【雙語(yǔ)新聞】新冠疫情重創(chuàng )服裝租賃等共享經(jīng)濟

現在誰(shuí)還敢穿租來(lái)的衣服，住共享民宿？過(guò)去十年風(fēng)生水起的共享經(jīng)濟如今遭到了疫情的巨大沖擊。就連共享經(jīng)濟最早的兩個(gè)上市公司優(yōu)步和來(lái)福車(chē)也同樣面臨疫情的考驗。

Kim Timko used to rely on Rent the Runway for dresses for weddings and parties, outfits for date nights, and professional clothes for her job as a lawyer in New York. She said the clothing-rental service is "a nice way to have expensive clothes without having to buy."

在紐約當律師的金姆·蒂姆科過(guò)去曾在租衣平臺Rent the Runway上租過(guò)婚禮和派對禮服、約會(huì )裝及職業(yè)裝。她表示服裝租賃服務(wù)是“不用買(mǎi)就能擁有昂貴服飾的一個(gè)好辦法”。

But weddings have been postponed, parties canceled, and Timko is working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. Like many others, she has put her Rent the Runway subscription on hold. She may even cancel it.

但是現在婚禮被推遲了，派對取消了，蒂姆科在新冠疫情期間也都是在家工作。和許多其他人一樣，她已經(jīng)暫停向Rent the Runway繳納會(huì )員費。她甚至可能退訂會(huì )員服務(wù)。

She said renting expensive clothes just isn't worth the money right now — or the risk of getting the virus — as unlikely as that may be.

她表示，現在租昂貴的衣服不值當，還有感染病毒的風(fēng)險——雖然這不太可能。

"Any packages I get, I wipe them down," Timko said. "You can't really do that with a dress. A $600 dress or something — you can't, like, Lysol it."

蒂姆科說(shuō)：“我收到的任何包裹，我都會(huì )上上下下地擦干凈。衣服就沒(méi)法這么擦。比如說(shuō)一條600美元（約合人民幣4272元）的裙子，你不能用消毒水來(lái)清潔。”

Rent the Runway CEO Jennifer Hyman said in a statement: "While there is no evidence to suggest that [COVID-19] is spread via surfaces like fabric, all our garments, accessories, hangers, and reusable packaging are meticulously cleaned and steamed each time they are returned to us, and then sealed in plastic to protect them from any elements— including human touch—that they may encounter in transit to the next customer."

Rent the Runway公司的首席執行官詹妮弗·海曼在一份聲明中說(shuō)：“盡管沒(méi)有證據表明新冠病毒會(huì )通過(guò)織物傳播，但我們所有的衣服、飾品、衣架和可重復使用的包裝在每次歸還回來(lái)后都會(huì )一絲不茍地進(jìn)行清潔和蒸汽消毒，并用塑料密封起來(lái)，保護其在運送給下一位顧客途中不受任何因素的污染——包括人類(lèi)接觸。

Still, the company has taken a big financial hit from the pandemic. It has laid off and furloughed employees, and temporarily closed its retail stores.

盡管如此，疫情已經(jīng)讓這家公司遭受了經(jīng)濟重創(chuàng )。該公司已經(jīng)讓一些員工下崗和停職，并暫時(shí)關(guān)閉了零售店。

Like Uber and Airbnb, Rent the Runway was founded in the wake of the Great Recession. Fueled by mountains of private capital, these companies tapped the power of smartphone apps to make it easy for strangers to share their cars, homes and even clothing. Along the way, they upended the traditional taxi, hotel and retail industries.

同優(yōu)步和愛(ài)彼迎一樣，Rent the Runway是在大蕭條時(shí)代后創(chuàng )立的。在大量民間資本的推動(dòng)下，這些公司利用智能手機應用的便利讓陌生人分享自己的汽車(chē)、房屋甚至衣服。這一路走來(lái)，它們對傳統的出租車(chē)、酒店和零售行業(yè)造成了顛覆性打擊。

Now the pandemic may upend them. These businesses' survival depends on convincing customers it is safe to share at a time when health authorities are warning everyone to keep their distance.

現在這場(chǎng)大流行病可能會(huì )讓它們顛覆。這些企業(yè)的生死存亡取決于能否在衛生部門(mén)警告大家保持距離的這樣一個(gè)時(shí)期，讓顧客相信共享還是安全的。

Rent the Runway is not the only company emphasizing its cleanliness and safety rules to reassure customers.

Rent the Runway不是唯一一個(gè)強調自己在清潔和安全方面的規定以讓顧客安心的企業(yè)。

Airbnb has created new cleaning protocols for hosts, including training on how to disinfect a home in partnership with former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

愛(ài)彼迎為房主制定了新的清潔規范，包括與美國衛生局前局長(cháng)維韋克·莫西合作，對于如何給房屋消毒進(jìn)行培訓。

Uber and Lyft now require drivers and passengers to wear masks. They are also giving cleaning supplies to drivers. Uber is even using facial scanning technology to ensure drivers are complying.

優(yōu)步和來(lái)福車(chē)現在要求司機和乘客佩戴口罩。他們還給司機提供清潔用品。優(yōu)步甚至用面部掃描技術(shù)來(lái)確保司機遵守規定。

英文來(lái)源：美國國家公共電臺

翻譯&編輯：丹妮