The following blog post carries the personal thoughts of Elder Prince, founder of Blossomsoft Games.
This article was initially written for a DoorDash community for drivers on Facebook, of which I’m a member. I decided to share it here as well.
To give you some context, I’m currently working as a DoorDash driver to fund my game development endeavors.
Yesterday, I had an interesting experience during my DoorDash deliveries that reminded me of the importance of kindness and understanding towards customers. Usually, I tend to avoid low-paying delivery offers, but this time, I accepted one because it was combined with a well-paid offer.
As I approached the first customer’s house, I noticed that they had generously tipped me in advance. When I arrived, the customers were waiting on their porch steps, and we ended up chatting for a minute. It turned out that they were interested in my Prius Prime hybrid car and wanted to purchase one themselves. I shared some valuable insights with them, and they were grateful for the information. Before I left for my next delivery, they even added an additional tip. This experience served as a reminder that being polite and engaging in small talk with customers can not only brighten their day but also motivate them to show appreciation for your work.
The next delivery I received was clearly a low-paying one without a tip. However, I didn’t let it bother me because the first customer’s extra tip had compensated for my time on the second delivery. I strive to avoid harboring needless negative feelings towards customers. When customers exhibit abusive behavior, disrespecting my time and effort, I take the necessary step of blacklisting them, ensuring that I never deliver to them again.
When I arrived at the next customer’s apartment, a young sad-looking immigrant woman in her thirties answered the door. The delivery consisted only of a small plastic bag containing a plastic bowl of soup. It was at that moment that I realized the order seemed rather meager. She seemed shocked when she saw the size of bowl of soup, surely less generous in portion than she had expected.
As I left her apartment, I found myself contemplating the situation during my trip back to a delivery hot spot. Regrettably, her name was no longer in the DoorDash’s app chat list, as I had intended to message her and offer to pick up a free pizza for her from one of the last remaining open stores. However, considering it was already late at night, around midnight, I didn’t want to surprise her by knocking at her door if she was already getting ready for bed.
In hindsight, I realized that this particular delivery was a stark demonstration of the fact that many customers may find themselves in challenging circumstances, even when you work in a job that relies on tips. Ordering food doesn’t always signify a luxurious treat; sometimes, individuals lack transportation or access to nearby grocery stores or bedridden.
That’s why I always strive to maintain an optimistic outlook and convince myself that delivering to customers in need, without succumbing to frustration due to no-tips, helps bring a little more sunshine into this sometimes gray world.
It was my two-cents today :)
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