Despise doggie duty? It’s only No. 10 on startup’s list of pet peeve tasks people don’t want to do themselves

One in four Kansas City residents say they’ve become worse at handling awkward tasks since the pandemic began, according to a new survey by local services marketplace Airtasker. Among the most biting tasks KC wants to avoid: picking up dog poop from someone else’s lawn.

Airtasker, which acquired Kansas City-based startup Zaarly in May 2021, formed a special squad to respond to attack such challenges. The A-wkward Team is a community of experienced “Taskers” available to help the city tackle prickly situations — connected through Airtasker’s marketplace to the people who need tasks completed.

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Who said that?

Airtasker commissioned a survey of 1,200+ Americans living in Atlanta, Dallas, Miami and Kansas City. According to the research, nearly 25 percent of Kansas City respondents said their ability to deal with awkward tasks has worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic began; 43 percent admitted this is because they have lost their social skills. 

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“At Airtasker, we embrace awkward,” said Bo Fishback, CEO of Airtasker USA and the founder of Zaarly. “Over the past few months, we’ve seen an uptick in tasks across Kansas City that could be deemed ‘awkward’ which inspired us to drive awareness of the weird and wonderfully awkward things you can get done on Airtasker.”

One in three Kansas City-based respondents to Airtasker’s recent survey said when they have an awkward situation to deal with, they can think about nothing else, while 40 percent said it messes with their sleep schedule. Nearly one in 10 revealed that just before an awkward task, they feel so stressed that they break out in hives, according to the company.

“We can all relate to life’s unexpected moments, so we wanted to build a task force to help Kansas City residents who find themselves in sticky situations,” said Fishback, noting the impact such stresses can have on mental health. “The A-wkward Team is experienced across pick-up & delivery, handyperson tasks, assembly, cleaning and more, and they are available to help you tackle any awkward task that comes your way.”

What are the Top 10 tasks Kansas City residents want taken out of their hands?

1. Repair a fence that my car backed into (37 percent)        
2. Call a locksmith when I’m locked out of my apartment (33 percent)
3. Assemble furniture that I’m struggling to build by myself (29 percent)        
4. Fix my son’s accident haircut (25 percent)        
5. Steam clean my friend’s carpet after I spilled red wine on it (24 percent)
6. Remove a tattoo (22 percent)
7. Teach me to salsa dance to impress a date (16 percent)
8. Collect my things after a breakup (15 percent)
9. Teach me to swim as an adult (15 percent)
10. Pick up my dog’s poop from someone else’s lawn (12 percent)

Respondents were also asked to think about the most awkward situation they’d ever been in, and how much they’d be willing to pay someone to handle it for them, according to Airtasker. The average price tag in Kansas City hit $6,269 based on survey responses.

Click here to learn more about Airtasker — and even to post your own awkward task for free.

Since launching in Australia in 2012, Airtasker has grown its global community to more than 4.7 million members across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the United States. The marketplace services 1.2 million unique paying customers. 

Following its acquisition of Zaarly, Airtasker has launched marketplaces in Kansas City, Dallas, Miami and Atlanta.