Confessions of a DoorDash Dasher

I didn’t read the instructions.

I needed extra cash, so impulsively I downloaded the app easily and signed up. I took a picture of my driver’s license, provided my bank information to get paid and then waited 20 minutes to pass a background check.

In less than two hours I became a DoorDash Dasher. A few hours later, I was in the car accepting my first job as a delivery driver.

While I waited for the food to be prepared, a second delivery option popped up for the same restaurant. I accepted that job, too.

I misunderstood how the app worked, and delivered the second order to the first address. I was nearly back to my car when the customer called out that I’d left the wrong items. I gave her the correct order, and drove on to make the second delivery.

And just like that I’d earned nearly $20.

I made, $8, $10 and $12 per delivery. Back and forth, from restaurants to houses and back to the same restaurants, I crisscrossed the county.

All the while, I knew absolutely nothing about the company that was paying me. I knew even less about how the process worked. I assume when I click the app when I arrive at a location, it sends a message to the restaurant or the customer, but I don’t know. I haven’t read the instructions.

After 20 deliveries in three days, I’ve seen a wide assortment of homes and passed through some neighborhoods multiple times. I delivered $12 worth of Chic-fil-A to a rundown apartment building and $77 worth of barbecue to a really nice home in a very nice neighborhood.

I earned $208 in nine hours in the car. Wear and tear on my car is deductible, and I’m driving a hybrid, getting 50 miles to the gallon. In three days of dashing, I’ve used two gallons of gas.

Here are some of the things I’ve learned in three days of being a DoorDash Dasher:

• DoorDash pays an extra dollar or two per delivery during peak times. It’s better to drive during peak hours. BUT, everyone else is out wanting to early the bonus money, too.
• Some restaurant employees are easily overwhelmed. They wander the restaurant as though they entered the building moments before I did. Many restaurant employees are efficient and accomplished at what they do. They glide from task to task effortlessly, and it’s enjoyable watching them work.
• Half of the pay I receive is from tips. People are willing to pay $4, $7, even $10 for the convenience of not leaving their homes.
• Most people waiting for deliveries are wearing pajamas. Morning, noon, or night, pajamas.
• According to another Dasher, DoorDash is the best food delivery company to work for.
• The app is okay. Just okay. It’s a little complicated. A new order can come in when I’m in the middle of nowhere, and I only have 60 seconds to accept or decline the delivery, without really knowing where I’m going. Also, the app is glitchy; it doesn’t work well on wifi.
• I’m having a great time delivering. It’s like a treasure hunt for the food and then another treasure hunt finding the restaurant. I take pride in what I’m doing. I take care to handle the food properly while also moving quickly enough to ensure it’s still hot when I arrive at the customer’s door. I’m surprised by how invested I feel in the process and how much I enjoy what I’m doing.

Keep these thoughts in mind the next time you’re waiting for a delivery.

Also, there’s a bonus program right now that pays for everyone I recruit to be a successful Dasher. If you’re interested in being a Dasher, email me your email address, and when you complete enough deliveries for me to receive the bonus, I’ll split it with you. I’m not exactly sure how the bonus works, because, as I said, I haven’t read the directions.