Buddy of mine went on a dominoes kick a while back.
They have an automated system that lets you get 60pts if the delivery was slow. He would spend 20 for bread bites and put no tip and "contactless-knock loudly" in the instructions(if they were on time and knocked, he would give them the 20 he kept next to the door...ONE driver earned the 20...that was it). They took forever and he didn't care, then he would collect his 60pts. He had 600+pts banked at one point because he couldn't spend them fast enough. Every Saturday we all got together to catch up and hang and he would have pizzas delivered for free, well the $3 delivery fee. LOL
Those morons never figured it out. He still does it sometimes, but not as religiously.
Edit: plenty of confusion in comments.
-Dominoes gives you 10pts per order. You can spend 20, 40, or 60 on 'free stuff'. 20 is little stuff like bread bites and 60 is pizza.
-If the delivery is slow, you get an automated email letting you get 60pts right away.
-He did not "pre-tip" on paying for the order (which I agree with...tips are extra for good service and they haven't provided a service yet). He did leave a note to knock.
-The drivers saw no pre-tip and as revenge they delivered slow and refused to knock. (Behavior that shouldn't be rewarded with tips) If they did still deliver on time AND follow instructions (ie. the bare fucking minimum) they would get a very high% tip.
As I understand it, he got a normal order twice to get 20pts. Used that on the bread bites for free during the week when he wanted a snack. When the drivers slowed his order because they didn't get pre-tipped he got 60pts from the automated system. Three more days that week he would get bread bites (he works from home) and each one would be slow and get him 60pts each from the automated system.
So, for the cost of 2 normal orders and delivery fee of 4 bread bites he would have 180pts at the end of the week. 60 is a free pizza or larger item.
The drivers that didn't get tipped did it to themselves (be on time and knock get over-tipped) and they also cost the restaurant money (dominoes stupid system also be at fault there too).
Hope that cleared it up. (This is second hand, so I think I have the order of events right)
I've never understood this mentality. I just took orders and delivered them. All of my drivers would lose their shit about which orders were tipping what, so I'd just grab the contentious ones and get them done. I can't tell you how many of those turned into some of my best customers and also some of my wildest experiences. Also, a few people that were expecting to be treated like shit for not pre-tipping would then call in to thank my manager for my service and attitude despite it, I remember one was a single mother who looked, traumatized, when she opened the door. We were allowed to comp a certain number of orders a night so I did that for her and she just started crying. I never forget that one. So not worrying about it literally paid for itself with several raises and a promotion. Sure, there were dickbags who would stiff you but it all came out in the end. So, my advice is to just do your job and it will work out. If people see that they can rely on you to get it done right every time then they are far more likely to tip better on the next one, so just treat every delivery as one you'll be tipped for later. If you're not getting paid, then get a different job. ,
I did get a few unconventional tips too. One guy would just give me a beer and then the option to drink it real quick with him (stupid, I know, but I don't drink anymore and luckily I never killed anyone). There was a group of Canadian travelers that would give me an entire case when they came through. And also an entire bag packed tight with very potent weed, in exchange for my delivery bag. I have no idea why they wanted it so bad, but while considering it they gave me a shot of something and then they flashed me. I wasn't actually considering what to do. I was already really stoned at the time and was struggling to get the words out that I would accept. But the unexpected tits sobered me up instantly and I handed the bag over. My buddy realized that I was trashed when I got in that night so he put me on dishes for cover. When it was discovered, I blamed the missing bag on a dickweed that had recently been fired and they asked no more questions. An older guy gave me a pirate Lego set, it was a little island with a palm tree and a treasure chest. And a delivery that was technically outside our area but missed by the computer turned out to be a ring holding and famously nicknamed NFL player. His driveway was a very long previously unmaintained road that had once intersected a road in our service area. But that was blocked off and access was from the other side of an enormous housing development of mansions. Never knew that was a thing. There were a lot of pools. And lights. That's all I remember though.
Because people just want consistency. If you get 15 percent all night it's better mentally and financially then betting on the guy that plays games with your income. That money is rent, groceries, keeping the car going, and maybe some beer. You make me wonder if I'm going to make rent just because you think you've got some inside line on motivation and I'm going to deliver cold pizza anytime there's another order at the same time.
Because nowadays the amount of times deliveries are screwed up, I tip afterwards. I put a small tip on the order.
When someone gets it right, I'm way too happy and I might toss them 20cad.
Just for not fucking up.
(I'd always tip 5-10 on a pizza from a pizza place if I ordered directly from a pizza place and the pizza place had their own pizza place delivery drivers. Pizza place)
The gig drivers literally live off tips in most places. The app is paying them enough for gas and car maintenance. I know it's a fucked up system but if you're using it then please actually pay the drivers.
He paid for 10 orders and wouldn't tip unless they came on time . Only one person got tipped $20 by not being late. His secret was since he didn't tip in app people were less motivated then probably he became a shitblist house making his service worse. After 10 orders he got a pizza party free with points.
But he still had to buy the bread bites, which you have to account for the price of in the price of the "free" pizza party. Bread items are also among the most overpriced things on the menu, so from Dominos' perspective they might not have been losing any money at all to the guy who thought he had figured out how to scam them. wait nvm
It sounds like he was purposely being a jerk so he could screw the drivers out of their tips, and meanwhile Dominoes made way more profit off those 10 orders than it cost them to give him one free pizza.
You can skip this disingenuousness. You know you are expected to tip the drivers . I don’t you; maybe you like being a jerk and screwing over low-paid employees, but don’t pretend that’s not what is happening.
You tip for good service, you don't tip because it is expected. Your mentality is part of the problem. Also, be mad at restaurants for underpaying positions that get tips, not customers. Restaurants literally fought to be able to pay a lower minimum wage "because the worker receives tips". That is exactly the same as them saying "hey, can we legally steal money from our tipped employees".
Tips are a bonus and should never be expected, it is a toxic culture.
Also, in his case, if the driver did their damn job and followed the ONE request he left they would get a huge tip. Hell, the one request was to knock, something they always would do otherwise. They had to see that, then go out of their way to NOT do it BECAUSE they knew he wanted them to. So that is on them for being trashy.