Some potentially useful observations
Been a lot of fiery rhetoric on the subs lately about strikes and corporate greed and Dasher sloth and general lamentations about the state of things. I think there are some things a lot of us are missing.
Pretty much everything varies by market. This is not news, right? Lots of people say that. But I think it’s deeper than people usually think about. Suggested tips, customer affluence and generosity, population density, square mileage, traffic patterns, gas prices, market saturation, restaurant quality, hell, even cultural differences can impact what you make. The algorithm responds to market conditions, so no two algorithms are the same either. Those of us in good markets might as well be working for a different company than people in bad markets. I look at some of these terrible orders and I’m stunned. I get maybe two orders under five dollars in a six-hour shift these days. I don’t see much under $1.50 a mile either. With gas prices as they are, I really try to go for $2 these days … and I usually get it. I bitch about non-tippers like everybody else, but to be honest, we don’t even have that many of those here, at least right now.
So everybody is living in a different reality. I’m not talking about two different realities, good markets and bad. I’m talking about probably one hundred different realities across the country. No two markets are exactly alike, so no one strategy is the silver bullet. But people can’t accept that. And I get why! If it’s not your reality, and the difference is stark, you think the person you’re talking to is lying, either to you if they say it’s bad or to themselves if they say it’s good.
On top of all of this, what nobody seems to bear in mind is that any and all of these variables can change, over time or at the drop of a hat. Things are good in my market right now and we’ve had more good months than bad the last five years, but November was dry as fuck. I was making $5 an hour. I almost quit. December was better, by January things were back to normal, and now it’s as good as it’s ever been…
But maybe only if you’re Platinum!
I don’t know because it’s been a year since I’ve dipped below Platinum. It is entirely possible that other Dashers in my market are having a completely different experience than I am. Then there are markets where Platinum drivers get screwed and it’s the cherry pickers that are on top. In some markets, the EBT people are probably doing better than anybody. And I’m sure there are many, many markets that suck no matter what your strategy is.
What I’m saying is we need to stop basing our expectations on what people on the subreddit say. A Dasher in the suburbs of Atlanta is going to have a fundamentally different experience from a Dasher in New York City from a Dasher in rural Washington. That means that this subreddit is functionally good for nothing, not even support, if we don’t accept that other Dashers are telling the truth about their circumstances. I get that people are generally angry and scornful, and contemptuous of Dashers they think are lazy and envious of Dashers they think are bragging. None of that helps anybody though. All I know is Uncle Tony makes a profit either way.