“I Reject The Majority Of Orders”: DoorDash Driver Shares How He Chooses Which Orders To Pick Up, Sparks Debate Online
Food delivery apps have revolutionized the game of take-out. We are no longer limited to only pizza and Chinese food if we’re not interested in cooking dinner or leaving our homes. Although those are both fantastic options, our phones now hold the capability to have almost anything delivered right to our doors. This has been especially useful in recent years when dining-in has been restricted due to the pandemic, and many of us have had to quarantine at least once.
But while we all have enjoyed the convenience of food delivery apps on occasion, few of us actually know what it is like to work for these companies. There are so many nowadays that will bring you anything from a pint of ice cream to a gourmet meal in take-out boxes, but as one DoorDash driver recently shared on TikTok, not every driver is willing to pick up any order.
In the video posted by The Gig Doctor, he shared his tips and methods for being selective when driving for the app, and it sparked quite the debate in the comments. Below, you can read his full explanation, as well as some of the replies from a variety of viewers. Let us know in the comments what you think about these recommendations for working for DoorDash and if they will change the way you order food in the future. Then if you’re interested in checking out a Bored Panda piece featuring wild stories from food delivery drivers, we’ve got the perfect article to read next right here.
This DoorDash driver recently sparked a debate online after sharing that he won’t pick up just any order
Image credits: Marques Thomas (not the actual photo)
Image credits: gigdoctor
Image credits: gigdoctor
Image credits: gigdoctor
Image credits: gigdoctor
Image credits: gigdoctor
Image credits: gigdoctor
Image credits: gigdoctor
Image credits: gigdoctor
According to Business of Apps, food delivery apps have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. From April to September in 2020, the combined revenue of the most successful food delivery services (DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats and Postmates) was $5.5 billion. They are constantly expanding as well. I remember when Uber Eats had a handful of options scattered around the city, but today, these apps cover almost every single restaurant, as well as places like grocery stores and pharmacies to bring you the snacks and food items you’re craving that don’t need to be prepared in a kitchen. These apps are on the rise worldwide as well, as Business of Apps projects that the global market for delivery apps will grow to $300 billion by 2027. That’s a lot of pizzas (or brunch bowls, pad thai, lasagnas, milkshakes, etc.).
While the demand for food delivery has increased rapidly, the demand for food delivery workers has grown as well. In theory, it’s a very simple way to make money and can be added into anyone’s schedule to earn a little extra income on the side, if it does not serve as their full-time job. But we all know large corporations like Uber can be very greedy and make it much harder than necessary for small businesses and drivers to earn money, so The Gig Doctor might be onto something when he discusses how selective he is about picking up orders. He explains that it just is not worth his time to take small orders, which upset some readers online, but he is working to make money. If he knows from experience that small orders don’t bring in profits, he has no obligation to take them.
Another DoorDash driver, Mike Hayes, opened up to Business Insider about his experience working for the app. The company claims Dashers earn $25for every hour they work, so Mike was intrigued by the opportunity, after being laid off during the pandemic. Unfortunately, however, Mike reports that he typically earns between $300-$800 a week after working for 45 hours over the course of 6 days. He also echoes The Gig Doctor’s sentiment that orders will get passed if they are not worth it. “My biggest piece of advice for customers is to tip more than $5 on your delivery if you want it to arrive fast,” Mike says. “The bigger the tip, the more incentive the Dasher will accept it right away and to get it to you quickly. And the more you tip, the more we get paid. Tips are our livelihood, since we don’t depend on the DoorDash base pay.”
The base pay for DoorDash workers is about $3 an hour, so it is perfectly reasonable for drivers to skip orders that won’t be worth it for them. At the end of the day, food delivery workers are just trying to pay their bills and provide for their families just like everyone else. So if we want them to bring us food, we can’t expect them to pick up tiny orders with no tips. Let us know what you think about The Gig Doctor’s video in the comments, and if you plan to use a food delivery service any time soon, please make sure you can throw in a few extra dollars as a tip. It might even help your order be delivered in record time!
Viewers had mixed opinions in the comments, ranging from frustration to support for the underpaid drivers
A necessary service for us disabled people but the company has become brilliant at putting the customer and the dasher against eachother
I never thoughtabput it that way. So what did you do before delivery services? I am curious
Load More Replies...I dont understand how all this works. In UK (my city anyway) each restaurant has its own delivery driver already on at least minimum wage and fuel allowance so tipping is nice but not expected. (They are chuffed if you say "keep the change." Usually no more than a couple of quid) The supermarkets also have their own delivery drivers who are paid more than minimum wage I believe and they dont accept tips. Also never understood tipping %... why should you pay more on a tip depending on how much you spend as its still only one person with one delivery.
Also... why are you expected to put on a tip BEFORE getting the service? You tip for good service. You should be able to tip after you received said service. Companies need to be paying an actual wage. Customers should not be expected to make up the poor wages!
Load More Replies...I don’t mind tipping, but the delivery and service fees take away from what could have been more of a tip. Be mad at the companies
Oh yeah I definitely agree. When you get charged $30 for both, you're out of $60. Not saying drivers don't deserve a tip but with that on top of food you're almost out $100 which is crazy.
Load More Replies...This is totally correct. I am the same way. I'm not going to drive all over for $2.25. Gas is too high
Okay well you're the one who chose to drive and deliver food as a career maybe just do your job like the rest of us have to. This just shows how sad and pathetic people have gotten
Load More Replies...It's a necessary thing to do if you are a dasher. I usually take anything less that $5 when I dash, so I am not quite a choosy as this dasher. You do have to account for how much gas costs and what kind of car you have. Think about that when you are tipping your dasher! If you don't want to tip than go get it you own damn self! And for God sakes, turn on your porch lights!!!!!
Yes. I think there are multiple factors that will vary from driver to driver and market to market. The cost of fuel and MPG of the car, like you say. Also, cost of living where you are, and how long it'll take you to do the job. Where I live, doing that 2.6 mile delivery on city streets would be at least 20 minutes, considerably more at high traffic times. It's also a stupidly expensive metro where gas is around $6/gal and $3K median rent. That makes for a different calculation than $3.85/gal and $2K median rent (national average).
Load More Replies...This sounds as entitlement in my country (EU), but then the model of business is radically different. The riders here are penalised if they turn down orders on a regular basis or aren't available permanently. So l guess good for them, though inflation is gonna end a lot of the business.
Wow - in my country you can't even order for less than, say, 20 Dollars. Which makes sense. It's ecological and economical nonsense to order a 2 Dollar item
What he is showing is not the cost of the food order. It's what the app is offering a driver (fee plus tip) to bring the food to the customer.
Load More Replies...I do not frequently order because it can really add up, but there are time when delivery is needed. For a small amounts, it would seem smarter and much cheaper to do a drive-up, which is what I do. However, what I hate is having to put my tip in the app. It is a tip, not part of the salary to subsidize the company's payroll, but that is how the company treats tips. If you don't, the driver doesn't know what the tip will be and can decline it so I end up putting it in the app.
It’s not really a tip despite the name, it’s a bid/bribe.
Load More Replies...He can do with whatever he wants with his employment, but his tone with this just sounds plain bitchy and entitled imo
No, he was actually respectful and said that accepting the order only to cancel it later is straight up rude. So he simply declines the order to not make the customer wait for a longer time.
Load More Replies...A necessary service for us disabled people but the company has become brilliant at putting the customer and the dasher against eachother
I never thoughtabput it that way. So what did you do before delivery services? I am curious
Load More Replies...I dont understand how all this works. In UK (my city anyway) each restaurant has its own delivery driver already on at least minimum wage and fuel allowance so tipping is nice but not expected. (They are chuffed if you say "keep the change." Usually no more than a couple of quid) The supermarkets also have their own delivery drivers who are paid more than minimum wage I believe and they dont accept tips. Also never understood tipping %... why should you pay more on a tip depending on how much you spend as its still only one person with one delivery.
Also... why are you expected to put on a tip BEFORE getting the service? You tip for good service. You should be able to tip after you received said service. Companies need to be paying an actual wage. Customers should not be expected to make up the poor wages!
Load More Replies...I don’t mind tipping, but the delivery and service fees take away from what could have been more of a tip. Be mad at the companies
Oh yeah I definitely agree. When you get charged $30 for both, you're out of $60. Not saying drivers don't deserve a tip but with that on top of food you're almost out $100 which is crazy.
Load More Replies...This is totally correct. I am the same way. I'm not going to drive all over for $2.25. Gas is too high
Okay well you're the one who chose to drive and deliver food as a career maybe just do your job like the rest of us have to. This just shows how sad and pathetic people have gotten
Load More Replies...It's a necessary thing to do if you are a dasher. I usually take anything less that $5 when I dash, so I am not quite a choosy as this dasher. You do have to account for how much gas costs and what kind of car you have. Think about that when you are tipping your dasher! If you don't want to tip than go get it you own damn self! And for God sakes, turn on your porch lights!!!!!
Yes. I think there are multiple factors that will vary from driver to driver and market to market. The cost of fuel and MPG of the car, like you say. Also, cost of living where you are, and how long it'll take you to do the job. Where I live, doing that 2.6 mile delivery on city streets would be at least 20 minutes, considerably more at high traffic times. It's also a stupidly expensive metro where gas is around $6/gal and $3K median rent. That makes for a different calculation than $3.85/gal and $2K median rent (national average).
Load More Replies...This sounds as entitlement in my country (EU), but then the model of business is radically different. The riders here are penalised if they turn down orders on a regular basis or aren't available permanently. So l guess good for them, though inflation is gonna end a lot of the business.
Wow - in my country you can't even order for less than, say, 20 Dollars. Which makes sense. It's ecological and economical nonsense to order a 2 Dollar item
What he is showing is not the cost of the food order. It's what the app is offering a driver (fee plus tip) to bring the food to the customer.
Load More Replies...I do not frequently order because it can really add up, but there are time when delivery is needed. For a small amounts, it would seem smarter and much cheaper to do a drive-up, which is what I do. However, what I hate is having to put my tip in the app. It is a tip, not part of the salary to subsidize the company's payroll, but that is how the company treats tips. If you don't, the driver doesn't know what the tip will be and can decline it so I end up putting it in the app.
It’s not really a tip despite the name, it’s a bid/bribe.
Load More Replies...He can do with whatever he wants with his employment, but his tone with this just sounds plain bitchy and entitled imo
No, he was actually respectful and said that accepting the order only to cancel it later is straight up rude. So he simply declines the order to not make the customer wait for a longer time.
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