Recently, I dropped off an order and was handed $20 cash.
I’m not sure that’s enough to be considered a unicorn order. But it felt amazing.
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was not uncommon to get nothing but great tips.
Fast forward a few years later, and people tip less and less, and at times, nothing at all.
People are asked to tip everywhere they go, including coffee shops, gas stations, restaurants, fast food, and dog walkers.
This has caused many to experience extreme tip fatigue.
How is tip fatigue affecting drivers?
And how can drivers make sure they continue to survive in a tip-fatigued world?
Ways Drivers Are Suffering Because Of Tip Fatigue
People Are Tipping Less Or Not At All
First and foremost, drivers are making less money.
It is not uncommon to get orders with a $1 tip or none whatsoever.
Customers who used to tip based on percentage are now tipping based on what they “think” it’s worth to deliver. If they live near a restaurant, they may tip very little since the driver doesn’t “go that far.”
Costs of everything keep going up, including delivery fees.
Companies are charging more to have things delivered. Even if people join a monthly program to get “free delivery,” there seem to still be things like “service charge,” “mileage charge,” or “just because charge.”
Many customers think that drivers are getting these additional fees and, so, don’t tip what they consider to be “extra.”
In reality, drivers get almost nothing when it comes to the actual delivery fee, and instead, they need people to tip and tip well for them to make a livable wage.
Drivers Have To Drive Longer To Make The Same
People tipping less does not make delivery drivers need less money. Even though tip fatigue is massively affecting drivers’ income, they still have to pay their rent, utilities, etc.
Drivers are working more hours to make up the difference.
Instead of making $100 in 4 hours, they may take 6 to 8 hours to do the same thing.
Although they are technically making the same amount, taking longer lowers your average hourly rate, puts more wear and tear on your vehicle, and affects your physical and mental health.
Customer Wait Time Is High And Taking It Out On Drivers
Because many drivers are rejecting no or low tip orders, those orders are sitting longer.
Customers then have to wait longer for orders when they are hungry. This is probably the least likely time people will be polite.
Uber and DoorDash will continue to raise the price of an order until they get a driver to accept it. So it may have no tip, but they start putting more and more money behind it until it’s now worth it to accept.
Though that’s great for the driver who is now going to make enough money, the customer had to wait all that time until a driver finally picked it up.
When all of that is said and done, customers get angry and take that frustration out on drivers.
How Drivers Can Survive Tip Fatigue
With so many difficulties for drivers enduring tip fatigue, is it even worth it to go out driving?
How can you make sure that it is?
1. Multi-App
The most important thing is to not put all your eggs in one basket.
Signing up and learning how to use multiple apps at the same time allows you to get more options.
Not only should you sign up for more than one delivery app, UberEats, DoorDash, GrubHub, etc, but you should also look for other types of gig work to sign up for.
Instacart, Spark, DeliverThat, Zifty, Qwick, or any other service that allows you to make your schedule and still make money.
It also helps break up your work day, as you won’t be doing the same type of gig work all day, every day. You may start with catering orders, switch to grocery, and finish the day with a serving job with Qwick.
2. Drive More When It’s Profitable
You used to be able to turn apps on any time of the day and make a decent income.
Those days are long gone.
You have to drive when it’s going to be the most profitable. Some people drive breakfast shifts and are happy with how much they make. I’ve tried several times but have never made enough to make it worth it to me.
Lunchtime is usually good, but at times, even that is bad.
When I’m working a shift and I’m not getting enough orders, I call it and go home. I may try again that evening for a dinner shift, especially if I need the money that day.
3. Take A Mental Health Break
Tip fatigue is not the only type of fatigue that drivers have to contend with.
We are physically tired from working so many hours. We are mentally exhausted from driving and being mentally on for so long.
To make sure we can make as much as possible, we need to take breaks. Not just daily breaks, though. You should have some time each day for that, but also regular vacations.
Plan for them, pick a date 4 to 6 months from now, figure out how much it will cost, and budget for it. No, you won’t make money that week, but you’ll be more energized the following week to get back out and work.
