Topics: Food and Drink, Money, Tipping, DoorDash, Uber
Here we go again, another day another reminder about the discourse that surrounds tipping culture, particularly here in the United States.
While tipping is common across many countries around the globe, there is no doubt that most of the stories about tipping too much or not tipping enough come out of the US.
We hear a lot of stories about how disgruntled servers or infuriated customers feel about tipping, but we can't have this conversation without considering delivery drivers as well.
Last year, one Philadelphia delivery driver opened up on how he makes the most tips he can, including turning down some surprising jobs.
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Jay, whose last name was redacted to protect his identity, works as a delivery driver for the likes of DoorDash and UberEats for ten hours per week.
While working another job in the week, Jay sees his delivery driver duties as his 'weekend side hustle'.
He only accepts orders that pay the most, which is usually those with the biggest up-front tip.
In fact, Jay admitted that he declines 75 percent of orders that come through, coming as a big surprise to many.
He shares his experiences on TikTok under the handle @downtownhustle, without showing his face on camera.
The driver told Insider he didn't accept orders with low tips and hangs around on his bike in wealthy neighborhoods because of the bigger tips promised.
He explained that DoorDash and Uber Eats give a base payment that depends partly on distance and inconvenience fees - as well as any up-front tips.
Payments can go up to $4.50 per order, but if the order is paying between $2-$2.50, it means the customer didn't offer a tip up front.
Jay said he won't waste his time waiting to see if the customer will pay a tip on delivery, declining around 75% of the orders he receives.
He explained: "I'm not doing this to gamble. I'm doing this to make money.
"So I'm not really interested in playing the game of, 'Oh, maybe I'll do this person's delivery for a guaranteed $2.50. Maybe it might be more.' I don't play that game. And most people don't like to play that game.
"That's what results in their order's not getting picked up, or it takes awhile for them to get their food."
The majority of orders he sees do include a tip, Jay said.
According to Insider, they generally range from $3 to $7 with drivers keeping 100% of the money.
"I think people should be tipping for the premium service that they're being provided," Jay argued.
