Flashlight Story: Weird people order pizza

As some of you might know, I deliver pizza, and I carry a mag charger with 1160 with me. Ill use it to spot the house number and then usually carry it up to the door in my hand and just slip it in my back pocket while giving change etc.

Tonight, on my last delivery, which is about 10 miles away from the store (hate going that far) I go to the house, pull in the driveway and I as I get out, I hear a dog barking, I can just see his outline on the dark lawn and hes not running at me, so I figure hes got a leash on. I walk up to the side door which has the house light on. I knock and an old lady answers and tells me "to go to the main door, because they are expecting me there" whatever.. i start walking along and then i realize the dog is pretty close to me.

I turn on the MC60 and point it at the ground so i don't blind the dog and hes not on a leash.. from the best of my knowledge.. hes a golden retreiver, and hes barking, but his tail is still wagging, and he doesnt seem to be too mad.. im slowly walking up to the front door, and hes backing up.. I still have the mc60 pointed at the ground with a pretty large spill area.. I figured I'd give him plenty of warning as to where I was moving (I have no idea how well dogs see in the dark) so i'm talking calmy to him.. like "it's ok buddy, im the pizza guy, im just here to bring the food"

I get about three feet from the door and am about to step onto the landing, and he wont let me! I move one inch, and hell bark and move twoards me kinda nasty.. So I'm standing there, talking to the dog for like three minutes.. and im thinking about just going back to the car and telling the boss that those customers can shove it.. but im like.. ehh.. its my last delivery.. so i shine the MC 60 in all the windows of the house.. and i see a face pop up.. and look at me.. i wave.. and the girl lays her head back down on the couch WTF?!?!

So I tell the dog that hes really gotta tell these people to be nicer to the pizza guy.. I shine the MC into the window again and hit the girl right in the face with the beam! lol.. and then she raises her hands like WTF??.. so i shine the beam on the pizza bag.. and she suddenly realizes that they ordered pizza.

about 20 seconds later, a big doofy A-hole comes out to the door, the dog runs in, and he says.. oh.. sorry about that buddy.. i shoulda turned the light on for you.. I reply.. "I have the light covered.. the dog wouldn't let me ring the bell.. some other pizza guys just woulda went home" ... and he tips me poorly.. and I leave..

Next time, Im going to light up the windows from the street and let them come out first.. save the time standing in the cold.

Seriously.. if you arent going to tip the pizza guy.. thats not very nice, but its your right, fine..

but at least answer the damn door! theres nothing more annoying then waisting my time, and your pizza is getting cold while the guy is out there.. You have 45 minutes to get the money ready! not.. "oh.. hold on.. ill get the money.." and you close the door in his face for 5 minutes

It's not just a job, it's an adventure! Everynight! Right? Hahaha..

I know how you feel buddy. Some nights it's great, everyone tips great and everything goes smoothly and you make a decent amount of $$$ and then other nights it's like why the hell am I even doing this??? Lmao.

Almost EVERYONE around here has a dog. Most of the time they are just more annoying than anything. I was thinking to myself as I was reading the story, why didn't you just shine the Magcharger in the dog's eyes? I would have done it from the get go. And keep shining it at them. Most aggressive dog I seen lately was a German Shepard north of town that was chasing my car for over a block and snarling and growling all the way.

Tonight I had one black lab that was barking at me angrily when I pulled up, but then I saw his size, around 100lbs or so, not that big so I got out and he just kinda walked around me and then as I was walking up to the door he sort of nipped the calf of my left leg and I said, "Hey!!" and then he laid off and I basically tried to keep him interested in the bag until I got to the door. If he would have gotten more aggressive he would have gotten the G2 in the eyes. I would sure hate to have to kill somebody's dog, but if they got you by the leg it's the owner's own dumb fault in the first place. But then everyone thinks "their" dog is an angel and would never hurt anyone.

I definately don't have any extra pocket to slip a Maglite in, since they're all usually full of stuff.

So this guy put up with you shining your light in his windows? I think that says a lot about how trusting a soul he really is. :laughing:

Well, the dog wasnt agrresive till i tried to ring the door bell. lol, i tried to be nice..

Man, I HATE it, when people are like.. oh.. dont worry... they wont bite.. and then let their damn dog run all up on your legs and lick you and ish.. WTF.. have some consideration.. or.. make up for it with more dollar bills.. lol

lol.. if the guy complained about me shinning a light in his house.. i woulda took the pizza back and told him to pick it up..

Yeah.. the mag usually goes in my back right pocket, ill switch my wallet (ultra thin spinaker cloth) to my left while at work.. the right front has money, pocket knife and L0P in the bottom.. dont carry change.. and the left has cell phone, and a clicky pen..

we have the gay dominos jackets now because it's cold, so If i need to carry more stuff.. theres a bunch of pockets in that. I usually carry the MC in my hand with a finger on the button.. just so if something unexpected jumps out at me.. they will hopefully either get a blinding light or aluminum head gouge before i run away, once the situation is "safe".. the MC goes in my backpocket... in my hand once again walking away after the transaction is done.. I guess im paranoid.. but ill actually light up my car from a distance before I approach it if it's been out of my sight (like an apartment complex or something).. just in case someone is wating inside the back seat to strangle me from behind unexpectedly (too many movies I watch I guess)

Ive been debating carrying a "dimmer" light like a L1P or something for people to sign credit card receipts.. but if their too stupid to turn on their porch lights.. then they can deal with the spill of the MC 60.. I personally love this light now that im used to it, and especially since I added the extra 0 ring to resist the (un)focusing action. The runtime is supposidly around 40 minutes with the 1160, but I can go a week and a half without recharging the stick.. and i keep a fully charged stick in the glove box just in case.

coldsolderjoint said:

Well, the dog wasnt agrresive till i tried to ring the door bell. lol, i tried to be nice..

Man, I HATE it, when people are like.. oh.. dont worry... they wont bite.. and then let their damn dog run all up on your legs and lick you and ish.. WTF.. have some consideration.. or.. make up for it with more dollar bills.. lol

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Yea, half the time I got somebody's terrier humping my leg while their white toiletbrush is trying to jump into the empty bag.

Yeah.. the mag usually goes in my back right pocket, ill switch my wallet (ultra thin spinaker cloth) to my left while at work.. the right front has money, pocket knife and L0P in the bottom.. dont carry change.. and the left has cell phone, and a clicky pen..

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I'm going to have to figure out something for my cellphone this Spring, I'll need to get a belt clip for it because right now I carry it in my coat pocket. Also will need to get an E2O to replace my G2. I usually have my checkbook and pen in my left pocket and wallet and knife in back right pocket. You probably wouldn't even believe me if I told you the stuff I carry in my pockets. And I use it all.

we have the gay dominos jackets now because it's cold, so If i need to carry more stuff.. theres a bunch of pockets in that. I usually carry the MC in my hand with a finger on the button.. just so if something unexpected jumps out at me.. they will hopefully either get a blinding light or aluminum head gouge before i run away, once the situation is "safe".. the MC goes in my backpocket... in my hand once again walking away after the transaction is done.. I guess im paranoid.. but ill actually light up my car from a distance before I approach it if it's been out of my sight (like an apartment complex or something).. just in case someone is wating inside the back seat to strangle me from behind unexpectedly (too many movies I watch I guess)

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I haven't really had that problem. I usually just quickly look around my car and the lot to see that nobody is hiding behind it or something. It's also a station wagon, so I always open the rear drivers side door anyways to throw the bag(s) in. Plus my doors are always locked.

Ive been debating carrying a "dimmer" light like a L1P or something for people to sign credit card receipts.. but if their too stupid to turn on their porch lights.. then they can deal with the spill of the MC 60.. I personally love this light now that im used to it, and especially since I added the extra 0 ring to resist the (un)focusing action. The runtime is supposidly around 40 minutes with the 1160, but I can go a week and a half without recharging the stick.. and i keep a fully charged stick in the glove box just in case.

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Yes, I run into people who are too stupid too live in an apartment building with lights, so no porch lights is actually about par for the course. The funny thing is then when they ask you for the total in the pitch blackness. OMG.

I had been using a Dorcy Super 1W LED light that I purchased after I already had my River Rock 2AAA light. The Dorcy is a very bright light and very nice, but mine died on me for no apparent reason after only going through a little more than one battery. So I'm back to the River Rock 2AAA clipped in the front left pocket. Honestly it's more handy than digging in my pocket for a light and you can't beat the form factor. The pocket clip is actually pretty decent and I've never had the light fall out, like I did when I had an E2E. Lost that sucker 3 times.

$10 at Target, you can't beat it. And if you lose it, you're not out that much.

Dominos is pretty good with the safety factor as far as most pizza places are concerned.. they encourage security call backs, and will never yell at a driver for being cautious, one of their biggest things is never leave the store with more then $20 on you.. I usually try to adhere to this rule.. maybe I'll have $10 in personal money on me which usually gets spent when i stop for food if im not feeling like pizza that night.. I couldn't imagine carrying my checkbook around with me..seems like it's too easy for someone to just rob it and quickly make a check out to themselfs. isnt that what they have debit cards for now? lol..

I'm with papa johns- know exactly how you feel..

More than anything else in the world I want to torture those a-holes who live 10 miles out, tip like crap, make you wait, have no visible address on their house/curb/mailbox.

Papa has never bought me a car, and never bought me a tank of gas, never bought me a ball joint, or an alternator, or a starter, or a set of shocks or bushings, or and oil change, or payed for the hours I have spent under the car fixing it, or belts, or headlight bulbs, or a proper percentage of the car insurance. They do pay by the run, a measly $0.80 per run, (which I hear works out to be similar, or slighty better than the per-mile method that dominos uses)... The truth of the matter is, The operating cost of most vehicles, per mile, is multitudes higher than the amount paid by pizza joints.... If only the customer was better informed.. My manager gets to hear me complain about it all the time... especially after a streak of being stiffed by the cheap aholes that live in te colorado springs area (if you live in the area, and you are a member of this board, I doubt it is YOU(everyone here seems very nice), but it might be your neighbor!!! lol)

what really bugs me is the guy living in the $480,000 home on the ridge, with a Hummer H2, a vette, 4 ATVs, some jetskis, a hot-tub, an indoor swimming pool, 6 car garage- tips me a dollar. hehe. oh well.

The manager always responds with "that's what tips are for..." My responce has always been the same, which he has little responce for. "When was the last time Papa Johns, has spent a dime of time, on informing the customer of their "responsability" to help pay for my expenses, when was the last time Papa johns encouraged a newspaper in the area to run one of those "tipping" stories to help raise public awareness about where tips are appropriot and expected. When was the last time Papa Johns Fired an employee for even making mention to the customer that they ought to consider the expenses incurred by the driver." (probably happens all the time, supposed to be hush hush about it, fine, but if "that's what the tips are FOR" then why do I have to stay quiet when the customer stiffs me?)

Most jobs that involve tips (servers at restaurants as a primary example) do not have enourmous out of pocket expenses to do their job- would customers tip them better if the waiter/waitress had to pay for the food they were serving out of pocket, in hopes that the tip would be large enough to ofset the cost?

sorry... i'm really rambling here... any chance I can get to PIPE up about it I usually take (off the clock)...


I'm very much like you on the paranoid side, I find myself doing the same things with my flashlight, checking dark areas around a house as I approach, shining it at my car when I go back to it to insure that I am still alone in there... In sketchier parts of town I keep it IN HAND ready to be used as a weapon (both illumination and as a striking weapon) untill after they have answered the door and I can make judgement on the situation. at which point I often slip it into a pocket- it is small enough though that I can keep it between 2 fingers throughout most transactions. (ultrafire 4x123 body).

coldsolderjoint said:

Dominos is pretty good with the safety factor as far as most pizza places are concerned.. they encourage security call backs, and will never yell at a driver for being cautious, one of their biggest things is never leave the store with more then $20 on you.. I usually try to adhere to this rule.. maybe I'll have $10 in personal money on me which usually gets spent when i stop for food if im not feeling like pizza that night.. I couldn't imagine carrying my checkbook around with me..seems like it's too easy for someone to just rob it and quickly make a check out to themselfs. isnt that what they have debit cards for now? lol..

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I don't really see how debit cards are more secure than checks. In fact they almost seem less so. Somebody could just forge your sig and usually they don't even check. I think almost all pizza places have the $20 thing going. I work for a smaller franchise and that's how they operate. We get a $20 'bank'. And then I usually have some of my own money, so usually no more than $50 at most. That's how Pizza Gut operated when I worked there as well.

I always have my checkbook with me. Never know when your car might take a dump and you need to write a check out to a tow driver or something. Or you had to break somebody's $100 and your car is running on fumes I don't think checks will do a robber much good, since they tend to ask for ID everywhere around here for checks way more than anything else other than beer and cigs. I don't intend to hand my checkbook or anything else over to anyone but a real deal police officer anyways. A robber will have to pry it from my cold dead hands. That and low crime rate + shall issue state is always nice too..

lol, i have no problem with the running on fumes part..

we have to bring our own "bank" of $20.. so.. you just pay for the gas with whatever money you have in your pocket and at the end of the night.. you just make less tips because you bought gas..

lol, i agree with you mdocod, its like running your own damn buissiness when you deliver pizza. Gotta take into account all your own costs. All in all, its not a bad job.. every job has it's annoying downsides, and yes my car is never going to be the same, but I do get to drive around listening to music.. and its not like im digging a hole in the ground. It's deffinatley not a career.. but till I graduate its a decent gig.. Hell, tonight, I worked about 11 hours, and walked out with $103 cash, and $56 on the paycheck. Minus about $10 for gas.. im looking at $13.54 an hour not counting depreciation or wear and tear.

I think it's very easy to get pissed off in this job.. The main thing is just stay calm.. its only pizza. Customers are going to be A-holes and customers are going to be good tippers. If you look at a site like tipthepizzaguy.com, its ok, but it's actually just a big rant site, and makes us look like greedy bastages.. Im actually kinda ashamed of that site. Theres the association of pizza delivery drivers, which is ok.. they are trying to get driver's unionized, but that's far from happening in many areas of this country.

We make $5.15 an hour, plus $0.60 a delivery which can be any where from 1 to 10 miles out. That in no way adds up for the $0.45 per mile the government says it takes to operate a vehicle. It usually covers only gas.. not wear and tear, and not depreciation.

so its possible to drive 20 miles round trip on one delivery so.. probably about 3/4 gallon of gas ($1.50) and get only $0.60 for it.. what pisses me off though is that the owner charges $1 for delivery charge, and the customer thinks where getting the whole $1. Plus, we have to put that stupid sign on our roofs which is just "free" advertising for the company. (or.. a "please rob me" sign if you want to look at it the other way) and you don't want to see the scratches and gouges that the stupid magnets have put in my roof, aside from the added strain on the car battery that it is connected too. Im currently on my third battery since working here.

I understand he's got a lot of costs to deal with, and the relativley low cost of food is quickly compounded with labor, rent, overhead, insurance etc.. but it wouldn't hurt too bad to try something to "appreciate" the employees. We are making money, but hes making money too.

Maybe even a small "party" every month where the different stores all get to gether to BS and the owner gets up and says a few words like i appreciate what your doing for me.. etc.. and he pulls $200 out of his pocket to get some crappy catered buffet lunch or something.

Maybe I have the wrong mindset, but that would make a world of difference to me. Theres very little appreciation from the top down..

Getting back to the money thing.. I figure after all is said and done, im making between $10 and $12 an hour there. Not too bad for not needing an education, but its not as glamourous as those PH signs saying "Earn more then $15 an hour!" And, if I was living in a more "dangerous" area.. i deffinatley wouldn't be doing this job. It's not worth it to get robbed/killed over $10 an hour.

mdocod said:

I'm with papa johns- know exactly how you feel..

More than anything else in the world I want to torture those a-holes who live 10 miles out, tip like crap, make you wait, have no visible address on their house/curb/mailbox.

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Totally. I had one jerk 5 miles north of town pretend he thought the total was less, so gave me the total plus like $.50.

Papa has never bought me a car, and never bought me a tank of gas, never bought me a ball joint, or an alternator, or a starter, or a set of shocks or bushings, or and oil change, or payed for the hours I have spent under the car fixing it, or belts, or headlight bulbs, or a proper percentage of the car insurance. They do pay by the run, a measly $0.80 per run, (which I hear works out to be similar, or slighty better than the per-mile method that dominos uses)... The truth of the matter is, The operating cost of most vehicles, per mile, is multitudes higher than the amount paid by pizza joints.... If only the customer was better informed.. My manager gets to hear me complain about it all the time... especially after a streak of being stiffed by the cheap aholes that live in te colorado springs area (if you live in the area, and you are a member of this board, I doubt it is YOU(everyone here seems very nice), but it might be your neighbor!!! lol)

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It totally is, but I think of it this way. I would still have to pay car insurance and maintenance. I drive my car much more while not at work than at work.

I didn't know the pizza joints were still so cheap with their delivery fees. I remember when I worked at Jessica Hut a couple years ago we got $.75 per delivery and they charged $1.50 per delivery. Where I work they charge $1.50 delivery fee and I get all of it, everytime. I thought all the other places had increased their delivery compensation at well, with the price of gas and all.

What bugs me is when some arse tries to quiz me about my tip being included in the price, I always respond with, we get a $1.50 and that pays for my gas. Most people tip then. One time I got a smartaleck remark from some tool saying, well here's some extra for your trouble and any other inconvience complete with the rolling eyes.

what really bugs me is the guy living in the $480,000 home on the ridge, with a Hummer H2, a vette, 4 ATVs, some jetskis, a hot-tub, an indoor swimming pool, 6 car garage- tips me a dollar. hehe. oh well.

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Yep, those guys.. argh. Especially when they also live 5-10 miles out of our 'delivery area'. And then call at a time when either the store is closing, or during the rush when you miss out on 5-7 other great deliveries within a mile or two of the store. Luckily I have some discretion in the matter and refuse to deliver to certain clowns. Many people make it worth your while though to go the extra distance. I happily take deliveries across town for a $5 tip as long as we're not too busy.

The manager always responds with "that's what tips are for..." My responce has always been the same, which he has little responce for. "When was the last time Papa Johns, has spent a dime of time, on informing the customer of their "responsability" to help pay for my expenses, when was the last time Papa johns encouraged a newspaper in the area to run one of those "tipping" stories to help raise public awareness about where tips are appropriot and expected. When was the last time Papa Johns Fired an employee for even making mention to the customer that they ought to consider the expenses incurred by the driver." (probably happens all the time, supposed to be hush hush about it, fine, but if "that's what the tips are FOR" then why do I have to stay quiet when the customer stiffs me?)

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I believe that it is not the responsibility of the customer to pay our wages. At the same time, I hate cheapskates. Or people who don't realize that you tip people who are bringing you things you bought. I have never said anything when a customer has stiffed me. I'm just kinda like, whatever, because it doesn't happen very often. Tonight I had one person stiff me, but it was an 11 year old kid who looked like he was paying me with coins from his piggybank stash.. including 3 $1 Sakakawea dollars and 1 Liberty dollar and wanted to use 3 $1 off cards at the same time hehe. Stuff like that you just shrug off. But yea the dip with the $900,000 house out in the boonies stiffing me or acting like he's doing me a huge favor by including a dollar chaps my butt too.

Most jobs that involve tips (servers at restaurants as a primary example) do not have enourmous out of pocket expenses to do their job- would customers tip them better if the waiter/waitress had to pay for the food they were serving out of pocket, in hopes that the tip would be large enough to ofset the cost?

sorry... i'm really rambling here... any chance I can get to PIPE up about it I usually take (off the clock)...

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Sadly, alot of restaraunts lately have chosen to include the tip in the bill. I know Red Lobster and alot of other places do this now. And that only goes to screw us delivery drivers even more because if the trend continues, people will start to think the tip is included in the total, and that's what makes me mad when people quiz me (not often) about if my tip is included.

I'm very much like you on the paranoid side, I find myself doing the same things with my flashlight, checking dark areas around a house as I approach, shining it at my car when I go back to it to insure that I am still alone in there... In sketchier parts of town I keep it IN HAND ready to be used as a weapon (both illumination and as a striking weapon) untill after they have answered the door and I can make judgement on the situation. at which point I often slip it into a pocket- it is small enough though that I can keep it between 2 fingers throughout most transactions. (ultrafire 4x123 body).

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I wouldn't call that paranoia, just preparedness. It's good to always have a sense of awareness of your surroundings. It's usually the best defense.

On a side note, I would say I used maybe $4 in gas tonight and got over $20 in delivery fees not including my wage and tips, so that generally pays for wear and tear. It all depends on the night though. Some nights are better and some worse.

(probably happens all the time, supposed to be hush hush about it, fine, but if "that's what the tips are FOR" then why do I have to stay quiet when the customer stiffs me?)

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yes i'm quoteing myself...

I actually did yell at a customer over the phone 1 time for stiffing me. Papa did not fire me, however, it was close, the manager really understood why I'd be so steaming mad at the time, and said that he respected my actions and confidense in having done it.

The circumstances on that day were the following:
I drove 12 miles to work, took 2 hours to get there driving between 3-15MPH in 30-60mph winds blowing snow (it was a real deal blizzard, the kind that people DIE in when trying to get places). I got to work, and took my first delivery to the "bad" part of the blizzard in our area, a 6 mile round trip took about 1 hour. I was pushing snow depths of 1-3 feet on side roads. On one occassion I "hit" something, when I saw the chunk of snow slide up onto my hood I realized that I had just plowed through a snowdrift that was above the hood of my vehicle (95 isuzu rodeo, slightly lifted, larger than stock tires). Travel in manny areas was basically blind, I traveled many roads "curb to curb" hitting the curb was the only way to know where the road was, lol.

That first delivery, tipped $1.75. As I stood on their portch with 40MPH gusts of wind blowing snow into their entry way, they slammed the door in my face after the exchange after saying "looks cold out there."

A few more deliveries went in a similar fasion, very long delivery times, extremally harsh weather conditions, many roads impassable or being shut down, wind-chill in the -20 and lower range.

People had the nerve to call in and compain about how long it was taking (these are your neighbors!!!). After my first delivery to the north east sector I suggested to the manager that we not deliver there untill conditions improve, so we stopped accepting orders from the region- we spent much of the day explaining to enraged customers why we could not deliver to their area. I made the comment to one of them over the phone after she asked "why aren't you delivering, are you just trying to get out of work?" I asked her "can you see the house accross the street from you? she answered, (as she looked out the window), "ye-, uh, sortof, sometimes. "

I Opted to take a delivery that was border-line bad area, I pushed through the foot of snow on the side roads, then stumbled my way through a 4 foot drift in the guys driveway to get to his door, he stiffed me.

That's the guy I called back- I didn't use any swear words, But I made it very aparant that I ought to be.

what pisses me off though is that the owner charges $1 for delivery charge, and the customer thinks where getting the whole $1.

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Yea, that pissed me off at Pizza Butt, they charged $1.50 and we got $.75, the customer usually thought we were getting it all.

I believe that it is not the responsibility of the customer to pay our wages. At the same time, I hate cheapskates. Or people who don't realize that you tip people who are bringing you things you bought. I have never said anything when a customer has stiffed me. I'm just kinda like, whatever, because it doesn't happen very often. Tonight I had one person stiff me, but it was an 11 year old kid who looked like he was paying me with coins from his piggybank stash.. including 3 $1 Sakakawea dollars and 1 Liberty dollar and wanted to use 3 $1 off cards at the same time hehe. Stuff like that you just shrug off. But yea the dip with the $900,000 house out in the boonies stiffing me or acting like he's doing me a huge favor by including a dollar chaps my butt too.

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interesting you say "it doesn't happen very often"... A lot of the drivers I work with, come from other areas of the country, and are, really suprised by the level of stiffing that occurs in our delivery area, which consists of primarily middle-class housing. For every 10 deliveries I take, I can pretty much count of 2-3 of them being stiffs, on some nights, more.

As for the 11 year olf who is taking the day off from school and trying to buy lunch with his life savings- Those situations are expected and reserved, I have no problem with being stiffed by a busy single mother who is trying to make ends meet, or a kid who just doesn't know any better or just can't afford to. It's other sitations, that bother me, hehe.

lol, how quickly a flashlight story gets changed into a tipping story! I want to see the responses to this when some other members of CPF wake up and read this discussion.

Anyways.. do you guys at Papa Johns and your place Infidel, do you have to help with the inside stuff too? Like at Dominos, we are all a "TEAM", and we make boxes and answer the phones, and cut the pizzas, and sometimes help the manager make the pizzas for a few minutes before taking our next delivery.. and at the end of the night, we have to break everything down, and do the dishes, take out the garbage, and mop the floor etc..

I know when I worked at the mom and pop place, all I had to do was make boxes and fill the soda cooler, but It was no where near as busy as Dominos, and I never made consistant money.

Dominos has this like "promote from within" strategy. As soon as we hire some more driver's who don't quit in two days.. Im going to be moved up to "shift leader".. basically, ill get paid $7 an hour and act as a manager and make the pizzas for a shift or two a week.. the bonus is that the rest of the days, Ill be driving and still be making the $7 plus tips. It's not great.. but it's probably better then the $5.15 plus tips im making right now.. especially if i can run shift on the slow days.

Side note: Not until a few months ago did I know that your supposed to tip "exotic dancers" on top of the fee for the lapdance.. and I work for tips! Maybe we just need to go on a campaign of education.. Pizza drivers with flashlights!


Interesting viewing material: movies made by real pizza drivers and are true to life, i own both, I enjoyed "drivers wanted" more

http://www.pizzathemovie.com/

http://www.driverswantedmovie.com/

what pisses me off though is that the owner charges $1 for delivery charge, and the customer thinks where getting the whole $1.


Yea, that pissed me off at Pizza Butt, they charged $1.50 and we got $.75, the customer usually thought we were getting it all.

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papa johns: $1.50
me: $0.80

and yea- being quized by the customer really bugs me... One guy even said "since papa is already charging me for delivery, I'm not going to be tipping you, sorry." I kindly responded that the delivery charge is not a gratuity. He said perhaps Papa should consider the customers position on that one, I said I couldn't agree more, and used it as more ammo against the regional manager.

mdocod said:

interesting you say "it doesn't happen very often"... A lot of the drivers I work with, come from other areas of the country, and are, really suprised by the level of stiffing that occurs in our delivery area, which consists of primarily middle-class housing. For every 10 deliveries I take, I can pretty much count of 2-3 of them being stiffs, on some nights, more.

As for the 11 year olf who is taking the day off from school and trying to buy lunch with his life savings- Those situations are expected and reserved, I have no problem with being stiffed by a busy single mother who is trying to make ends meet, or a kid who just doesn't know any better or just can't afford to. It's other sitations, that bother me, hehe.

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I should probably compound on that. If I work during the week Mon-Thurs. stiffing the delivery driver is a much more common occurance. Fri-Sat-Sun, it's much more rare.

Also, it seems to go in spurts. There will be a couple weeks where stiffing is much more prevailent and then for the next two weeks everybody tips.. kinda funny actually.

Where are you from btw?

I would have already left! Too hazardous for that kind of tip!

Damn.. I keep editing my lenghty posts, and you guys are responding alrealdy!

Anyways.. do you guys at Papa Johns and your place Infidel, do you have to help with the inside stuff too? Like at Dominos, we are all a "TEAM", and we make boxes and answer the phones, and cut the pizzas, and sometimes help the manager make the pizzas for a few minutes before taking our next delivery.. and at the end of the night, we have to break everything down, and do the dishes, take out the garbage, and mop the floor etc..

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all drivers at papa johns are required to participate as part of the "TEAM" doing those tasks which they have been trained in. the main thing is phones, they really push that we all know how to answer phones and take orders.

For me, this is a bit different, I am a "day" driver. My "sidework" is to do all of the stores food prep. I cut up green peppers, onions, tomatos. Prepare all the meat bags pre-opened in lexans, open about 30 cans of sauce and poor it into buckets... During the slow hours of a friday afternoon leading up to "rush" I spend 2-3 hours laboring away at preparing the store for dinner hour. I am also one of the few drivers who is dough certified (I can turn a doughball into a pizza, and it comes out looking as good as any of our "leaders" doughballs would have). In the mornings we serve school lunches, a team of 2 insiders and 3 drivers are all there by 9 in the morning (the insiders more like 7:30) to make enourmous amounts of pizza for school lunch deliveries. I often man the ovens between runs. Which means boxing and cutting pizzas accuratally at the speed the conveyor oven is spitting them out. extremally fast paced requiring a lot of practise.

Yea, I am "one of the team, lol"