Didn't want to hijack cynic's thread, so here's a new one.
I delivered pizza from 1987 at age 37 through 2003. It was a second job, perhaps 20 hours a week in the form of 2 shifts 5 - 12, 5 - 1 (Friday) and a half shift 5-9. I made (and make) a good wage at my 'real' job but took the pizza job because DW and I sent our 3 kids to parocial school, meaning there was tuition in both grammar & high school and I needed money to cover it.
The delivery charge was 75 cents for approximately the first half of my 'career' and a dollar afterward. Although it varies from one establishment to the next, in my case it was for the driver exclusively. I should say that I worked for a mom & pop store, not a franchise. We also got $2.50 / hr.
Even back in the '80s we were not getting rich on that. Also I never heard of any increase in our wages / delivery charge when gas went from $1.69 to $2.79 while I had that job. It went up to $4.25 a couple of years ago, but I missed that, fortunately. I must say that about 75% of my customers came across with some kind of tip; the coin change plus $1, sometimes more depending on the size of the order or perhaps how nice the customer was. $2 per would have been great.
Some people demanded to know if the delivery charge went to me or the store. That was a great indicator as to I was getting tipped or not! While I wouldn't claim I should be tipped like a waiter, there are a few similarities as well as differences:
The waiter takes your order, the driver does not (usually)
The waiter carries it from the kitchen to your table, the driver has to deal with snow, sleet, rain, traffic, gas and car upkeep, especially brakes. I had to learn to change them myself in order to keep the old beater on the road.
We had a customer who took delight in calling at 11:59 and 30 seconds (we closed at 12) and DEMAND food. This was nearly every night! Yes, we were still open, but it isn't funny, although it was to him. And he would pay with dollar coins that he got from the casino (to the penny), laughing at the driver. Another guy would call for food, drunk, and be so passed out that he wouldn't hear the doorbell, which did work, surprisingly.
Someone is going to reply to this with something like "well if you don't like that job, quit and go do something else". Well in my case, as I explained, I didn't need the money to survive but most of my coworkers did.
I don't expect to turn any non tippers (you know who you are) into tippers with this, but some people honestly don't know that tips are a big part of what we make. Even if you choose not to tip here are some things you can do to make the drivers job easier, and get your food faster too. And they're free!
If it's dark, turn on your porch, or other, light.
Be sure your house numbers are in plain view. This should be done anyway; after all you want the fire department to find you quickly when you call them, don't you?
Get your doorbell fixed if it doesn't work. Also keep an ear open for a knock or ring; don't decide to clean out the garage or have sex while you're waiting (this HAS happened).
Have the money ready. Every minute you spend looking for your pocketbook means that the other delivery the driver may have will be delayed for the next guy around the corner.
If your food took longer to get there tnan usual, think twice about blaming the driver. It is in his best interest to get your food in a timely manner so he can go back for more orders, meaning more $$$ in his pocket. Here's a dirty little secret - if you call the pizza shop back and say "where's my food?', they will tell you it's gone already, even if they haven't started making it. Why? you can't cancel an order that isn't there, although you could refuse delivery.
monica_pa Grieves
grittymitts
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