- My Frantic Life as a Cab-Dodging, Tip-Chasing Food App Deliveryman by NY Times. The way DoorDash handles tips is absurd. I’ll be making sure to tip only cash from now on.
- Behind Blogging: The “Dark” Side of Affiliate Relationships by Running With Miles. The main reason we don’t use credit card/bank account affiliate links is that often the card issuers/network will try have editorial control (e.g you can’t let people know about a previous better deal or a current better deal).
- You’ve probably seen me mention Extreme Hotel Deals before, basically a site for hotel price mistakes/deals. They have launched a new premium model, cost is normally $9.99 a month or $79 a year but you can get it for $39.50 when you use promo code mailinglist (valid until end of day). I haven’t used this new service, but have grabbed some public deals in the past. Probably best for people that can be flexible on travel plans, also worth remembering not to book nonrefundable things until closer to your stay as sometimes these deals are cancelled after booking by the hotel.
Deals starting/expiring at the end of today or starting today (view the full deal calendar here):
Deals starting/expiring at end of tomorrow:
Here are some of the most popular posts from past few days:
with DoorDash it’s a game of odds. “They pay the worst, but guarantee the highest.”
Basically if you have an identical order from Postmates and Doordash:
Postmates might pay $4.20+tip based mainly on mileage. DoorDash might Guarantee $5.55 (Pay $1, and Guarantee a tip of at least $4.55)
If the customer doesn’t tip: The driver will do better with Doordash. $5.55 is higher than $4.20.
If the customer even tips $2.00, then the Driver will be better off with Postmates. $6.20 vs $5.55 with Doordash.
Doordash is basically engaging in a sort of “Tip Averaging.” (You could also call this ‘stealing drivers tips’, or ‘using tips to pay drivers.’) They lowered what they paid their driver’s to only $1, but at the same time guaranteed a certain higher amount will be received by the driver.
Take away the “guarantee” and you have the proof of the sleaziness. No driver in their right mind would work for only $1 per order plus tip. – Door Dash is paying the absolute lowest they can get away with (The guaranteed amount), and then pocketing the customer’s tip.
*** A Driver almost never gets a tip close to the ‘guaranteed’ amount. DoorDash is almost always covering the difference. After all – Doordash is only paying a $1 themselves, but Guaranteeing that the driver will get paid $5-$8 (Depending on the order size.)
On maybe 5% of orders, a tip will be high enough that it will slightly increase the amount the driver will be paid paid.
Say a customer places a $30 order and Doordash Guarantees $7.50 to the driver.
A $6 tip the Driver will increase the driver’s payment.
A $7 tip the driver will receive 50 cents of.
The Driver would receive $1 from Doordash, Plus the $7 tip. Driver gets $8, instead of the $7.50 previously guaranteed.
The customer tipped $7 and in turn increased the Driver’s take home pay by 50 cents.
– The really sleazy thing is how far out of it’s way DoorDash has gone to make the customer think tips are going to the Driver. They remind the customer that 100% percent of tips go to the driver. (True since drivers are paid almost entirely out of “Guaranteed” tips.)
Bottom Line:
If customer’s knew that a tip didn’t increase the pay the Driver receives, then they wouldn’t voluntarily pay a tip that only works to increase DoorDash’s profits. (Perhaps they would pay the driver some in cash if they had it.)
Saw a great sign on tip jar at a local coffee spot “Tipping is not just for Cow’s and e-scooters”.
Portland has a real love/hate relationship with e-scooters and farting cows.
I read the cash tip thing on Dansdeals a while back and switched to cash ever since.
PSA you can earn 250 Wyndam points for every DD order as well
As a fun counterpoint, e-scooters are currently banned in NYC and so is styrofoam (the latter of which is really noticeable, as all my takeout lately has come in the same compostable cardboard shells).
Some bloggers have clearly sold out to get affiliate marketing. I think they are sociopaths. They are happy to screw you. If they hadn’t be blogging they would be screwing people some other way.
I agree, I couldn’t believe it the first time I came across this was when DoctorofCredit posted a JetBlue sign up of 60,000 miles (November, 2017) and yet DansDeals was pushing 30,000 miles on his blog for the same card. That is when I first realized how much more ethical DoctorOfCredit was over most of these other blogs.
I never tip. I don’t feel guilty about a stupid system that isn’t my problem.
And if I cannot reasonably get out of tipping I don’t consume the service.
Proving again you are a true troll on humanity, not just a troll on DoC.
Mr. Pink, is that you?
When I was a student, restaurant staff would often decline tips.
> I never tip.
What a surprise!
Fascinating article on the delivery apps. I’ve never used any of those delivery services, even with the great promos. I just can’t do delivery, the food is always fresher with pick up. I figure if I’m paying for someone else to cook, I want it as fresh as possible.
You should try doordash and do the pick up option. Between referring SO and the weekly $7 promos it adds up. Especially when ya double dip every time with 2 accounts.
I have never used delivery mainly because of the WASTE in all the plastic containers etc.
Anyway, I know that a couple of people at the company where I contract who use food delivery. The lunch is 30 minutes, so this gives them more time to actually eat the food versus going to/from the “restaurant” and doing takeout.
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Agreed. I rarely order delivery, but mostly because food never tastes as good and it does result in unnecessary waste. It’s funny that people used to spend 2-3 hours on making food at home and now we’ve come to expect super fast delivery. Quality and freshness have to suffer when you go that route as does people’s health.
Thank you for the link to My Frantic Life as a Cab-Dodging, Tip-Chasing Food App Deliveryman. That was incredibly fascinating to read. I have only ordered food ONE time EVER and that was when you posted the free cheesecake deal a while back. I ordered two one slice of cheesecake, tipped $5 and had it delivered to my girlfriend while she was at work. I wonder how much that courier got paid for that run. I also wonder how efficient it is to spend the time and energy of one human being to deliver a small slice of cake! Thanks for your hard work. A++
I always tip Doordash Dashers in cash, but that’s because I don’t want them to be late.
I’ve seen some customers put “Cash tip” in the delivery notes.
I don’t always see delivery notes notes before I am on my way, but they can make a difference when I see them before hand. I usually am delivering orders from 2 apps at the same time, so someone who has made a note like this is going to get priority treatment if possible.***
I see your point why a cash tip is a good idea regardless of DoorDash’s pay structure.. If Driver is late, feel the bag of food. If it’s cold, don’t leave a tip. (This way you know whether it was the Driver or the restaurant. If the food is hot, the restaurant was late and the driver got there as soon as possible. I have waited 40 minutes at certain restaurants before.)
I’ve always thought it was Odd for DoorDash to ask for a tip up-front. That’s NOT how tips work!
I agree.
BTW, today, I met a rich Dasher who was delivering on behalf of his wife, in his Audi. Looks like they went for the Swagbucks deal. Have you tried delivering on behalf of your family members?
is there a non paywall version for NYT article?
So, I don’t know about everyone else, but I am always using Firefox in Private mode. When I go to NYT, it doesn’t like it and shows the first bit of the article then blocks the rest asking me to take down private mode. If I reload the article, then hit stop before the javascript (or whatever they use) kicks in the blocker, I can see the whole article.
For others who have diff browsers or whatever, you prob can just clear cookie, who knows. I think you get a number of free articles per month.
Try the Firefox or Chrome extension Canvas Defender by Multiloginapp. It will break up the fingerprint used to mark paywall builds. Leave inactive as a practice otherwise it will spoil the good cookies like Docs. 😉
open in incognito tab
I went to a different browser to read it, you get a few free articles per months. Interesting article.