How much time do I really spend driving during any given shift? How much time do I spend folding boxes? What is my average hourly rate per shift? I often have questions like this, and the best way I could think of answering them was to track my every movement during a shift, so I recorded everything I was doing, from my clock-out time to the time I spent folding boxes. Over the next few weeks I'm going to take that data and see what sort of useful information I can pull from it.
Spring is in full swing here in Texas; the trees have all exploded with bloom and new leaves, the medians are filled with bluebonnets and other wildflowers, and pollen coats my car as the oak trees make their annual mad dash to create baby oak trees. It is the perfect time to be out and about, taking deliveries and observing the world. It's too warm for a jacket but just cool enough that I'm not sweating. There is only one thing that I dislike about spring: June bugs.
It inevitably happens that I'll have a delivery shift I just can't seem to get started. My energy drags, and as I slowly transfer my pizzas from the hot-rack to the bags to my car, I know there's one thing that can make this better, that can get me pumped for delivering--one particular song. My pick, and other drivers' playlists, after the jump.
Once upon a time, there was no GPS. This was before the "delivery fee" was even a twinkle in the Noid's eye. Cellphones were built like bricks, and pizza delivery dudes were all dudes. And in this land of my pizza-delivery forbears, drivers carried maps made of trees but most carried maps in their heads. I have no idea what technologies are to come and make delivery better, but here are some of my ideas (far-fetched or not) that would be cool.
I am lucky enough to never have been involved in a robbery while delivering pizza, but I'm acutely aware of the vulnerable position I put myself in every time I go to a stranger's house. Not only am I guaranteed to have cash and food, but I have little way of knowing if I'm getting into a bad situation (most robberies are setups). When I get there, it's a trade off between safety and time.
In delivering pizza I get to explore my area more thoroughly than most people. I know the shortcuts; I know which roads will flood; and best of all, I get to take in all the little things that a lot of people miss when they drive to and from work. I thought I'd share a few of my favorite scenes.
Every week, Pizza Girl (Diary of a Pizza Girl) stops by with insights and a behind-the-scenes look into the world of pizza-delivery drivers. Take it away, PG! —AK I get asked a lot how much you should tip on pizza delivery. First, to stave off some objections, here's the situation upon which my opinions are based. I work in a suburban area (and recently in a fairly rural area) in Texas. There are large labyrinthine subdivisions and apartment complexes. It can take me upwards of 15 minutes one way to get to a delivery. I have no idea about tipping...
Every week, Pizza Girl (Diary of a Pizza Girl) stops by with insights and a behind-the-scenes look into the world of pizza-delivery drivers. [Photograph: powerbooktrance on Flickr] I really wanted to do something positive for my second post here because Slice is such a positive, happy pizza-land. But as I'm writing this I can't seem to find the writing groove on anything except the battle I'm in with my employer over wages. When Adam asked me to do these segments, it was so that I could be a voice that's inside the delivery industry. I've been researching, asking around, and...
Another day, another new voice on Slice. We've never really had someone from the pizza industry writing here on Slice, and it's high time that changed. I've been reading Pizza Girl's blog for a while now. Pizza Girl works as a delivery driver. Her blog is funny and well-written and a blast to read. She'll bring some of that charm to Slice each week. So say hello and how'd you do. —AK [Photograph: powerbooktrance on Flickr] It's easy to forget while perusing the world of gourmet, handmade, and unique pizza that most of America gets its pizza elsewhere. They get...
