Hanging Up My Hot Bag

I haven't updated in a long time, but since this will be my last week as a delivery driver, I thought it should be documented on my blog.

Between my other job, not getting to spend as much time with my family as I'd like, and the fact that delivery drivers at my store just aren't making a lot of money any more, I've decided I've had enough.

Hot Dog Stuffed Crust?

Even if you've never clocked in to work at a pizza place before, you could probably guess that Friday night is one of the busiest of the week.  So having only two drivers working that night would be a bad idea, right?  Well, that's exactly what we did Friday night.  And you'd be right.  It is a bad idea.  Once the rush started, it didn't take long before the orders started to fall behind and get later and later.  People get mad because their orders are late, so they don't tip.  Meanwhile, the orders are piling up.  Turned out to be a huge mess.

But it turned out to be an interesting night for another reason.  A couple of us were talking about hearing on the radio that Pizza Hut in England has started selling stuffed crust pizzas that are stuffed with hot dogs.  We were talking about whether or not it would be good when we decided, why don't we just make one and find out.  So on the way back from one of my deliveries I stopped and picked up some hot dogs.

After the rush died down, we started out experiment.  Pepperoni stuffed crust with hot dogs.  Sounds like it'd be a little much, and it is.  But, it was pretty good.  Probably not something you'd want to eat all the time though. 

So hats off to the British.  Fighting a war wearing brightly colored red coats may not have been such a hot idea, but they've redeemed themselves by coming up with hot dog stuffed crust pizza.  Cheerio.

Worked 4 hours, had 6 deliveries, and made $25 in tips.

Worthless Thursday

Some days it's not even worth going in, and Thursday was one of those days.  We weren't really that busy for a Thursday night, but we had more drivers than we needed.  On top of that, I kept getting customers that didn't tip or barely tipped.  I got a couple five dollar tips right before I left that helped make it a little more worth it, but overall, it was a terrible night.

Worked 4 hours, had 6 deliveries, and made $22 in tips.

Where's Everybody At?

I walked in the store this afternoon and before I could even clock in, I was asked to run the cut board.  That's where you pull the stuff off the oven, cut it, box it and ticket it.  It's actually pretty fun when done in short intervals.  There were tickets backed up in the oven and I noticed the older lady that usually washes dishes was the only cook at the prep line.  Not a great sign.  I started grabbing stuff off the oven and wondering where everybod was.  Turns out four people either quit or just didn't show up for work.  Granted, a pizza place doesn't exactly have the greatest employee retention rate in the world, but still.  Four people in the same day is pretty crappy.

Turned out to be an okay night though.  Kind of busy, but not anything the few of us that showed up couldn't handle.  I even got to deliver to my friend Brandi's house.  A friendly face is always welcome when orders are running a little late.

I ended the night with two non-tippers in the same run.  The first was to some ghetto apartments that are notorious for not tipping.  In fact, if you get $1 tip there, it's because they paid with cash and accidentally gave you $1 too much.  The total was $30.78.  The lady handed me a $20 bill and told her son, who I guess was about ten, to give her the rest out of his allowance bag.  It almost made me want to tell him not to worry about it, I'd cover the rest for his deadbeat mom.  Almost.

The second was to a customer who'd ordered 2 personal pan pizzas.  We were out of personal pan dough, so they made her a medium pizza for the price of the personal pans.  She complained that it wasn't what she'd ordered, and I told her that the medium is actually larger than the two personals anyway.  She said this was the second time they'd done this to her, and I thought, "Done what?  Given you more than you paid for at no extra charge?"  I called the store and the manager discounted the order $5 and the lady thanked me by giving me no tip.

Luckily, those were the only two bad customers I had the whole night.

Worked 4 hours, had 7 deliveries, and made $31 in tips.

Rain Is No Excuse?

So Friday night wasn't really busy, but it rained most of the night so deliveries were running a little bit behind.  Most people take that into account and tip anyway because of the rain.  All of my customers tipped decent and I had no non-tippers until my last run of the night.

It was pouring down rain and the customer was way out on Montevallo Road in Leeds, so  the delivery was about 30 minutes late.  When I got there, the dude answered the door with, "It's been a minute since I called this in".  I told him that with the rain, we were running a little bit behind.  He paid with a credit card so I handed him his slip.  He signed it then drew a big line across the section for a tip.  He told me, "Gonna have to scratch the tip tonight, because rain is no excuse for getting a delivery late to someone who paid money for a service."  I mentioned that he didn't pay anything for any service because he didn't tip, he just paid for his pizza.  Oh, before I forget, there was no covering over his front porch, so during his little lecture I'm still standing in the rain.  He kept talking about something as he handed me back the slip, but I'd decided that I'd heard enough and just turned around and went back to the car.

FYI, when you decide to get all uppity and lecture your pizza delivery driver, maybe don't come to the door still wearing your work uniform.  Needless to say, the Express Oil in Leeds will never get a dime of my money.

Worked 4 hours, had 6 deliveries, and made $35 in tips.

Slow Weekend

Friday and Saturday night were both pretty slow, so I decided to blog them together.  I made $20 each night. Friday night was non-tipper night.  When you only have six runs in a night and most of them only give you $1 or $2, it makes for a pretty bad night.

I didn't really have any interesting customers this weekend, just ones that haven't learned to tip.

Worked 8 hours, had 11 deliveries, and made $40 in tips.

Where's My $10?

Friday night was pretty busy as usual.  I had good deliveries that all tipped.  Mostly $4 and $5 at each.

One customer ended up giving me a $5 tip, but she tried to rip me off first.  Mostly because she didn't understand math and not because she was trying to rip me off.  I think.  When she came to the door, she asked how much it was.  I told her $29.70  She had four $10 bills and asked if I had change.  I didn't think I did, because it was only my second delivery of the night.  Each night I keep my tip money folded in half in my wallet to keep it seperate from money that is already in there so it's easier to count at the end of the night.  I didn't have change in my tip money, but I had 2 $5's in my wallet.  I gave those to her and she handed me 3 $10's and a $5 tip.  As I'm walking to the car I'm thinking, "Where is the ten that I changed for her"?  She kept it and handed me back a five for a tip.

I went back and her husband came to the door.  I explained that she only gave me enough to cover the pizza plus a tip, but that the $10 that I changed for her wasn't there.  He asked how much the total was and I told him she paid the total, but that she never gave me the ten dollars that I gave her two fives for.  He kept asking if she didn't give me enough to cover the total.  I was beginning to think I was going to have to explain it to him by saying, "If I had ten oranges..."  She came back to the door and acted like I was trying to rip them off or something.  I told her that when I gave her the fives, she should have given me the ten.  That has nothing to do with her total, that's my money.  I finally got them to understand and they gave me the other ten.

Luckily, the rest of the night went by without me having to explain basic math to anyone else.

Worked 4 hours, had 7 deliveries, and made $40 in tips.

Two Days In One Post

I never got around to posting for my Saturday night shift, so I'm just going to lump it in with Thursday.

Saturday night was the least busy of the three nights I worked last week.  A driver takes a delivery based on a list on the computer.  Next up takes next delivery.  Saturday I was next up and the delivery was to a part of Moody that is notorious for not tipping.  The driver behind me on the list asked if I'd let him take that one and me get the next one.  Sure, no problem.  So my delivery comes up and it's to the Hampton Inn in Leeds near the Bass Pro Shop.  Two different people tell me, "That's a good one, I got $10 there last time".  So I'm definitely glad to trade my no tip for it.  When I get to the room the guy comes to the door and is paying in cash.  He hands me the money and says, "There's something that should make it worth your drive".  On the way back to the car I take a look.  Three dollars.  Tipping $3 is fine, but don't try to sell it like you're giving me a huge tip.

It was slow, so I got cut early.  Worked 2.5 hours, had 4 deliveries, and made $22 in tips.

Thursday night was slow again.  I was hoping with the NCAA tournament starting we'd be busier than we were.  I only had one customer try to stiff me, but he tipped me without knowing it and I didn't realize it until after I'd left.  He had $15 in his hand and asked his total.  I told him $13.35.  Then he turns around and asks his buddies for fifty cents.  So I'm assuming he's going to tell me to keep the change.  I tell him to have a good night and he says, "I have some change coming back, dog".  I tell him I don't carry coin change and hand him $1 back.  On the drive back to the store, I remembered that he handed me that fifty cents also, so actually I owed him $2.  Oh well, it didn't kill him to tip me $1, even if he didn't know he did.

Worked 3.5 hours, had 5 deliveries, and made $22 in tips.

In The Red

Friday night was the first real busy night we've had since the new manager took over the store.  We stayed at the edge of disaster the entire time.  In the kitchen there is a computer that acts as the center of the delivery driver's world.  It displays the delivery orders and is where the driver dispatches each run as it is ready to leave the store.

Basically, as each order is ready to leave it is dispatched to the next driver on the list.  Last night was extremely busy and we were short on drivers.  So every order on the computer was listed in red.  Meaning it was already late before leaving the store.  Really great for tips.

All my runs except for the very first one I took were late before it was even in the hot bag - that's the bag that keeps your pizza hot from the store to your house.  Luckily, I delivered to mostly good customers who still tipped on late orders.  From listening to some grumbles, the other drivers weren't as lucky. 

I didn't deliver to it, but I did pass by the house from last week with the weird concrete demons in the yard.  Last week when I delivered there, there were red lights on either side of the front door.  Last night I noticed the red lights had been replaced with green lights.  There's something strange about that place, and if I ever get a delivery there again, I'm going to ask what the lights mean.  I'll let you know what I find out.

Worked 3.5 hours, had 10 deliveries, and made $47 in tips.

Decent Thursday

Thursday night was pretty good.  I delivered to good customers who all tipped.  I even went back to the America's Best motel in Leeds where I tossed the penny back up on the guy's box a week or so ago and got tipped $3.  That doesn't sound like a lot, but getting tipped $3 at that place is as surprising as getting tipped $50 anywhere else would be.

Nothing really funny happened though.

Worked 3.5 hours, had 7 deliveries, and made $30 in tips.

Space Continuum Vortex In Leeds

So I'm just now getting around to updating from last Friday night.  I try to update the day after I work, but Saturday was my birthday and I've been busy this week so far.

The only real customer of note I had was a rather strange encounter.  I pull up outside a house in Leeds that looks straight out of a horror movie.  Old, wooden house with the huge front porch.  No lights on except for two red light bulbs on either side of the door.  Oh, and big concrete demon sculptures in the front yard.  Already not loving this one.

I go to the door and just before I knock, I notice a large metal sign hanging to the right of the door.  It's got English and underneath that, what looks like several different Arabic languages.  It says, "You Are Now Leaving The American Sector".  Oh boy.

I knock and the lady that comes to the door is a 1960's holdout.  Close cropped hair and military hat.  She tells me that she wants to give me a good tip, so she's giving me $3 (that's average by the way).  She then tells me about how she believes in sharing the wealth and that we shouldn't keep what we make.  I thought about what an interesting conversation we could have had if I had mentioned that delivering pizzas is my second job and that I'm one of those "evil" conservatives that believes in the exact opposite of sharing the wealth and people should go out and earn their own "wealth" instead of trying to take mine.

But in the end, I decided just to thank her for the $3, re-enter the American Sector, and be on my way.

Worked 3.5 hours, had 7 deliveries, and made $30 in tips.

Non Tipper Night

After several weeks of good customers, I was bound to have a night like last night eventually.  The first half was decent, but it got messed up by the non tippers the second half.

My first non tipper was to a run down apartment complex in Leeds that I wasn't expecting to tip.  It was like I could tell the future.  When I got back from that run, I had one to a house that I've delivered to twice before and the guy didn't tip.  Needless to say, I wasn't excited about heading back over.  As expected, the guy signed his credit card slip without tipping.

My last run was to a house on my street.  A little over a block from my house.  I was glad I could at least end the night on a good note.  When I got there, they pulled the "Send the kid to the door trick".  The total was $27.52.  I handed him the pizzas and he handed me the money.  As I'm walking back to the car, I count the money.  $27.  Sorry, not paying for any of your order tonight, kid.  I go back to the door and ring the bell.  He comes back to the door, and I tell him he owes me 52 cents.

Spoiler alert:  If you don't tip, delivery drivers probably won't pay for any of your order.

Worked 3.5 hours, had 7 deliveries, and made $18 in tips.

Here's Your Penny Back

My shift started out good tonight.  Had a couple runs out to Trussville and Moody and after an hour I was half way to what I made in tips Friday night.  All $5 and $6 tips the first half of my shift. 

I had two runs out to Leeds.  The first one had an order totaling $25.33.  When I got to the door, I realized I'd left their 2 liter Pepsi in the car.  I gave the guy the food and waited for him to write his check.  Then I told him I'd be right back with the drink.  On the way to the car, I looked at the check and it was made out for $25.33.  No tip.  Great.  I went back to the door with the drink and the guy asked if I'd hand him back the check real quick.  He went back inside and wrote out another check for $30.33.  Glad I decided not to shake up his Pepsi on the way back from the car.

My second run to Leeds was a stiff, but at least I was able to have a little vindication.  It was to the America's Best Hotel near the Bass Pro Shop.  I go to the door and hand the guy the pizza and wings.  His total is $25.34 and he hands me a $20, a $5, a quarter and a dime.  Just before he heads back in, I ask him to hold up a second as I pull a hand full of change out of my back pocket.  I pull a penny out and toss it up on his box and tell him, "There's your penny back".   Felt good.

About thirty minutes before my shift ended, we had a delivery ticket for Odenville.  If you're familiar with Moody Parkway, our delivery area ends at Bethel Baptist Church, so we don't see a lot of Odenville addresses.  But I figured it would be a quick one to take before I left.  Not quite.  It ended up actually being in Margaret, and actually closer to Argo than Odenville.  When the lady came to the door, she said asked if we were delivering to that area now.  I told her I didn't think so, but maybe.  She said she knew it was a long way from the store, but she only tipped me $2 for my trouble.  We won't be delivering there anymore, because I went back to the store and had it marked "Out of Delivery Area" in the computer. 

Worked 3.5 hours, had 9 deliveries, and made $40 in tips.

Where Are You?

My worst delivery of the night was a customer I never even saw.  It was to a neighborhood in Moody that's usually pretty good with tips.  Not this house though.  They pulled the "Send the kids to the door so we don't have to tip" trick.  Not tipping is one thing, but at least don't tip me yourself without sending your kids to do it for you.  That's okay, because next time you order I'll pull the "You get your order last" trick.

Best customer of the night was to a house in a fairly bad part of Leeds.  The total for the order was $13.35.  When I got there the customer asked if I could make change for a $20 bill.  I told him that I couldn't because it was early in my shift and I didn't have change yet.  He told me to hold and went back in the house.  After a few minutes he came back and said he didn't have anything smaller so for me to just keep the change.  I offered to take his $20 to a store and get some change and he said don't worry about it.  Those are the customers that get the best service next time.

My last delivery of the night was a quick run up the street that turned into an almost hour and a half kick in the pants.  It was to Lynn Circle in Moody, but when I got there the address numbering was completely different from what I had on the ticket.  I called the customer and she said, "Oh no, are you all the way in Moody?"  I said, "Oh no, where are you?"  Turns out the call center got the wrong Lynn Circle because she was in Leeds.  I called the call center on my way to the correct address and got the order half price for her.  I finally got there and she gave me $5 and asked my name so she could call the store and tell them how helpful I was.  I'll be a manager in no time, I'm sure.

Worked 3.5 hours, had 5 deliveries, and made $28 in tips.

Pretty Decent For A Slow Night

My first delivery of the night was to a customer I'd had before.  Last time the guy tipped me $3, so it seemed like a good way to start the night.  Only this time his wife came to the door, and math apparently isn't her thing.  Her total was $15.29 and she paid with a credit card.  I handed her the slip and she started doing the "math talk" to herself.  "Let's see, if I add that as the tip then the total will be" as she's adding the tip and total.  She hands it back to me and she totaled it out at $16.29.  That 15 plus 1 math really had her for a minute.

Another customer came to the door with a $100 bill to pay for a $24.25 order.  I told him I couldn't make change for $100, so he had his daughter pay for it.  She gave me $25 and told me to keep the change.  Wow, a whole 75 cents all to myself?  But when I got to the car, she came running out and handed me $2 and apologized for not tipping me the first time.

Last delivery was the best one.  It was to a hotel right near the store.  The order total was $28.  He handed me a wad of bills and said, "There's $30 for the pizza and the rest just keep".  Nice $12 tip to finish the night.

So the night ended up being pretty good on a slow night.  No stiffs to complain about is always a good thing.

Worked 3.5 hours, had 6 deliveries, and made $30 in tips.

Thanks For The Quarters, Kid

I was a little wary of how my Friday night was going to go after my first delivery.  It was an order for wings and a 2 liter drink.  The customer then called back and placed a second order for more wings.  When I got there, it was two kids about 11 years-old.  Nobody will ever mistake preteen kids as the world's best tippers.  One kid asked what the total was for both orders and I told him $21.90.  He then produced an unbelievable stack of quarters.  I've found that when people pay for their orders in cash and use change for any part of it - much less all of it - they're not going to make your night tip-wise.  I had him give them to me $1 at a time so we could keep track of how much he'd given me.  About 10 minutes later, I'm headed back to my car with $23 worth of quarters in my back pocket.  $1.10 is a pretty crappy tip on a nearly $22 order, but it was better than I thought I'd get.

Luckily, the rest of my deliveries were all $3 and $4 tips for the most part.

Worked 3 hours, had 7 deliveries, and made $22 in tips.

Still Haven't Watched the Video

Yesterday I was supposed to go in at 5:30, but I got a call the other day from the manager saying there was one more training video I had to watch, so I needed to come in early.  Yay.  She wanted me to come in at 3:00, but working night shift, I usually sleep until around then.  So, I get up at 2:30, have coffee and get ready.  I get there at 3:30 and guess what?  She's not there.  Can't watch the video so I'm just working 2 extra hours.

Oh well, it'll give me two extra hours of tips, right?  Not so much.  I made four deliveries between 3:30 and 5:30 and made a whopping $5.  FIVE DOLLARS!!!  Turns out, a lot of people that order in the middle of the afternoon are lousy tippers.  Well, not lousy tippers, they just don't tip.  At all.

Then 5:30 came around and things got better.  Got some good five and six dollar tippers and didn't have a single non-tipper from then on.

My last delivery of the night was a good tip, but a bad experience.  When I pull up, there's a huge dog in the driveway that walks up and waits for me to get out.  It follows me to the door and stands with me while I wait.  Customer opens the door and tells me to come inside.  I go in and the dog follows me.  Once inside, the other dog is joined by a huge pit bull.  I guess you can't judge an entire species on what you hear in the news, but as far as I'm concerned, pit bulls are killers and I'd rather not have one staring me down while you get your pizza money together.  The other dog is jumping all over me while I wait.  When I get back to the car, it's quickly apparent that I've stepped in dog poo.  I pull out of the driveway and down the road and get out to scrap my shoes.  Only it's not on my shoes, it's all over my pants from when I was getting jumped by the dog.  Great.  But, the guy tipped me $5.85 and the pants will wash, so not too bad.

Longer night because of the video thing so I worked longer than usual.  Worked.  5.5 hours, had 13 deliveries and made $50 in tips.

You Already Paid Me

Last night the non-tippers decided to do something else for dinner.  Good thing too, because we had too many drivers in the store so each run was important.  All my runs were pretty much the $3 and $4 kind which is about average.

My favorite delivery of the night was to an apartment in Moody.  When I got to the door, the TV was so loud I at first thought that Janet Hall and Scott Richards were actually inside talking.  The customer was an older guy who said he had just moved in.  His total was $13.35 and he had paid with a credit card.  I gave him the slip and asked him for tip, total and signature.  He handed it back to me along with $13 in cash and said he needed to find the 35 cents.  I looked at the credit slip and he had totaled and signed it for $15.35 to include a $2 tip.  I told him not to worry about finding the change and went to hand him back his cash.  "You already paid me," I said, holding up the credit slip.  He laughed and said he forgot he paid with his credit card and thought the slip was just confiming how much he was going to give me.  He asked if I'd get the $2 tip he put on his credit card and I told him yes.  He handed me $2 more in cash and thanked me for being honest about his mistake and not just taking his money.  No problem.  I thanked him for the $4 tip and wished him a great weekend.  Heading back to the car, I wished that every customer was as nice as that old man.

Worked 3.5 hours, had 6 deliveries, and made $25 in tips.

Good Night

I knew last night was going to be good as early as my first delivery.  It was to an apartment in Moody I never knew was there.  The order was for a couple pizzas and a ton of wings.  The total was $54.77.  Guy hands me a $100 bill.  Of course I have no change, so I have to go to Chevron to break it.  He tipped me $10 for my trouble.

My other delivery on the way back to the store tips me $5, so I've been working all of 20 minutes and already made $15.  Not bad.

The night pretty much stayed that way all night with my lowest tip being $3 until I ran into my worst customer of the night.  An order of pizza and wings for a total of $14.25.  He hands me $15.  I told him I don't carry coin change so I can't change that for him.  He acted all offended and said the 75 cents was my tip.  So I acted all offended and told him, "Thanks, now I'll have some coin change if I need it".  Luckily, I only had the one customer that couldn't afford to call for delivery.

Besides Mr. Moneybags and his 75 cents, it was a great night.  Worked 3.5 hours, had 7 deliveries, and made $40 in tips.

Extra Long NIght

This week I got moved back to the overnight shift at my regular job "temporarily" for about 8 months.  So last night was my first night of delivering then turning around and going to work all night.  Considering I'd been up since 7 a.m. already, it made for a pretty long night.

Though the rain did seem to help tips last night though.  I didn't really have any bad customers to speak of, but my last delivery of the night was sort of interesting.  It was way out in the middle of nowhere Moody via Acmar Road.  I'm driving down a road in the middle of the woods when my GPS announces that I've arrived at my location.  If you've ever seen the movie Wrong Turn, you can picture the type of road I'm on.  I get out and notice the mailbox to my right and head that way.  The "driveway" is one of those old dirt roads that's basically two ruts leading into the woods.  I can see the house about a quarter mile away.  I consider going back and driving to the house, but decide it's better on foot...easier to get away into the woods should the need arise.  When I finally get there, I realize that I've left their 2 liter drink in the car so I get to make the hike twice.

Other than that, it was a pretty regular night.  Worked 3.5 hours, took 6 deliveries, and made $31 in tips.

Tale of Two Houses

Best and worst customers of the night last night came from the same neighborhood.  First I had a delivery to a customer that told me she and her husband had just moved into their house in Moody yesterday after their home in Clay was destroyed in last week's tornadoes.  Her total was $22.07 and she tipped me $8.

When I got back to the store, I had another delivery to that same neighborhood.  I got there and waited nearly 5 minutes for the lady to even come to the door.  I was just about to try and call when she opened the door.  She tells me to hold on and goes back inside the house for another few minutes.  She comes back with a check and I had to ask her to put her driver's license and phone numbers on it.  Another few minutes wait.  Finally she gives me the check.  Her total was $16.61 and she made her check out for $17.  Wow, a whole 39 cents and about 10 minutes wasted at your door.  Opie Taylor would have loved that tip, but unfortunately, it's 2012.

My night was pretty good overall, but after the 39 cent big spender, it kind of fell apart.  I only had three more deliveries and made $5 between them.

Worked 4 hours, had 8 deliveries, and made $34 in tips.

Taking The World By Storm

I left with my first two deliveries of the night and had one to my neighborhood and one way out in the middle of nowhere Moody.  I decided to take the one to my neighborhood first, and I'm glad I did.  As I was leaving there, the store called and said the other one cancelled so just bring it back to the store.  Good deal, free pizza takes care of my dinner for the night.

I had a pretty good night last night taking five deliveries.  Of course I got stiffed on one, but I still ended up good for the night.

On a funny note, in addition to the United States, this blog has had views in Russia, Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.  The Diary of a Pizza Man is taking the world by storm!!  hahahaa

Worked 3.5 hours, took 5 deliveries and made $20 in tips.

They Brought The Wrong Pizza, Right?

Last night turned out better than it seemed it would when I first walked in the door at 5:30.  After printing a ticket and grabbing a hot bag for a quick delivery right up the street, I noticed an order already bagged sitting on the front counter.  After some checking around, I found out it was one that another guy forgot to take when he left a few minutes earlier.  I grabbed it and headed to the car.  It was to a trailer park in Leeds that of course my GPS didn't recognize.  No big deal, I'll just call the customer and get directions.  She picks up and I tell her why I'm calling.  She responds, "They brought the wrong pizza, right"?  Aw crap.  So I'm not delivering a pizza for a tip, I'm fixing a mistake.  The guy took them the pizza that was supposed to go with the quick, close delivery I printed the ticket for when I walked in the door. 

I ask her for directions and she ends with, "First one on the left with the Christmas lights around the 'Pitbull Puppies For Sale' sign."  Great.  Night not off to the greatest start.

It turned out to be a pretty slow Friday night and we had too many drivers working.  So other than the pitbull farm I only had three other deliveries before I left at 9:00.

Worked 3.5 hours, took 4 deliveries and made $17 in tips.

At Least It Wasn't Raining Too Bad

I went in last night expecting it to be not too terribly exciting.  I was told last week by Emma the manager that I'd be watching training videos on the computer all night.  A night of training videos on pizza delivery sounded pretty boring.  Fortunately when I got there, I was told I'd be driving instead.

Turned out to still not be too terribly exciting, but at least I was able to make some tips.  I got stiffed one time on five deliveries.  I always want to tell a stiffer that if you don't have enough money to tip your driver, you don't have enough money to order for delivery.

Worked 3.5 hours, had 5 deliveries, and made $16 in tips.

The Water Tower

Last night was another slow night.  I was supposed to work until 10, but I got sent home around 8:30.  Had nothing but good customers, so no interesting stories there.  But, if you drive I-20 with any regularity, you've no doubt seen the Leeds water tower off in the distance.  About the only interesting thing that happened last night was running into where it's located.  Right in the middle of a fairly nice neighborhood in between two houses.  Very odd location.  They probably won't, but if anybody ever asks if you know where it is, it's on Crest Road.

Only worked 3 hours, took 5 deliveries, and made $17 in tips.

Too Early?

Super slow night last night, so not a lot to talk about.  I did have my first complaint about a pizza getting there too early after they called it in.  Oh well, didn't tip, so they don't have to worry about early deliveries ever again.

Closed again last night, so I was there a little longer than normal.  Worked 6 hours, had 3 deliveries, and made $12 in tips.

Saturday Night Fever

Some people will say anything to get something for free, and I had a perfect example of it last night.  One of my first deliveries was to the "prestigious" Super 8 motel on Moody Pkwy.  The people who ordered were fairly nice and tipped me $5.    After dropping of my other run I head back to the store.  The manager asked if I'd taken a run to the Super 8.  Not long after I'd left, they called and said the pasta was "cold and hard".  Whatever.  Some more is coming out of the oven, so I gotta go back.  When I get there the second time, I decide to see just how cold and hard this pasta was for myself.  After handing over the new food, I tell the lady I need to take the old back to the store.  She hands me three awfully light boxes.  As I'm walking back to the car, I open one of the boxes to take a look.  I'm no pasta expert, but it looked okay to me.  Of course, it was kind of hard to tell for sure because they had eaten ALL of it. 

A few deliveries later, a guy hands me $16 for a $15.53 order and tells me to keep the change.  Hey thanks, 47 cents.  Last of the big spenders, eh?

Towards the end of the night I had two in the same building at the Oaks of St. Clair apartments.  Big difference between the two.  First order tips me $4.  Second order is mad because they charged her for her extra ranch.  "They never charge me for ranch when I call for carry out."  Well here's an idea.  If you're not gonna tip and they don't charge you for ranch when you call for carry out, call for carry out.

To top it all off, I listened to the Saints implode on the radio.  Totally different team than I've watched all season.  Closed last night, so I had to work a little longer than normal.  I worked 6 hours, had 12 deliveries, and $44 in tips.

Fuzzy Math

Last night I had something happen that may never happen again.  I had a delivery to the middle of nowhere Leeds that brought me my biggest single tip to date.  All because the lady didn't want to fool with figuring some simple math.

The total on the order was $24.63.  It was a split ticket, meaning that half the order was paid with a check and the other half with a credit card.  When I got there, a man in overalls came to the door and said that the two women inside ordered it and he didn't know anything about it.  Why he came to the door I have no clue.  He gave me a check for $10.63.  I gave him the credit card slip that had the total $24.63 on it and explained it would be split when I got back to the store so just tell the lady to subtract the check I already had and that would be her total.  Pretty simple, right?  She owed me $14.00.  He goes back in and gives it to her and she starts asking around for a calculator then says, "Oh well, I'll just do it this way".  After a minute, the guy comes back to the door, hands me the credit slip and a $5 bill.  I give him his pizzas and head back to the car only glancing quickly at the slip.  Only when I get back to the store to cash in do I realize that by, "Oh well, I'll just do it this way", she meant skipping the math and filling the slip out for $24.63.  Or the amount of the order.  Thanks for the $15 tip.

The best part about it was I wasn't even up for that delivery.  The guy that was supposed to take it said he didn't want it.  I made sure to thank him for the $15 when I got back.

That, plus not getting stiffed on any orders last night helped me get my biggest night so far.  I worked 4.5 hours, took 10 deliveries, and made $60 in tips.

I Ordered Dessert

Not a lot to talk about from last night.  I worked 4.5 hours, had 8 deliveries, and made $25 in tips.  Pretty good considering I got stiffed twice, one of which was my worst customer of the night.

She ordered a pizza and wings for a total of $20.27.  She handed me a check made out for...$20.27.  So I already know I'm getting stiffed when she says, "You forgot my dessert".  Actually, I didn't forget anything and showed her the copy of her ticket and explained that she only ordered wings and pizza - the exact wings and pizza I had just handed her.  I told her that the call center didn't have the order for dessert on her ticket and she could call them back and order them if she liked.  She wasn't happy with that, but I wasn't happy about wasting extra time on an order where I made no money, so we're even I guess. 

Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful night.

Not A Busy Championship Night

I was actually looking forward to delivering during the BCS National Championship game last night.  Monday nights are usually kind of slow, so I figured that with the game on, we'd be busy all night.  Wrong.  I got there at 5:30 and by 8:00, we were sitting around watching the game at the store.  Not a bad night, but not exactly what I was hoping for.  I did get to deliver to my neighbor's house though, so that was kind of funny.  My best customers of the night were a group of families that had gotten together to watch the game.  Bama fans.  They asked who I pull for and I told them Michigan.  I told them my wife likes LSU and Les Miles is a Michigan man.  The lady paying asked if I wanted to tell her who I was pulling for before she filled in my tip on the credit card slip.  I laughed and said, "Roll Tide".  She gave me $7.

Only two near stiffs of note last night.  First was a guy whose order total was $21.42.  He used a $20 gift card that he proudly told me two times somebody gave him for Christmas.  Congratulations I guess.  So his order only put him out $1.42 and he paid me with $3.  Could have at least given me a $2 tip instead of $1.58.

Second was my last delivery of the night.  I got her delivery there nearly twenty minutes early, but she didn't really care.  Total was $18.80 and she tipped me $1.

4.5 hours, 8 deliveries, 53 miles, $32 in tips

Totally New Exprerience

So to make some extra money and tackle some bills, Kate and I decided I should take a part time job in the evenings a few nights a week.  After a little research to try and find something that would be most worth my time, I decided to give pizza delivery a try.  It's something I've never done before and it's totally different from my day gig.  I've been at it for a few weeks now and as early as the first night I knew there were going to be some good stories to tell.  I started this blog as a place to tell those stories. 

So, I'll try to make this an interesting "insider's" look into what goes on from the time you call in your order to the time I bring it to your door.