r/deliverydrivers

Sooo I received a notification 2 days ago randomly that supposedly a customer reported that they never received an order. Then I appealed it. Then this morning there was a remaining decision of deactivation because supposedly the store reported missing merchandise. Am I missing something here? They will not tell me what order it was so how can I provided evidence to back up my story? I happened to have someone in the vehicle with me on the last day I worked so I have an eye witness that every order was dropped off the way it was supposed to be. I am careful to check addresses before delivering so it was unlikely that. This was my main job for income for the last 1.5 years so I took this job seriously. I have one more shot to submit more appeal info and or photos or evidence to defend myself. Does anyone have any ideas??

I don't understand how delivery drivers delivery groceries DO NOT HAVE THE NECESSARY TOOLS TO WORK. I work at an apartment building and the lady came up and said, I need a cart. I was like excuse me. "Can you give me a cart to take this groceries up?" Like you are a delivery driver and need to BUY a wagon or dolly to do your job. Not other people's responsibility.

Hello,

I have pretty much tried all the good food spots that are within 22 minute (I calculate time with Waze). I am sick and tired of all the local options at this point. I'm a foody but with an infant and toddler it is too difficult to drive further out for me and family to dine. I've been debating if I should start ordering from places that are 30-40 minutes away. Would that be Ok? If so I have some follow-up questions:

1. How should tip be calculated, off time to deliver or distance? For example, if a restaurant is 30 minutes away from my location, what is a reasonable tip where the driver would be happy to drive that far?
2. I live near the border of another state, New Jersey, where there is a $1-$1.50 toll each way to cross the bridge into PA. Does DoorDash understand that and add it into the price to reimburse the driver or is that another thing to consider when I am tipping? I've yet to order from NJ but I'd like to.
3. How does the delivery driver match work? For example, if I order food in the city will DoorDash try to find a driver that is already near that restaurant or will it look for a driver closer/halfway to where I live in the suburbs? I would feel bad if they had to drive from closer to my area then all the way into the city then have to come all the way into my area again.

Appreciate any advice/feedback!

My name is Eleni, and I'm a journalist working on a piece about the rise of seniors in debt. (Some of my past work has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Nation and elsewhere. The moderators of this channel gave me a go-ahead to post here.

I'm hoping to talk to older folks who are driving DoorDash, especially folks who driving to pay down debts. Is that you? Want to tell me your story? I'd love to listen.

I’m currently 19 years old about to get a car (UK based). I’m struggling to find work atm so I’m considering delivery driving as a side gig for the time being. I’m wondering if it’s actually worth doing, with fuel being so expensive and the extra insurance costs (I don’t qualify for pay as you go insurance eg zego as I’m not old enough). So can anyone currently doing this in a similar position to me offer some advice?

Driver Therapy": Why the four-legged recipients are the real MVPs.

We spend a lot of time on here talking about bad rates, bad merchants, and the GTA gridlock. But I wanted to share the one thing that actually makes this job worth it for me besides the money: The "furry" reception committees.

As a professional driver, I treat my routes like a business, but meeting the pets along the way is my version of therapy. Whether it’s a dog waiting at the window, a resident shop cat (shoutout to the one at Sweet Pea!), or even the occasional reptile—it’s the ultimate energy boost.

The Energy Reset: Even just 10 seconds of waving at a dog through a glass door or getting a quick "hello" from a pet can fix a bad mood after a frustrating pickup.

• The Interaction: If the owner allows a quick pet, it’s like a shot of caffeine for the rest of the day.

• The Connection: It reminds you that behind every delivery is a home and a story, not just a GPS coordinate.

To all the recipients who let us say hi to their pets: You have no idea how much that helps us keep going.

I have been doing food delivery for about two years now and mostly it is just boring. You spend a lot of time sitting in your car or waiting for fries to be bagged. But lately I have been getting sent to these huge complexes on the edge of town where half the streetlights are out and the building numbers might as well be invisible. It is pretty unnerving walking through dark corridors with a bag of Thai food while wondering if you are even in the right place. I started getting a bit paranoid after a stray dog chased me back to my car last week. I spent a few nights looking at different ways drivers try to feel a little more secure during those late shifts. Better flashlights, personal alarms, even self-defense gear. I briefly looked at some compact taser options on Amazon and Alibaba. Thought of ordering a pink one just for the irony but decided that wasn't the route I wanted to go. I ended up buying a small canister of pepper spray that clips onto my keychain. The funny thing is that now that I have it I feel even more awkward. I walked up to a door yesterday and accidentally had the spray in my hand because I was nervous, the customer opened the door and just looked at my hand and then at his pizza. He asked me if the pepperoni was that dangerous. I felt like such an idiot trying to hide it behind my back while fumbling for his change. I want to feel safe but I also don't want to look like I am expecting a fight every time I deliver a burrito. It is a weird balance to strike when you are working alone in the dark. Does anyone else carry something for peace of mind or am I just overthinking the risks of the job? I think I might just stick to better flashlights from now on.

Started my fashion brand 8 months ago. Decent margins on paper. Thought I had it figured out.

Then the RTOs started piling up.

Last month I dispatched 340 orders. 102 came back. That's ₹47,000 in dead shipping costs — paid to send, paid to return, zero revenue. Not counting the inventory handling, repackaging, and the sheer mental exhaustion of watching your growth dashboard go backwards.

The worst part? Half of these were COD orders where the customer just... didn't pick up. No missed call, no "please redeliver", nothing. The courier attempts once, marks it undeliverable, and the parcel is on its way back to me before I even knew there was a problem.

Nobody told me. No WhatsApp. No SMS. No heads up from my aggregator. I found out when the package showed up at my door.

I've tried everything I can think of — calling customers before dispatch, adding "confirm your order" messages, even switching couriers twice. The RTO rate barely moved.

Is this just... the reality of COD fashion ecommerce in India? Are others dealing with this? What actually worked for you?

Because right now I feel like I'm running a free return logistics service with a small clothing business attached to it.

Hey y'all, genuine question here!

I have a toddler, infant, and post partum anxiety/depression. Taking both of them to the store is a hell of a chore, not to mention the limited cart space with my infants car seat. So I typically will just do a Walmart+ grocery delivery about once a week. I usually have about a $150 order. At the end it asks for us to leave a tip for the driver,I usually tip $5-$10 depending on if it's a "payday week" or not.

My question is: how do the delivery drivers get paid? Is it like waiters/waitresses where you get paid less than minimum wage per hour and rely on tips? Or is the tip just an extra courtesy? When I tip at restaurants I always do 20% or $20 (whichever is more), and I'd hate to think I'm shorting my driver's since I get grocery delivery frequently!

Edit: I live 0.4 miles from the store