"No Tip, No Trip" — DoorDash Driver Says Stop Believing Customers Who Say They'll Tip at Door
Published June 7 2023, 2:55 p.m. ET
Working in the service industry isn’t for the faint of heart, and this is especially true when it comes to delivery drivers. Although companies like Uber and DoorDash have made it so much easier to become your own boss, that freedom comes at a cost, which, most of the time is your paycheck.
Maddie Kerns (@MuscleMaddie on TikTok) did some field research on the matter, and her findings were pretty disappointing. Nonetheless, we did learn a lesson or two about accepting trips from customers who don’t tip!
This DoorDasher says that most customers who don't tip upfront won't tip after, either.
Gone are the days when the customer was always right. Thanks to social media, in recent years, we’ve actually discovered that the customer can be dead wrong — especially when it comes to tipping.
Tipping has long been a topic of debate on social media. On one side, there are many who understand that tips are the backbone of the service industry. Then, on the other, there are the (objectively terrible) people who believe that service industry workers should just get another job if they don’t like being paid in pennies.
As someone who spent three years of their college career waiting tables, I think you can guess which end of the spectrum I’m on. While I digress, our good sis Maddie did not.
The TikTok user said there’s a really good reason why she doesn’t accept trips from customers who don’t add a tip when they order. “You guys ought to know by now, if there’s not a tip, I’m not completing the trip,” she explained.
According to Maddie, most customers who don’t tip before the trip won’t tip after, either. The TikToker put her theory to the test in a minute-and-a-half video that has accumulated hundreds of thousands of views since it first surfaced on the platform.
“Well, I have an Uber promo this weekend and if I complete three deliveries, I’ll get an extra $15. So I figured I would take one for the team and accept a no-tip delivery to show you guys that nine times out of 10, people don’t tip after like they say they do,” Maddie went on.
“I just accepted a $2 delivery to go two miles," she went on. "I know that’s Uber-based pay so I know they didn’t tip prior to the delivery. So I’m bringing you guys along, and we’re gonna see if the customer tips after.”
She reiterated that she was accepting the trip for “experimental purposes only,” because she’d “normally never accept an offer like this.”
In the end, Maddie went through all the motions — from adding a cute delivery sticker and texting the customer her ETA — only to make two measly dollars.
“Well guys, it’s been an hour and let me just say, I’m not surprised with the results,” she revealed in the latter half of the video.
"As you can see, my estimate for the trip was $2 and I did only make $2. Love it,” she said. Maddie added that since she had to use her own gas for the trip, she “basically delivered their food for free.”
“This just goes to show why I decline the no-tip offers,” the TikToker said in conclusion. With this said, remember to tip your drivers, folks!
