Door Dashing Tips

 

So I've only been dashing for not quite 2 weeks as a trial, just to see if it's feasible. 

I watched a few videos from experienced dashers before I started - and they really helped!

Some tips work better for certain areas, but after following them, I am making about $80 tp $90 bucks in 3 hours!

Also, I made this with food delivery only - no grocery shopping OR delivering alcohol.

Because I don't want to deliver to underage kids with fake IDs or angry drunks, especially THIS week! 😂

Nor do I want to be in a situation where the store is out of whatever they wanted, you try to contact the customer for substitutions and they won't answer their messages, etc. Yes, you can make more doing these, but things can also go wrong more easily.

My Tips Thus Far Are:

1) Sit your car in a parking lot very near the most expensive restaurants in the busiest zone.

 

This is one I learned on my own.

It's not enough to simply BE in the busiest zone somewhere, your car/phone needs to be in close proximity to the restaurants you want to deliver from.

 

2)  Don't worry about your acceptance rate -  you do you - never take anything less than 1 dollar per mile.

          

The above includes "stacked" orders or more than one order. These are usually stacked because when they were single offers, they were so low that no one took them, so they stacked them on with another order from a nearby restaurant to make your tip seems higher. (Not always - sometimes it's just because it's the same restaurant.)

        

3) Even if the offer is $20 bucks for a 10-mile trip, consider the traffic and route, how much time that will take and how many other orders you might be losing, gas prices, and the wear and tear on your car - so it may not be worth it.  If orders are slow, then take it - if not, it's a maybe or a pass.

 

4) Being on time and pleasing the customer is key - so always grab extra straws and napkins - always. They may tell you they're in the sealed bag, but better safe than sorry. 

You cannot be dropped from Door Dash for lower acceptance rate, but you definitely can for lateness/poor service!

 

5) Dash even in unpleasant weather, but not BAD weather, be safe -  you will make more this way - less dashers and more people ordering in. 

(This current heat wave is actually of benefit. Just make sure you have good A/C and good heat in your car!)

 

6) Unless you have great eyesight at night, don't go after dark  - you don't want to be creeping around someone's  yard with a flashlight trying to figure that out! 😂

FOR WOMEN:

6) Don't go after dark - period - unless you have a guy with you.

7) t's a good idea to have a guy ride with you even during the day/afternoon, if you can, especially if delivering in less safe areas.

 

(Mark rides with me every time. He's my GPS navigator and instructions-reader and it's sort of like our weird date night! 😂

Sometimes the app flips out or freezes and the customer can't see that you're on your way. Send a message or call and tell them that in advance. 

If someone tries to give you any shit - especially a man -  listen quietly first, then de-escalate using your customer service skills and explain that you are indeed on your way, there must be an app glitch. If they don't stop ranting, put your man on the phone and that ends that, immediately! 😂

Examples of orders NOT to take:

$6 for 8 miles.  

Nope, doesn't fit the minimum $1-per-mile rule and you are actually losing money, based on the time it will take and orders you could've taken, as well as gas money.

$11 for a stacked order going 9 miles. 

So $11 looks good at first, but remember, these is 2 separate orders at 2 different restaurants with 2 different customers. 

This is a maybe if things are slow, but otherwise, realize the time it takes to wait at some restaurants , the time it takes you to find their houses, AND the fact that as single orders, these would've been s were a single order, it would've been $3 for 5 miles and $8 for 4. The second one would've been worth it, but the first one was stacked for a reason - likely they didn't tip at all and DoorDash just paid you alone.

This one is an offer I received yesterday - $20 for 45 miles.

HELL no, you must be out your damn mind! 😂

If they gave me $100, I might do it, but otherwise, HELL no.

Also, I realize food is incredibly expensive and you have an extra delivery fee to pay - but if it it too hot for you to get up off your couch and drive down the road to get your own food, realize it is also hot for your dasher. Thus, if you want someone to deliver your food to you, then you need to pay for that service in tips!

(DoorDash now pays something for no tippers, but it's low, like $3, depending on distance though.)

On that note, use selective compassion.

Meaning if it's in a poorer area, I might still deliver at the dollar-per-mile rate exactly and no more, because I know they can't tip much and might have transportation issues.

Not always, though - sometimes poorer areas actually tip higher, believe it or not, likely being in the service industry themselves, but I always feel bad doing those!

HOWEVER, this also happened ...'

On my first day, I delivered a $4 for 4 miles McDonald's order to a poorer area, both because it was poorer and because I knew that major road was down to 1 lane and traffic was terrible and because it was still the dollar rule and I knew things must be difficult for them. 

(Of course, there were 2 McDonalds in that area they could've ordered from that would've made a difference, but no, it had to be this one.)

Thus, I took the highway and went in a back way for them, still standing in traffic for about 3 minutes extra on that road.

I messaged the customer and told them traffic was at a standstill on that half-closed road and might be just a tad late.

After I delivered it, I realized DoorDash alone had paid me, they  hadn't put in a tip from the beginning! 

I know this because the app automatically puts in a tip when you order and you can raise it or lower it at the time of order - so you have to manually put in zero for no tip.

And though you can't see what they tipped before delivery, you can tell if they've changed it after delivery, and they didn't - meaning they expected all that, with that road closure in this heat, for nothing - DoorDash alone paid me! 

This reminded me of waiting tables as a side gig in the last recession.

In America, when actually waiting tables, gratuity is not included and thus the hourly wage is still only $2.15 an hour; thus, servers depend on their tips to pay their bills.

So in 2009, this family came in and spent $200 on a meal, asked for refills every 5 minutes, their kids dropped saliva-ridden crackers all over the floor, and they sat at the table for 3 hours.

When I collected their credit-card receipt, there was literally a hand-written note that said "Sorry, times are tight - can't tip 😦

I mean, they literally drew the sad face on it!

I'm thinking "Takeout next time, maybe? McDonalds, maybe? Or at least clean up after your kids and don't ask for 27 refills? Maybe just stay an hour so my entire shift isn't now gone?"

But I did not.

And THAT story reminded me of another from my college days, waiting tables.

Nobody wanted to work Sundays, because Sundays were the very worst when waiting tables -  the after-church people.

Not only did they not tip well, but they'd often leave you a bible tract in lieu of a tip that only looked like a $20 bill.

Instead, it had John 3;16 on the back, along with a tagline that said "I'm giving you something more valuable than a tip, I'm saving your soul. How much is your soul worth?"

Okay - I love Jesus and all, but he's not paying my rent.

AND if I wasn't already a Christian, I probably wouldn't want to be come one after you did that! 😂

One time, my friend, Jenny - who was both bold and hilarious, she should've done standup - ran after them and said "Sir? I think you forgot this on the table? Here you go - have a blessed day?"

😂😂😂

Back to DoorDash, at least they pay you more than 2.15 an hour because of gas money.

Thus, my overall advice thus far is, be selective, you do you - what's best for you, your gas mileage, and your car.

Man, I wish there'd been DoorDash during the last recession, things would've turned out a LOT differently!