peek to see what the fuss was about and later said it was just a pair of old shoes in a paper bag. What’s lucky to someone may be meaningless to anyone else, but you really can’t put a price on luck!
A Very Important Birthday Cake
Birthdays are always special occasions, but for some kids, these celebrations are especially important.
Making sure this moment was properly celebrated meant everything to our customer, who had ordered a custom cake from the other side of the country to make sure his birthday was memorable. She even paid extra for air delivery to make sure it arrived on his birthday!
But that day, the cake didn’t arrive. In the evening, she checked the tracking information and discovered that the cake was still halfway across the country.
Fortunately, she was able to contact a local bakery to rush order a replacement cake. But how could she make sure it got to the birthday boy on time? That's when she turned to us!
Though it was short notice, we were able to quickly and carefully transport the freshly baked cake to the child’s group home.
We later learned in a touching online review that our timely cake delivery allowed this child to joyfully celebrate with the other children in his foster home. Helping to create that memory will always warm our hearts.
Diamonds Made From Loved One’s Ashes
Some deliveries are extraordinarily precious. We've had the honor of safely handling packages containing diamonds crafted from the ashes of clients' departed loved ones.
These deeply meaningful items arrive to us carefully packaged, with instructions to pack a gift bag with the diamond in a velvet box and a bow to tie it together. Though the contents are small, the significance is immense.
We take great care in preparing these deliveries, and our couriers are always deeply respectful, solemnly completing each delivery. For many clients, receiving these memorial diamonds provides comfort: a tangible reminder of someone they cherish.
We consider it a privilege to be entrusted with delivering such sensitive, significant gems. Handling each one with the utmost care is the very least we can do to help bring people closure and preserve the memories of their loved ones.
Breast Milk for a Newborn
New mothers will go to great lengths to provide for their babies, even when travel takes them far from home.
Our customer was facing a dilemma – joining her husband for a weekend getaway but leaving her newborn at home with her mother. The couple was staying at a nice hotel on the coast – down near Big Sur – and her baby was back in San Jose, about 2 hours to the north.
Her plan required forethought and a reliable delivery service – which we were more than happy to provide! In the morning, she would pump, then put the milk on dry ice to keep it cool. Our driver was very prompt, arriving on-time to make this important delivery as quickly as possible. We were able to get it to grandma and the hungry little one in time for the baby to eat!
No distance could keep this dedicated mom from making sure her baby had the freshest breast milk possible – that's the power of a mother's love!
Someone’s Gotta Do It: Delivering the Macabre
Most of our deliveries are pretty tame. But sometimes, we get unusual requests that border on spooky, like:
Empty Coffins
Did you know that Costco sells caskets? We didn’t either.
Our customer bought them from Costco then resold them to funeral homes, where we delivered them, since the Costco option (as usual) was a lot cheaper than anywhere else.
So, if you’re looking for a casket, Costco might be a good place to look!
Full Body Cadavers
Sometimes, it’s better if a driver doesn’t know what they’re delivering. Cadavers are extremely important for medical research, and someone has to get them from Point A to Point B.
We don’t get too many requests for full cadaver bodies, but when we do, we try not to mention it to the driver so they don’t feel uncomfortable. We just make sure they know it’s delicate.
Handled With Care: Delivering Critical Supplies for Medical Purposes
Delivering critical medical supplies comes with a lot of responsibility – which our team is happy to accept!
When transporting medical supplies, no matter what we’re carrying, time is of the essence. We take pride in our prompt, safe fulfillment of these requests – because getting these shipments to their destinations can be a matter of life or death.
Medical Samples
Some of our most sensitive deliveries contain critical medical samples. Trusting us with these is an immense responsibility that we take very seriously!
But sometimes, the contents of our deliveries are a little… unexpected.
For one such delivery, our driver had to open the container to verify something. His shock prompted him to blurt out, “Oh my god, it’s poop.” We all got a laugh out of that. Despite his surprise, he regained his composure and ensured it was handled with the utmost care.
Rest assured, we treat all medical items with the careful attention they require, no matter the contents!
Live Mice
Some of our most important cargo has fur and whiskers – live mice destined for important research! Transporting them requires special attention to comfort.
These tiny passengers rely on us to provide cool, calm conditions for their journey. Our vehicles keep the AC on high and play peaceful music to keep the mice comfortable and stress-free.
Our conscientious couriers take great care to ensure the animals arrive at their destination in the best condition possible so that they can better aid scientific discovery and medical advancement.
Whether furry or feathered, scaled or shelled, we expertly transport all live animals needed for important research!
Live Organs for Transplant
Transporting donated organs for transplant is easily one of our most important jobs. No pressure, right? But we’re honored to play such a critical role in getting life-saving organs to those who need them.
When we get the call, our couriers jump into action to safely retrieve, transport, and deliver kidneys, livers, corneas or other organs. They will personally carry the packaged organs onto the plane to avoid any cargo delays, which means we can get the organ to its recipient even faster – all while keeping the chilled container safe and secure.
We know the recipients’ lives depend on these organs arriving in perfect shape. So we handle each delivery with the utmost care; sometimes, we’ll even purchase a second seat on the plane to make sure that the organ arrives safely. After all, this isn’t something you want to put in the overhead compartment!
We’ve hand-carried shipments around the world – traveling to places like Israel, Germany, Taiwan, Mexico, Florida, New Jersey, and Minnesota – and while it’s a huge responsibility to transport organs for transplants, it’s also a privilege to play such an important role in helping doctors save lives.
Honorable Mentions
For every unusual request we accept, there are a handful that we don’t. But that doesn’t make fielding the calls any less memorable! Here are a few of our favorite requests we (respectfully) said no to:
Late Night Condoms
We once received a call late one evening from a woman asking if we could pick up an item from the store and deliver it. When we explained we typically only make store pickups if items are pre-paid, she revealed that what she needed was a pack of condoms. Our representative wasn’t sure if the caller was serious. But she insisted, requesting that we pick them up and discreetly deliver them to her hotel room that night. Apparently, her companion was unable to purchase them himself. Though sympathetic, we politely declined this request. Long after we got the request, we still wonder how their night turned out – and why the caller couldn’t go get the condoms herself. Even though we said no, the call was one to remember!
Celebrity Shopping Assistance
One caller claimed to be a celebrity (but never said which one) wanting us to pick up designer clothing from a department store for them to try on in their hotel room. There were some holes in their request, and the way the person on the phone spoke made it sound like they’d been drinking. Ultimately, we declined, but we were left with some questions that remain unanswered. Like, why wouldn't they call the department store to arrange this? And don't celebrities usually have assistants to make arrangements like this? We’re still curious if this mystery celeb ever got their wardrobe needs met, but we may never know!
Cat Chat
While we always enjoy developing relationships with clients, one call stood out for being all personal chatter, no business. We’ll gladly indulge the occasional chatty customer, but spending 20+ minutes solely discussing her cat was beyond our limits. The call ended without an order. She did call back to request a quote, but she never went through with it. But at least our rep made her day!
When You Need Something Delivered, Call on Gold Rush Express to Go the Extra Mile
Our team takes pride in tackling each delivery – from the unusual and urgent to the deeply sentimental – with the utmost care and humanity, because we know that, behind every package is someone who depends on us to get their shipment to its destination quickly and safely.
So next time you have a sensitive, important, or just plain quirky delivery need, call on our team. Your shipments are always safe in our hands!
