I Decline High Paying Orders Because They're Annoying
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RSG Contributor Tyler shares the specific reasons he declines high-paying orders and how his mental health is worth more than any amount of money.
Every driver's goal is to make as much money as possible in as short of time as possible without destroying their physical or mental well-being.
If they can also keep their car from not being destroyed and maybe even save some money from their driving, then even better.
But there are some deliveries that, even though they have the potential to make me a lot of money, I turn down.
Some of them, it’s because the math doesn’t work out, and you aren’t actually going to make that much money. Others, the math does work out, and you would make really good money. But I still turn them down.?
So why would anyone turn down good money for less work?
Because my mental health is worth more to me than any amount of money ever could be.
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Alcohol Deliveries
Before I even was offered my first alcohol delivery, I couldn’t wait to get one. I had heard from drivers in other areas that they started getting them and that they were making a lot of money doing them.
The day finally came when I got to do my first alcohol delivery, and it went awesome. There were no problems whatsoever, and the money was great. People seem to tip more when you’re bringing them booze.
However, in my area, I started noticing a few trends that make me not do alcohol deliveries anymore, even if they are good money.
First, some of the pickup spots are in really rough neighborhoods. I would get requests and then end up in a horrible neighborhood where I wasn’t certain I was going to make it out or not.?
Then, the alcohol always seemed to take a while for them to get together, and people really didn’t like me “cutting the line” because I was picking up a delivery.
Second, people don’t seem to have photo IDs anymore. I have had several alcohol deliveries that when I arrive, the person does not have ID, or worse, they have a picture of it on their phone.
On more than one occasion, people have threatened me because “the last driver did it,” and I will not give anyone alcohol without a valid ID. Even if someone is understanding about it, the stress that they might not be is not worth the amount of money I get from it.
Finally, alcohol deliveries in my area all seem to be long distances, and for the most part, the money doesn’t make sense. Deliveries of 10+ miles are paying $9 or less and oftentimes take you to places that don’t have good opportunities for further deliveries.
Double Orders
Double orders are really good when they are good and really bad when they are bad.
Say you get a double order that is $14 for 5 miles. For me, that’s a decent amount of money for the miles; if it was a single, I would absolutely take it. As a double, I would take a second to think about it.
Does it look like the pickup location is the same? Or is it going to be two different pickups and two different drop-offs? Making a total of 4 stops for this one order.
When it comes to waiting, I don’t like to wait more than 5 minutes, especially if I have another order getting cold in my car while I’m waiting.?
Canceling part of a double, though, means you have no idea how much you are going to make. You may have canceled the part of the order that is actually tipping.
I have found that the majority of doubles I get, only one of them is actually tipping well or at all. The other is getting a cheap delivery and giving no thanks in the way of a tip.
So, accepting double orders has the risk of taking too long or losing out on the money when you could have accepted a single and made the same amount or more in less time and with less stress.
Costco Deliveries or Other Warehouses
When I’m multi-mapping, I have every app I can on, including grocery delivery like Instacart.
Not only that, but Uber and Doordash have also got into the grocery delivery game.
Though in the past, grocery delivery was my most profitable thing, it has now become something I rarely do.
Even when doing it all the time, I always avoided warehouses like Costco and Sam's Club. For me, the time it takes to find a parking spot, find the items for the customer, wait in the always-too-long lines, and then get out never made for good money.
Others didn’t mind it and found it to be one of the most profitable ways to make money.
For me I don’t like going into those places, even if it’s for just me, so doing it for someone else was too much.
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Exception to Every Rule
Though, as a rule, I don’t accept any of the mentioned types of deliveries, there are, of course, exceptions to every single rule.
I will, on occasion, take an alcohol delivery, but it has to be a shorter drive, taking me to a good place to get another delivery, and the money per mile has to be at least $2 per mile, preferably $3.?
This is a unicorn in my area and doesn’t happen often, so I don’t get very many at all.
I’ll also take double orders as long as the order looks like they are coming from the same restaurant or at least reasonably close. Both restaurants also have to not be on my “no-go” list. My “no-go” list is a list of restaurants that seem to always have issues, so I no longer go there.
And though I’m very unlikely to take a warehouse delivery, I will if it’s just a few items and I know exactly where they are.
Conclusion
This is how I run my business and make my decisions. Having clear rules and exceptions in mind can help you make good decisions and know exactly what you’re going to do when the orders come in.
So what are some of your “rules”? Maybe mine sound crazy to you, and none of the things that bother me would bother you. That’s great; you can have those orders. It’s possible something that bothers you doesn’t bother me at all.
Whatever the case, yes, do all you can to make money, but also do even more than that to save your mental health.
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