Wealthy people are paying limo drivers 'hundreds of dollars' to shuttle their mail from Manhattan to the Hamptons

• Wealthy people are hiring limo services to deliver mail to their Hamptons homes, after having fled their primary residences because of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Mark Vigliante, president of M&V Limousine Limited and Hampton Luxury Liner, said that mail deliveries now comprise 30% of his business and helped him to retain at least 15% of his staff as the nation heads toward a recession.
• It is unclear why wealthy people are paying "hundreds of dollars" to have their mail delivered by limo, when mail forwarding costs only $1 online.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Wealthy people are hiring limo services to deliver mail to their Hamptons homes after having fled their primary urban residences because of the coronavirus pandemic, Vice's Alex Norcia reported.

Mark Vigliante, president of M&V Limousine Limited and Hampton Luxury Liner, told Vice that his Manhattan clientele has been requesting private delivery of packages, letters, bills, and even junk mail, after having fled the city for the ritzy Long Island enclave.

Vigliante usually makes his money providing private transportation for weddings and funerals. But with coronavirus measures now prohibiting most large gatherings, he told Vice that he "had to be innovative" to keep his companies afloat.

Mail deliveries, for which Vigliante is charging "hundreds of dollars," now comprise 30% of Hampton Luxury Liner's business. It offers same-day delivery on anything that can fit into the trunks of the company's fleet of Cadillacs and GMC SUVs. "It's a lot of mail and a lot of packages," Vigliante said. "It's a lot of groceries, too, and luggage. Some of it's more odd. One dude had us transport a bicycle."

This service, Vigliante says, has allowed him to keep nearly 15% of his drivers employed during the pandemic, as millions of Americans across the nation file for unemployment in record numbers and industries collapse from the economic tailspin the virus has kicked off.

It's unclear, however, why people would need to have limo services deliver their mail, rather than utilizing traditional mail forwarding services which are free to arrange in-person and cost $1 to set up online.

Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email covidtips@businessinsider.com and tell us your story.

And get the latest coronavirus analysis and research from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is impacting businesses.