Delivery Guy Gets 10 Dollar Tip for 85 Pizzas

[wirednuts]

If you don't want to tip the delivery driver, don't get delivery. Problem solved.

thank you. so many people dont understand this.

 

[Rakehellion]

If he/she drives up in a big ass pick-up truck, I tip more to cover estimated fuel price and then some in accordance with their demeanor.

If they drive up in a beat up Geo Metro, I might tip a little less.

Eh, $10 seems a bit low but tipping is really supposed to cover gas more than anything.

Delivery drivers are compensated by the restaurant for gasoline. It goes into the "delivery fee" that you pay.

 

[QueBert]

Tips in the US are based off how much money you spend, I went to a 5 star Steakhouse last month. While the service was better than at a Dennys, it wasn't better to the tune of being worth 15% of $240. This driver deserved a tip based off how much the people spent. I tipped more at the Steakhouse than an entire meal including tip would have been at at a lot of places. The waitress essentially did the same thing and spent no more time at our table than one from Dennys would have. But the dennys chick would have gotten $4-6, this one got $40. On the flip side if I spent $100 at a Dennys, the waitress gets a lot bigger tip, even if she only had to do slightly more work.

 

[phucheneh]

Delivery drivers are compensated by the restaurant for gasoline. It goes into the "delivery fee" that you pay.

It's not much, though. From what I've seen, you get enough to compensate you for gas if you drive an efficient car. If someone's got a truck or just a beater with a V6, they might not be getting enough gas money. Especially with the rising gas prices. So they, like others, depend on tips to get them over minimum wage. Or to minimum wage? Can't remember if their base wage can be less, like servers.

But I think what some people don't get is exactly how much difficulty is actually involved in delivering 85 pizzas. They're not a catering service coming out with a truck and rolling out carts of food. If they're lucky, they have some of those giant warmers that hold like 10 pizzas. Of which you can fit like 4-6 in a normal car, maybe.

If the dude got you your pizzas in a marginally hot, marginally not-ruined state, he deserves more than ten bucks. You should also probably stop in at the place and tip the goddamned cooks, too. Best case scenario: large continuous high temp oven. If you can manage to feed it fast enough, you might get 85 pizzas finished cooking within a 30 minute window. With that size order, I'd say it's more likely the earliest pizzas waited an hour before the last ones were done. Plan your shit better, you stupid companies. Probably cheaper to just hire friggin' caterers, anyway (again: talkin 'bout a $1000+ pizza order here).

 

[Wonderful Pork]

Tips in the US are based off how much money you spend, I went to a 5 star Steakhouse last month. While the service was better than at a Dennys, it wasn't better to the tune of being worth 15% of $240. This driver deserved a tip based off how much the people spent. I tipped more at the Steakhouse than an entire meal including tip would have been at at a lot of places. The waitress essentially did the same thing and spent no more time at our table than one from Dennys would have. But the dennys chick would have gotten $4-6, this one got $40. On the flip side if I spent $100 at a Dennys, the waitress gets a lot bigger tip, even if she only had to do slightly more work.

I'd wager it's much more work if you spend $100 at Denny's vs a "nice" restaurant. The average plate cost at Denny's is <$10 vs $30+ depending on where you go.

In any case, I absolutely do not tip solely on percentages, especially while alcohol is a portion of the bill. $10-$15 for a single drink adds up fast. So I subtract alcohol & tax, then tip 15-20% of that, then add roughly $1 per drink which is fair IMHO. If there is a sommelier then I tip them separately based on their recommendation.

So for a $150 tab with 4 drinks (~$40) I'd tip between $20 and $25 for 2 people which is reasonable.

 

[NetGuySC]

Doesn't the driver still get a small percentage of the value of what he delivers?

 

[phucheneh]

I've never heard of drivers getting paid 'commission' style. If it's not a flat fee per run, it's mileage based (requiring drivers to give honest odo readings, unless someone has computerized this with mapping software. Probably so.).

If they were paid 'per pizza,' people with small orders during peaks times would get fucked. Drivers take what's easy and close, if they can help it (a big pizza chain on Friday night is generally a poorly-controlled hell, at best).

The guy who gets 85 pizzas draws the short straw. But gain a lottery ticket...sometimes companies will actually not be cheap, and throw the guy a measly 5% of a thousand dollar order or something. 50 bucks makes it possibly worthwhile. Ten doesn't even cover his time.

 

[lambchops511]

It was also on the Huffington Post front page. I don't get it either. As someone who has worked for tips in a few different jobs I've seen way worse.. the worst was hotel stuff where I got sent running all around the hotel doing stuff for an hour just to get stiffed (not just bad to get stiffed, but because that was time I could've been making money elsewhere)

Then go make money elsewhere. Supply and demand, this is America.

 

[blankslate]

If they didn't want to tip the person delivering all 85 of those Pizzas...they could have sent someone to come get the things.

^this.

20% on a 1400 is a bit overboard but $10 dollars for making sure 85 pizzas get to your place is stingy as shit.

 

[lord_emperor]

Waaah. Poor delivery guy only got $10 tax-free cash income in addition to his wages. That's $10 more than all sorts of other minimum wage jobs.

 

[blankslate]

Waaah. Poor delivery guy only got $10 tax-free cash income in addition to his wages. That's $10 more than all sorts of other minimum wage jobs.

As other people have said you don't want to tip for 85 pizzas pick up the damn things yourself.

Oh I'm sorry we just forgot that moving 85 pizzas takes as much effort as moving around a couple of pizzas and a few side orders of wings.

 

[lord_emperor]

As other people have said you don't want to tip for 85 pizzas pick up the damn things yourself.

Let's just apply that logic to all pizza orders, then the delivery boy has no job.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

As other people have said you don't want to tip for 85 pizzas pick up the damn things yourself.

Oh I'm sorry we just forgot that moving 85 pizzas takes as much effort as moving around a couple of pizzas and a few side orders of wings.

If you don't want to carry light, easily stackable boxes for money, don't. Moving 85 pizzas is more labor intensive than usual (we're probably talking about carrying ~40lbs of stuff a few hundred feet ~9 times) but it's ultimately still rudimentary labor and I can't imagine it took more than ten minutes of increased time. That isn't worth $50+.

 

[blankslate]

Let's just apply that logic to all pizza orders, then the delivery boy has no job.

Maybe they should just forgo the tips and build it into the delivery cost then /shrug.

but ordering 45 pizzas and tipping only 10$ is a fecal covered dick move regardless.

If you don't want to carry light, easily stackable boxes for money, don't. Moving 85 pizzas is more labor intensive than usual (we're probably talking about carrying ~40lbs of stuff a few hundred feet ~9 times) but it's ultimately still rudimentary labor and I can't imagine it took more than ten minutes of increased time. That isn't worth $50+.

perhaps not worth $50+ but I and others would have tipped more than a measly $10. I'd have gone at least $25 dollars and perhaps more if the party guests wanted to pitch in.

 

[sze5003]

Why wouldn't the people pitch in what we're they all 5th graders ?

 

[TallBill]

Let's just apply that logic to all pizza orders, then the delivery boy has no job.

False. Most people are OK giving a proper tip, which is why delivery guys keep their job and service is generally good.

Take away the tips and you either have complete shitheads delivering or delivery costs go up a lot.

 

[phucheneh]

If you don't want to carry light, easily stackable boxes for money, don't. Moving 85 pizzas is more labor intensive than usual (we're probably talking about carrying ~40lbs of stuff a few hundred feet ~9 times) but it's ultimately still rudimentary labor and I can't imagine it took more than ten minutes of increased time. That isn't worth $50+.

You're not paying them an hourly wage; you're paying them for the service provided.

It's kind of like saying 'why would I pay $25 a day to rent a car? I could drive my car for the cost of gas! That business model will never work!'

Oh wait, it does, 'cause you're not capable of shitting a car out on demand at any random place in the world. In this case, you're saying 'no thanks, I don't have warmers for 85 pizzas nor do I have a Chevy Suburban to transport them, so I will require your services.'

Put at an add up on craigslist...'Service wanted: Someone to move eighty-five pizzas five miles. Must provide own vehicle. Pizzas must remain intact. $10 offered!'

See if you get any takers.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Delivery drivers are compensated by the restaurant for gasoline. It goes into the "delivery fee" that you pay.

That is not true at all!
Usually the delivery fee is kept by the restaurant!

It could be true but I know that for the most part it just is not true!!

 

[TallBill]

You're not paying them an hourly wage; you're paying them for the service provided.

It's kind of like saying 'why would I pay $25 a day to rent a car? I could drive my car for the cost of gas! That business model will never work!'

Oh wait, it does, 'cause you're not capable of shitting a car out on demand at any random place in the world. In this case, you're saying 'no thanks, I don't have warmers for 85 pizzas nor do I have a Chevy Suburban to transport them, so I will require your services.'

Put at an add up on craigslist...'Service wanted: Someone to move eighty-five pizzas five miles. Must provide own vehicle. Pizzas must remain intact. $10 offered!'

See if you get any takers.

Winner . The only reason it doesn't end the world of pizza delivery in this particular case is that most people are not cheap fucks, and so the industry sustains.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

You're not paying them an hourly wage; you're paying them for the service provided.

It's kind of like saying 'why would I pay $25 a day to rent a car? I could drive my car for the cost of gas! That business model will never work!'

Oh wait, it does, 'cause you're not capable of shitting a car out on demand at any random place in the world. In this case, you're saying 'no thanks, I don't have warmers for 85 pizzas nor do I have a Chevy Suburban to transport them, so I will require your services.'

Put at an add up on craigslist...'Service wanted: Someone to move eighty-five pizzas five miles. Must provide own vehicle. Pizzas must remain intact. $10 offered!'

See if you get any takers.

The difference is that car rental dealerships give the price up-front and customers must agree to pay it in order to receive the rental place's services. The cost of the pizza follows that style of business accordingly, but delivery boys are at the mercy of the customer. There is no obligation to pay anything in tips. Further, the centralization of business in your argument goes both ways. It would be hard to find someone out of the blue available to deliver pizzas, but it would be equally difficult for an aspiring-pizza-deliverer to find work on a consistent basis without the benefit of working at Pizza Hut.

The employee should be asking himself "How much money could I make and how little effort could I expend by delivering X number of 1/2/3-pizza orders in the time it takes me to deliver one batch of 85 pizzas?", and if the answer is "Less than I actually did", then he's ahead. If the average tip is $2 for an ordinary delivery, I'd like to see it demonstrated that his single delivery put him way behind the dude delivering singles to five different houses.

 

[phucheneh]

God you're an analytical douche.

Make babies with me.

...the serious answer regarding this pizzaman issue, however: yes, I think someone running 'normal' deliveries could accomplish five deliveries. Easily. You're talking about 5-10 minute average drives on everything (for fairly densely-packed chain locations, at least), and spending thirty seconds in the pizza place and 30 seconds at the hose. That's a lot different than getting eighty-five pizzas together, into a vehicle, out of a vehicle, and carried to your location.

If a driver was lucky enough to get multiple deliveries per run, all of them fairly close, he might do ten or so during this one 85 pizza deal, I bet.

I'm just saying, 'sall. I generally want low prices, yes, but I also have a 'if it's enough of a problem that you can't do it yourself, don't bitch about what it costs' sort of attitude when it comes to labor-oriented stuff. Pay that man for being a Senior Psuedoitalian Food Delivery Technician, goddammit.

 

[KK]

And that's the problem with tipping based on cost of product rather than value of service.

A large cheese could cost $10, while a large veggie could cost $15. It's still one pizza, no additional effort is needed to deliver the more costly one, yet a 50% larger tip is expected with the veggie. Explain to me how that makes sense.

It doesn't, he's a dumbass delivery driver.

 

[Imp]

Maybe pizza companies should start doing what restaurants do and tack on a "mandatory" "gratuity" charge -- when giving a business more business penalizes you.

 

[1sikbITCH]

The difference is that car rental dealerships give the price up-front and customers must agree to pay it in order to receive the rental place's services. The cost of the pizza follows that style of business accordingly, but delivery boys are at the mercy of the customer. There is no obligation to pay anything in tips. Further, the centralization of business in your argument goes both ways. It would be hard to find someone out of the blue available to deliver pizzas, but it would be equally difficult for an aspiring-pizza-deliverer to find work on a consistent basis without the benefit of working at Pizza Hut.

The employee should be asking himself "How much money could I make and how little effort could I expend by delivering X number of 1/2/3-pizza orders in the time it takes me to deliver one batch of 85 pizzas?", and if the answer is "Less than I actually did", then he's ahead. If the average tip is $2 for an ordinary delivery, I'd like to see it demonstrated that his single delivery put him way behind the dude delivering singles to five different houses.

Bottom line is you can bitch all you want, if you don't tip you eat a lot of other people's spit. Just the way it is.

 

[zerocool84]

It's a shit job, expect shit money.

You people expecting to get rich off being a delivery boy or server make me laugh. Want to get paid well, go to school, don't expect automatic extra pay because you think you deserve it for bringing someone food or filling their water glass, something that's in your basic job description. Tipping even for crappy service is even more laughable. You letting them make you think they don't get paid minimum wage is also funny since every single one in the country by law has to. I'd rather tip the trash man since they actually do a job that most of us would not want to do but for some reason you guys seem fit not to.