Dasher Diary: No Hopes for a Tip? What Happened When I Delivered Two Chicken Sandwiches on Paramount Blvd

Sometimes, when you are out delivering in Amarillo, you don't have much hope during a drop-off. I tend to deliver by time, which guarantees me a rate of $14.25 per hour. So I tend to get more than the $2 delivery pay that DoorDash gives you.

That seems like a great deal until you realize that the clock is only running from the time that you accept the offer and stops when you confirm drop-off. So you get a portion of that $14.25. You do receive the tip as well.

The thing with delivering that way a lot of deliveries are either a far drop-off. Hey, you are getting paid so they think you don't mind delivering twenty-minutes away. They also tend to be those deliveries that don't come with the extra tip. Not always, so it is a crapshoot.

The Strategy: Earn by Time vs. Earn per Offer in Amarillo

I still tend to deliver that way during the week, early deliveries. On weekends or dinner deliveries, I always deliver by offer. I am a Platinum Driver, so that is when the big tips tend to come in.

The Paramount Popeye’s Delivery: A Surprising Interaction

Recently, I was delivering with the guaranteed rate, and I had a pickup at Popeye's on Paramount. The delivery included just two spicy chicken sandwiches, and I only had to drive three minutes down the road. I wasn't expecting to make much off of that offer. That is the way it sometimes goes.

The apartment I delivered to was a little run-down, and I couldn't see through the front screen door when they opened it. When the first person came to the door, I let them know I had a delivery. They walked away without saying anything. So I wasn't sure if I was waiting for someone else or not.

Read More: Amarillo Dasher Surprised by Rare Promised Cash Tip l

I needed to get a PIN number from this customer, so I couldn't just leave it. The young lady came to the door, and I handed her the food and asked for the PIN. She provided it and then asked me if she could give me a cash tip. Yes, we always appreciate those.

So she disappeared, and I waited for a while. When she came back to the door, she handed me a few bills. I thanked her and went to my car. I never count the cash or anything in front of a customer; that seems rude.

Why Cash Tips Still Rule the Gig Economy

I did thank her, and when I got to my car, I finally saw that she had handed me a ten and two fives. She had tipped me twenty dollars to drop off two chicken sandwiches three miles away.

Those are the deliveries that don't happen too often but are greatly appreciated. That was a good delivery and a good day.