You know I feel like I just needed to scream into the void this morning. It was prompted by the fact that the job that I hold, is really not a job. I currently deliver food for a living, we will get into how insane that is for me later. But, I also know that a lot of the ladies don't live here in the U.S. so I will explain. In the U.S. we value service industry jobs so little that they are paid a wage below what cost of living is. I know richest nation in the world... is really only for those richest. So those of us who work in the service sector rely on tips.
The problem is that I work in the Gig economy meaning that I am not even technically employed by Doordash or Grubhub. Although I deliver for them 7 days a week. So they are not even legally obligated to make sure I get paid minimum wage. So when I get an order, I am responsible for eating all of the costs. I pay for gas, I pay for repairs and somehow I am supposed to make money from a company who has a vested interest in paying me as little as possible for maximum profit.
All this is necessary to explain why I want to call every person who orders delivery and doesn't tip, a shitlord. More and more I run into deliveries where I am essentially paying for that persons convenience. I am not a fucking charity, I make no money and can barely pay my rent, but you ordered food, expect it delivered as fast as possible and you won't even pay for the privilege of getting food delivered to you. So yeah, you are a fucking shitlord.
So last night I completed a delivery, 45 mins total trip approximately. I drove 10 mins to the restaurant downtown. Went through the trouble of finding parking, thank god it was a Sunday night and there was no charge for the parking meter. Walked a block and a half to the store, picked up your order and walked back. Discovered that you live across the city. Drove across the city another 15 mins and delivered you your food. I got paid $4 and some change for my trouble. Because you didn't tip. I literally lost money for bringing you your food from across the city.
In the U.S. we like to blame the poor, for their lot in life. It's always their fault, folks are always stunningly innovative in ways to blame poor people for having terrible circumstances in their life. Always they are too lazy, not working hard enough, not smart enough, etc...
I have 3 degrees, two BA's and a MA that I just finished weeks ago. And because this is the US I have over $180k dollars in student debt. I have over 15 years of work experience for various industries in various capacities. For the past decade I have made less every year I have worked. Now I deliver food for less than minimum wage. At some point I get to say that the poverty that I live in, isn't my fault. It's our fucked up system. Tip your fucking delivery driver!