Things I learned as a pizza delivery guy

[Cowpolk]

Got to say this week has really discouraged my delivery life on the east coast. To be honest, I would rather deliver to a a group of middle eastern immigrates than a-hole American white communities in the northern Virginia region the week of winter storm Toby...... I know that will come off racist as can be, but truth sometimes stings..... The only reason I call out the middle east is because a tip is seen as a bribe to make you try harder in their country. So yes it is an insult to tip in that region......You have got to be kidding me. A 6% average tip on deliveries from Tuesday to Thursday during the 17 inches of snow..... 12 Stiffs from teens shoveling snow and 6 more from a-holes under 18yrs of age over 7 miles one way from the shop. Don't get me started on others of age...... Pure disgrace.... This has nothing to do with cowboy fans, but please know we earn $5 to $7 an hour at best (regarding the delivery fee, which only goes to pay our hourly which likely at most is $5 an hour). For me it is $5 an hour .......Their tip barely covers sales tax, mileage, or the money it takes to make sure we make minimum wage which is $8.75 an hour. It is really the considerate people at night that cover most cheap-*****. The sickest thing I had to witness was my car being towed away on a delivery, because I got stuck in snow for .50 cents. My insurance covered it after missing 3 hours. I'm sorry but shame on those, Shame on me for caring..... Looking to go back to the service industry next week...I'm done......Forgive me but I am sorry. A-hole have won..... I made $240 in 3 days or snow...... I worked 26 hours as the only driver. Do the math....

I never made less than 12 dollars per hour driving for UBER some times I made over 40 per hour and that was before they added tips to the app check it out you might like it

 

[The Dark Bishop]

Go find a server job at a decent restaurant man, will be hard work but the $$$ is a lot better. Work on your craft and it will pay off

I truly agree, I made over $2000 a week as a server at The Cheesecake Factory in Dulles VA. Truth is I can really make more... I did that at 30 hours a week..... Wasn't till I made management I took such a pay cut....

Crap happens being a felon 24 years before. Something as simple as taking in a thief in your home and not knowing under age he stole alcohol. He lived with me which made my life a hell for 20+ yrs afterwards...... No matter what I am, I became a felon too now with zero rights.... Luckily no one looks back 24 yrs anymore....

 

[The Dark Bishop]

I never made less than 12 dollars per hour driving for UBER some times I made over 40 per hour and that was before they added tips to the app check it out you might like it

You make a great point... In the district I live in, the average that is very strong for an UBER driver..... Just not sure my car can be seen as such... Might need to upgrade.... LOL Either way I am looking into it.... Thanks for the incite........

 

[Cowpolk]

You make a great point... In the district I live in, the average that is very strong for an UBER driver..... Just not sure my car can be seen as such... Might need to upgrade.... LOL Either way I am looking into it.... Thanks for the incite........

As long as your car is clean and not all beat up that is all that matters I think it has to be 2003 or newer Can be older for uber eats Check to see if they have Door Dashers there they pay pirdy good and no Door Dashers is not uber people use Door Dashers to buy groceries and have them delivered And if you decide to do uber learn the app sometimes the rider wants to go several places and they do not know how to go about it you can change it as you go

 

[G2]

If I was an UBER driver I think it would be fun to pick people up wearing one of those president Halloween masks and wear black driving gloves. Make it interesting.

 

[The Dark Bishop]

Ok. enough adding to the complaint box when I still have this tread about pizza delivery... lol

Lets see since my recent outbursts, let me go into a whole new kind of irritations....

First, don't ever work for a cheapbutt owner.... For example: not only do I work for a cheap owner, but our deliveries are written on carbon written tickets because he has yet to update a store that is 4 yrs old with some sort of internet ordering or even better a KMS (better known as a Kitchen Manager System).... Unreal

Second: His idea of making more profits is to go short on employees after year 4. Now we run only one driver during the day everyday and only two on nights from Thurs. - Sun. To make it worse, we have one pizza maker and the manager is on grill for subs, salads, apps (fryer), and answering the phone when drivers are out. Did I mention we are down to 1 or 2 drivers at night? Even worse, that overworked Manager is 63 yrs old and does not care the phone is ringing while he has 3 orders to do. The only day we have a phone person is on Friday. It rotates between their best two drivers that actually know the menu. When I am the phone person on Friday night (our busiest night), I am told to put all the phones on hold after there are 4 deliveries regardless which direction they are going.... ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! They go off hold when the manager gets caught up. Sometimes 20 minutes later.... Four lines mine you....

Third: One of our 2 full time drivers went on a 8 day vacation...... My schedule as the other full time driver (mine you I am not cleared to even drive by my doctors) was 11 hours on Weds. (by myself), 11 hours on Thurs (by myself), 5 hours on Fri. driving (11-4pm) then (4-9pm) on phones for two drivers that do not know the menu not less the phones, 10 hours on Sat. (11-9pm), They found a guy who hasn't work for us in 2 years to cover Sun. while a trainee does Sun. night. Just to finish off the 8 days, I worked 11-9pm tonight, 11-10pm tomorrow, and 11-10pm Wed. Do I have to say it? We are open 11-10 on weekdays and 11-11 on weekends...... Mind you this is with a pizza maker and a manager.....

To conclude this outburst of ramblings, the owner asks why we are losing business. Are you kidding me? Last year at this time I was making around $600 in tips a week at 40 hours a week (not including my $5 and hour in base pay).... Tonight I had 4 deliveries from 11-9pm. Now don't get me wrong, another driver showed up to give me a break tonight, he showed up at 5pm and only had 3 deliveries before I left. We closed at 10 so unless you got a run of buttholes the last minute he did not get much more....

Now many of you will ask why in hades name will I stay at this dying adventure? Sadly I will explain. I have been here since Nov. 2017. I have seen the good with the bad unfortunately. The one thing many don't get is, I work for the Congressman of my district. He raised the minimum wage to $8.75 here.... He also has me on the books at $5 an hour and $3.75 in tips for 20 hours a week, every week. What does that mean, well I have Medicaid for one..... Basically free insurance. Secondly he pays me under the table for all other hours.... That means alot when you are not taxed out the butt. Trust me, it helps him even more to create his tax shelter since he can prove he is barely profiting. Truth is he is not profiting, only the other store that is 5 times our volume is doing such and keeping us afloat that his daddy is running.

Lastly, I long to quit but getting surgery next month will keep me on the side lines for 2-3 months. While it does not fit under workers comp, (sorry I worked as a server and bartender for over 25 years), my insurance does cover it. Regardless if my job has a place for me after such does not worry me.... I can go back to being a high paid server/bartender/Asst. GM afterwords..... (Though I may lose almost everything waiting for my carpel tunnel to heal)....

/end rant.......

 

[Kevinicus]

Tips for people buying pizza.

Don't get delivery. Pick it up.

The pizza will be fresher. The cost will be lower. And, in my experience, they take better care to make it properly. People are a lot less likely to want to deal with a less than perfect pizza when it's delivery than if they're standing their in the restaurant taking possession of the pizza.

I only get delivery if I'm out of town in a hotel somewhere.

 

[Runwildboys]

If I was an UBER driver I think it would be fun to pick people up wearing one of those president Halloween masks and wear black driving gloves. Make it interesting.

"I'll be right back, I need to make a withdrawal."

 

[Runwildboys]

Tips for people buying pizza.

Don't get delivery. Pick it up.

The pizza will be fresher. The cost will be lower. And, in my experience, they take better care to make it properly. People are a lot less likely to want to deal with a less than perfect pizza when it's delivery than if they're standing their in the restaurant taking possession of the pizza.

I only get delivery if I'm out of town in a hotel somewhere.

If you order frequently, and tip well, you'll get much better service in most cases.

 

[G2]

"I'll be right back, I need to make a withdrawal."

This is why we're friends.

Hope all is well brother.

 

[DandyDon52]

Ain't that the truth..... There is this one rather hefty woman who all the drivers know her as "The Clapper" since she normally answers the door in a wife beater with no bra..... When she reaches down to get hold the dog from swarming you, you'll hear a smacking sound from the hefty bosoms colliding.... We all laugh when someone says I got The Clapper tonight..... LOL



Unlikely Alibi......



That would explain many teenagers.... giving you a wad of cash and saying keep the change and running inside before you have a chance to verify the total given. Normally the tip is the leftover change to the next dollar.

well that is where you need to size up the person and the location, and dont give them the product, until you get the
money and verify that it covers the amount owed. like with the trailer park guy, you should have know their might be
a issue with him, and if they dont have all the money leave.

 

[Runwildboys]

I always tip 15-20%. I never order delivery in bad weather. I go myself...

Wow, and in Canada it's always bad weather!

 

[Runwildboys]

It depends on the area and the individual franchise. For the most part with the big 3 (Dominos, Papa Johns, Pizza Hut) there is a delivery charge on every delivery except free pizzas (remakes, credits, etc) and drivers receive mileage but the two are not connected. I currently deliver for Pizza Hut and we get a flat $1.25 per delivery while there is a $3 delivery charge. On the previously mentioned free orders drivers still receive mileage and for tax purposes mileage is not considered income. It's frustrating though because I know there are people out there that see the $3 and think I'm getting that and it leads to a stiff. Other variations of delivery charges I've received were a flat amount that was reduced for 2nd and 3rd orders that were dispatched with the first and a Domino's with a large area that paid per mile. Domino's has a map system and it used that to calculate your miles driven rather than what you reported.


A couple of my personal contributions to this thread having delivered for Pizza Hut and Dominos for the past 12 years.

A lot of people with a large amount of money have that money because of certain finance philosophies. These are the people that tend to be very stingy on their tips. Not all wealthy people are, but I've been tipped $2 on large orders to very nice houses before.

There should be a law where children should not be allowed to sign a credit slip for their parents credit card. The area I am in now has way too many deliveries where the parents who are not home send an order to their 12 year old alone at home who has no knowledge of tipping. This is one place I wouldn't mind Papa Johns set up where you can tip when you place the order.

If you are going to give some stupid excuse why you are not going to tip me then it's better to just not say anything at all. Telling me you don't have cash for a tip while writing a 0 on the tip line of the credit receipt is not a valid excuse.

Best tip I've ever received was a little over $60 on a 70 pizza school order. As mentioned earlier schools/churches can be real hit or miss. It largely depends on if the person paying/signing is actually the person in charge of the money or not. Second highest tip was $50 on a $50 order on my birthday. Was an excellent birthday. My worst day was a morning shift where I took 6 deliveries with a single $1 tip. I almost didn't come to work again the next day.

For the most part I give great service up until the point that I know you aren't going to tip. But be aware that I remember my deliveries. Maybe not the one off that only orders once every couple of months. But drivers remember known stiffers. That extends to other things to. I know when a regular has peculiarities in their orders that I need to check for. Also things like different colored porch lights or pets or unique houses. Stuff like the underwear guy mentioned earlier in the thread is known and talked about by drivers.

I delivered for Domino's in Waco, TX for several years and the first week of the month was always busier then the rest because that is when welfare checks would come in. The store was next to Baylor and the area was very segregated. You had the around the school where dorms were a likely stiff but as the kids got older and moved into apartments with other schoolmates they became better tippers. College parties were always great tips. Then you had the welfare section where 80% of the time it was a stiff. And then you had the nicer areas that were the best tips but also the furthest drive.

Speaking of Waco we had 2 strip clubs that we delivered to relatively frequently. Believe it or not, strippers actually make for terrible tippers. At least those that work in strip clubs in low income areas. If I was fortunate enough to have the bar pay for the order I'd usually get a tip but if it was the stripper themselves it was more often then not a stiff. I remember this one stripper in a bikini paying cash for an order. She handed me the order total up to the next dollar amount in ones. I started to walk away and she asked what about the change referring to the coins. I'm thinking to myself where the hell are you going to put them? Should have come back when she next danced and threw coins on the stage.

Besides the strip club my one naked story was to a college apartment. I knocked on the door and this tall naked black guy answered the door with a big smile on his face. The smile quickly changed to surprise and he said "oh" before closing door. 4 people who looked like they had quickly thrown on clothes were standing at the door when he re-opened it a minute later. I guess he was expecting somebody else and I interrupted an orgy or something.

Finally, I was robbed about 3 and a half years ago. This happened in Plano, TX in an area that I never thought it would happen. They placed a large delivery order to an empty house that was for sale. Red flags should have triggered in my head but I was having a very frustrating night. I pulled up and there was a teenager standing out on the sidewalk leading up to the house. He said he left his money inside and turned around to walk towards the house. I turned back to my car to set the heavy order down for a second. When I turned back around 3 guys in masks were swinging crowbars at me getting in several hits. I tried grabbing one out of one of their hands and he backed off for a second. I started repeating wait and he said to give him all of my money and my phone. I handed him my $20 bank,my wallet with no cash in it, and my phone. Dominos has a very strict policy about not carrying more than $20 on you at a time for reasons such as this. They then grabbed the pizzas and ran off. I later learned that they robbed 3 other delivery drivers that night eventually working up to pulling a gun on someone so I was "lucky" in that sense. The next morning when I went to the bank I found out they had tried to make several declined purchases with my card at Wal Mart. I communicated this with the detective and he went to Wal Mart to look at the security footage. One of the idiots was wearing his high school shirt. He took the photo to the school and asked around ultimately getting the identity of all three of them. One was still a minor and was sent to juvenile while the other were tried as adults and sent to prison. I should have quit but I kept delivering. I dealt with a lot of anxiety as a result though. I was super paranoid when at someones door though. If I didn't see any lights I called before ever stepping out of my car. And any time I ever heard footsteps behind me I had to step to the side and let the person past. I eventually got over it though.

I want to stop delivering pizzas. I'm essentially full time and while it is decent money with low qualifications necessary I'd appreciate a stable income. I'm tired of the highs and lows. A good day can be followed by a bad day and a good delivery can be followed by a bad delivery and the bad ones tend to stick with me more. Just need to figure out what to do instead.

I hope you got paid by the word for this post!