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Topic: Just started delivering again |
DerMann
Board Newbie
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 5
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7/13/12 6:53:51 AM
 
I don't remember how I found this site, but it seems as if I had written it, heh.
I just started working at a small, family-owned pizza chain in the town I live in, and I'm loving it. I did delivery before at a Chinese place, and it was godawful compared to this place.
It's pretty relaxed, most of the customers are within 5-10 miles of the store and we deliver to the rich part of town (with very few exceptions). Since the pizza is made from scratch and everything is analogue, the fastest delivery time we give is an hour.
Tips are pretty decent, but business has died down a bit because of the summer. Still averaging about $100 a week in tips alone, working 5 days a week.
Up until recently I didn't have AC in my car. I've been driving without AC since I started driving, so I can deal with the Houston heat, when it would rain, my windows would get fogged and I'd have to crawl along to get around safely.
A few weeks ago we had an absolutely horrendous downpour with heavy winds. As a result of last summer's drought, there were so many dead trees that fell over on major thoroughfares and residential streets alike. And who'd've guessed, we were busy as hell that night.
We were telling people an hour and forty five minutes to two hours for delivery and they'd still want it and we'd still end up being late (I believe it was only myself and another driver that night). What really bugs me is that people were only tipping me $3-$5 when I was on time, and I got stiffed a couple times (took 9-12 orders I think), even though I called ahead of time explaining the situation.
My number one complaint about the job is that rich peoples' kids don't know how to tip. Most people pay by credit card, so they're not just keeping the tip for themselves. There's one house in particular where I've been stiffed by the same kid three times now.
First time, his parents weren't home and I wasn't going to wait around for 15 minutes on a Friday night. I told him I just needed it signed and that he could put the tip on there, no tip. Next time I recognized the address, I was leery, and he answered the door again saying his parents were in the hot tub. My good nature said, well of course his parents asked him about the tip and must've instructed him this time. Nope.
Now, I really want to say something if I ever end up there again and he answers the door. I wouldn't dream of saying "No, go get your parents, you don't know how to tip," I'd like to, but I value my job more than that. Would it be reasonable to say I need the signature of the card holder on the receipt so as to avoid direct confrontation? I don't think that's actually necessary (I know I signed for my mom and grandma's card numerous times), and I'd hate to be put on the spot for it.
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Balthazar
Apprentice Poster
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 289
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7/14/12 8:40:33 AM
No offense but $100 in tips on a 5 days week is goddamn awful. Hopefully you earn at least minimum wage and proper MR.
As for the kid, you should ask for the signature of the card holder. But then again, you accepted twice so who knows how's going to react.
Kids that pay for delivery are a pure nightmare. I wouldn't be surprised if the parents don't want to tip so they send the kid to pay.
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gregster
Delivery Jedi
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 12,282
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7/14/12 9:34:18 AM
Balthazar writes:
| << No offense but $100 in tips on a 5 days week is goddamn awful. >> |
Damn. I took home $80 just tonight from 4 - 8:45, and according to the big mouths here I am working at at one of the worst places in existence!
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Total posts 11022 Total topics 2001
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therealpizzaman
Loyal Poster
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 927
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7/14/12 10:22:49 AM
you said that, with very few exceptions. you deliver to the rich part of town. Well as far as tips, that can be almost as bad as the projects.
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I can learn how to spell, you cant stop being ugly
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Balthazar
Apprentice Poster
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 289
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7/14/12 11:10:34 AM
gregster writes:
| << Damn. I took home $80 just tonight from 4 - 8:45 >> |
Well that's on the other end of the spectrum. That's $17/hour in tips alone.
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Dudeitsdelivery
Board Newbie
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 77
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7/14/12 6:26:43 PM
How many orders are you taking in a week? 100 a week is way way low even at my ghetto store. If customers are willing to wait twi hours it must be good pizza.
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Misery Loves Company
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Driver in Suburbia
Veteran Poster
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1728
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7/14/12 8:49:39 PM
If you are getting over a 50% stiff rate you might need to find another place to work for.
If I did not get over $200 in tips for a 24 hour week, something was wrong. I did deliver in a upper middle class suburb and my stiff rate was less than 5%.
Good luck on if you decide to change shops.
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You can't fix Stupid!
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Papa Ken
Board Newbie
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 58
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7/14/12 9:50:31 PM
$100 a week is unacceptable, unless you're only working 8-10 hours a week.
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malefic
Delivery Specialist
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 4139
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7/15/12 3:49:11 AM
Driver in Suburbia writes:
| << If you are getting over a 50% stiff rate you might need to find another place to work for. >> |
In a different area with a different customer base.
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gregster
Delivery Jedi
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 12,282
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7/15/12 7:15:43 AM
malefic writes:
| << Driver in Suburbia writes:
| << If you are getting over a 50% stiff rate you might need to find another place to work for. >> |
In a different area with a different customer base. >> |
A 50% stiff rate can be due to a driver having poor at the door skills. No one has addressed that.
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Total posts 11022 Total topics 2001
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Papa Ken
Board Newbie
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 58
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7/15/12 8:14:38 AM
gregster writes:
| << malefic writes:
| << Driver in Suburbia writes:
| << If you are getting over a 50% stiff rate you might need to find another place to work for. >> |
In a different area with a different customer base. >> |
A 50% stiff rate can be due to a driver having poor at the door skills. No one has addressed that. >> |
No. The vast majority of tips are determined well before the driver arrives. Unless the driver is being abusive to customers, a 50% stiff rate is the customer's fault, not the driver's.
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Moo2400
Loyal Poster
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 972
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7/15/12 8:24:43 AM
gregster writes:
| << A 50% stiff rate can be due to a driver having poor at the door skills. No one has addressed that. >> |
What do you think the likelihood of that is? In my experience, what you say and do at the door makes little to no difference in most situations, so long as you're functional in doing the transaction.
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Ed Brown
Delivery Tycoon
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5510
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7/15/12 4:38:32 AM
If DerMann thinks the China shop was "godawful" compared to the current pizza shop... Oh gosh, I don't want to even venture what that place must have been like.
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Ride! Like the wind!!
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DerMann
Board Newbie
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 5
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7/15/12 6:35:59 AM
Balthazar writes:
| << No offense but $100 in tips on a 5 days week is goddamn awful. Hopefully you earn at least minimum wage and proper MR. >> |
Well, it's a rough estimate, I end up with a little over $100 in the account I deposit my tips into at the end of the week, but I usually keep $5-$10 a night in cash in my wallet for food, cigarettes, what have you.
And yes, I make $7.25/hr, but I only get $0.50 per delivery regardless of distance.
I was regularly making $40 a night and as much as $80 on busy nights before the summer started, but everyone who has been there longer than I have says it always slows down during June and July, so I'm not worried. I was also working 6 days a week in May.
therealpizzaman writes:
| << you said that, with very few exceptions. you deliver to the rich part of town. Well as far as tips, that can be almost as bad as the projects. >> |
Yeah, they tend to be a bit more stingy, but it's rare for them to not tip altogether. They are much more indignant when it comes to issues like having their pizza get there late (even just 10 minutes) or getting the wrong order.
Dudeitsdelivery writes:
| << How many orders are you taking in a week? 100 a week is way way low even at my ghetto store. If customers are willing to wait twi hours it must be good pizza. >> |
Well, since it's been slow as of late, about 25-30 a week (I've never kept track of this). Some nights I'll take only 3, and days like Sunday where I work during the day I'll get 2-3 at the most over the course of 6 hours. It is VERY good pizza, as I said, hand made from scratch, and their calzones, subs, and pastas are fantastic.
Driver in Suburbia writes:
| << If you are getting over a 50% stiff rate you might need to find another place to work for.
If I did not get over $200 in tips for a 24 hour week, something was wrong. I did deliver in a upper middle class suburb and my stiff rate was less than 5%.
Good luck on if you decide to change shops. >> |
Oh no, my stiff rate is very low. At absolute most, it'll be one per night, but usually it works out to less than $5 per week. I'd count anything less than $1 as a stiff, too, but I always at least get $2 on a vast majority of my deliveries.
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