THCreate

Doordash is my main source of income. While I try not to complain, I try to educate new and existing Dashers who utilize the Dasher App platform, while educating the general public who orders through Doordash.

Let’s dive right in.

No Tip No Trip

You may have seen this term pop up on your news feed but it speaks volume as a delivery driver. I mean no disrespect to the customers of Doordash, but this results in an immediate decline. This is why tipping your driver is important for two reasons.

First, Doordash pays as little as $2 for me to deliver your order to you. Second, if you don’t tip, it makes your order look unappealing and not worth the time and gas it takes to wait at the restaurant to get your order to you.

In the above photo, you can see this order was 13 miles for $5.75. You also see below the dollar amount that that amount “includes DoorDash pay and customer tip.” This makes no logical sense to accept if I am trying to maximize profit from DoorDash as my main hustle. Only accept wise orders.

In the image above, you’ll notice this is a Doordash affiliate. Remember what I said about no tip no trip? This certainly applies. Doordash needs to do a better job of raising its base pay to supplement customers who refuse or tip low. It is not a wise decision to drive 10 miles and wait for an order to become ready for $4.75.

Timeline of a Dash

Keep in mind, Dashers are literally mobile bartenders. We make $2 per order. To put this into perspective I’ll give you an honest time scenario. McDonald’s received a customer order and sent it to the Dasher App for $3.25 with an estimated 7.2 miles driven.

• 6:00, Order to pick up at McDonald’s
• 6:01, Order accepted
• 6:05, Arrived at McDonald’s
• 6:06, Order is still being prepared
• 6:18, Order is ready
• 6:27, Arrive at customer address

For 27 minutes of my time, my gas and my patience, I made a whopping $3.25. The best part about it, was Doordash paid the $3.25 + $0 customer tip. Every factor plays a part. From when Doordash releases the order in the Dasher App, the time it takes to get to the restaurant, the time it takes for the restaurant to complete the order and finally getting the order to the customer.

Catering Orders

Catering orders and batch (multiple) orders are my favorite. Catering orders appear as a small dollar amount to a Dasher. In the image below, you will see a side by side comparison of what a catering order looks like when we pick it up, compared to the end result after a successful, prompt delivery.

Upon completion of a catering delivery, the tip appears showing you a big payout. This is attractive to dashers and motivates me personally to keep driving, hoping to snag another catering order or a high-tip paying customer.

Orders Not Near Your Starting Point

As a contractor, you’re not obligated to accept any order you don’t want. This is what makes Doordash interesting. Dashers have the freedom to pick and choose which order they would like to accept or deny.

Orders that are far away from my starting point usually get auto denied. I’d like to think there were Dashers closer to the location than I was, however, if it’s not profitable for me, I can’t accept losing gas and the depreciation of my vehicle.

Doordash Automatically Pauses the Smartest Dashers

Don’t freak out if your Dash gets paused. After several consecutive declines, Doordash will pause you to allow other Dashers in on the platform. Being paused is Doordash’s way of saying shame on you for not accepting that $2.25 McDonald’s order that wasn’t ready when you arrived and had to wait 19 minutes for and still deliver it.

All in all, I love being a Dasher. I don’t love the low base pay or the lack of peak incentives but I do love the autonomy to do as I please when I want on my time.

I wish more CEOs such as Tony Xu, the CEO of Doordash, catered to their drivers and assisted us financially so we don’t have to depreciate our vehicles for terrible pay. While Tony has a net worth of $1.4B, it makes working for Doordash seem mundane and Dashers left feeling unappreciated. How do you have all that wealth but not give back to those who work to keep your company running? It’s a slap in the face to those who sacrifice their lives driving vehicles all day in a very impatient driving world. While this posting about selfish CEOs is relevant, it’s a topic of discussion for another day.