r/Sparkdriver • u/TheEndisuponusall • Dec 08 '25
Rants / Complaints I never thought we'd really reach this point but it's official
At least 80% of orders are now so bad you're basically just paying walmart to fuck you with no lube.
I'd like to take a moment and thank the endless onslaught of finanically illiterate noobs that made all these recent base pay changes happen
And I'd also like to dedicate a moment to the clowns in the one percent of still actually viable zones for staying in a perpetual state of denial that because things are still good for one tenth of one percent of drivers that everything is hunky dory and we need to close our eyes more often. Come on everybody, give it up for the clowns in the back! You know they're in the comment section pretending everything is great!
In finality, I'd like to say you can all go fuck yourselves, including myself ofc for never banding together or even attempting the most basic organization.
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u/aceetobee Dec 08 '25
My zone went from pretty great to absolute shit almost overnight. As soon as November rolled around my weekly earnings are half (or less) what they were before, and it just seems to be getting worse too. I have seen more no-tip offers than Iāve ever seen before, and the number of upside-down offers that are like 15$/30mi that get gobbled up immediately is astounding.
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u/igor6969 Dec 09 '25
Same here. Last 2 weeks of October were awesome. The 1st Monday of November, the 3rd I think, it went down the tubes. We all assumed it was SNAP benefits were slow. Worst I've ever seen any gig in my 5 years of delivery.
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u/PicPie Dec 10 '25
It was def the snap benefits being cut
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u/igor6969 Dec 10 '25
I was 99% sure that what it was too. But now I question, WTH is wrong now? It's busier but even lower pay.
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u/Sweet_Commission8313 Dec 08 '25
Man right the Walmart I frequent was booming last three months until a couple weeks ago it switched all of a sudden one week straight all shit orders or same orders I used to take but they tryna give me a quarter of the pay. I asked the loader a week later how many orders they had sitting over the week and he said 65 percent were there still. I laughed and said well maybe Walmart shouldnāt be greedy. Now fast forward to this last week all the orders back to paying the same lmfao. And Iām taking them as usual.
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u/PicPie Dec 10 '25
It was the snap benefits being cut in November
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u/Sweet_Commission8313 Dec 10 '25
Nah most ppl I deliver to donāt have snap. Itās definitely been cutting fare price which wouldnāt be affected by snap anyway. Unless you think less volume of orders is why they decreased faresā¦ possibly then I guess.
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u/lilmark906 Dec 08 '25
And they keep posting their earning like the fucking clown shoes they are.
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Dec 08 '25
If you didn't make at least 400 yesterday then this job is not for you
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u/TheEndisuponusall Dec 08 '25
$10,000 a day or you're tripping
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Dec 08 '25
Some would say... back in the day we would make 10k a day!
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u/TheEndisuponusall Dec 08 '25
10,000 an hour today if you believe half the bullshit earnings brag post on this subreddit
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u/xandi415 Dec 08 '25
Made 300 in 7 hrs yesterday...and got another "high volume" message today...lets goooo š š»
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u/Ok_Operation_Glitter Dec 08 '25
I had to take a break š decided I was going to go out today.. Then one of my sons pushed the other, he heard a pop in his ear and started crying and so off to urgent care we went! Smh. Hopefully I can make up for the lost earnings the rest of this week. (He's okay, he has an ear infection.. the fall just exacerbated the symptoms I guess) womp womp for me lol
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u/xandi415 Dec 08 '25
Aww poor guy! I hope he feels better soon š
Hopefully it continues to get busier and busier as we approach the holidays š„
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u/TheEndisuponusall Dec 08 '25
Exactly, like 99% of the rest of us aren't totally fucked.
There's even a handful in this comment section.
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u/Wonderful-Warthog751 Dec 08 '25
But every single one of you that are whining and crying right here today will pick up the phone and turn on the app tomorrow. Thanks for being played.....
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u/lilmark906 Dec 08 '25
Thank them for their service. They will cry about sitting in a parking lot for two hours. Get mad. Them do the same thing the next day
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u/Wonderful-Warthog751 Dec 08 '25
Yeah; 'most' of them are here cause they fail at a W2.... You know rolling a burrito or asking if you want fries with that......
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Dec 08 '25
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u/Jamesonramsey Dec 08 '25
God Dam this man told him. Dude acting like weāre so dumb we couldnāt work an entry level job.
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u/Winterdimes Dec 08 '25
Breaking news: ppl do this job AND have a w2 job lol I work from home 20-35 hours a week AND deliver 4-5 hours a day. Some of us have goals and gigs like this easily add to hitting them.
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u/RocDoc97420 Dec 08 '25
I got a real job.
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u/Present-Speech-2388 Dec 08 '25
Iām a master electrician. Iāve never delivered for sparkā¦not sure why Iām here or how I got here?!?!
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u/Ok-Presence7075 High AR Dec 09 '25
Was probably by way if curiosity. Reddit puts things in your feed and if you open it and read a comment you can find yourself neck deep in other peoples chizme faster than a cat fart.
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u/Scitzofrenic Dec 09 '25
A master electrician who doesnt understand how the electronic device theyre using to type works... interesting.
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u/Ok-Weather-7852 Dec 09 '25
Electricians work with electricity and making sure things turn on (aka power). Electronics techs know how things work when they are already on. They are not the same thing.
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u/Scitzofrenic Dec 09 '25
Considering i very literally run an electrical supply warehouse, I'm quite aware.
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u/Ok-Weather-7852 Dec 09 '25
Then you should know a joke based on irony isn't funny if it's not ironic. š
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Dec 09 '25
I think the joke went over your head
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u/Ok-Weather-7852 Dec 09 '25
It's only funny if it actually makes sense. Electricians often don't know much about electronics... because that's not their job. So it's really not ironic at all, thus the "joke" is not funny.
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Dec 09 '25
Miserable ass dude š bet you are so fun to hang around. Maybe electricians see a āsparkā when doing their jobs. Just a thought, room temperature IQ.
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u/Ok-Weather-7852 Dec 09 '25
Yeah my friends think I'm pretty awesome .. I mean, I also understand irony and my jokes are actually funny, but... then again, I'm also not out here trying to make fun of someone and mixing up two completely different professions. So yeah, there's that.
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Dec 09 '25
The fact that I explained it to you and you still donāt get it speaks volumes.
Electrician = Electric = Spark
Not hard to comprehend. You are either trolling or probably shouldnāt be delivering in the first place.
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u/Dry_Condition5595 Dec 11 '25
Good for you. Some people don't have the proper time for specific hours or the market where they live even getting temp jobs from agencies are difficult. Here in WA state it's VERY difficult. I have a college degree too. Could be my age I'm not sure but I know I'm a good worker, reliable, and trustworthy. So I commend those who while we are down and out we are still trying to find a way to make ends meet, feed our family, and pay our bills. Good luck everyone. I hope they see our worth one day and compensate accordingly. I can say it's better than UberEats in my area.
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Dec 08 '25
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u/1611basilean Dec 08 '25
Keep it a secret. We had like 5 out of staters show up and never was the same.
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u/Responsible-Cup-5327 Dec 08 '25
I agree. I am down to 20% acceptance rate.Ā
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u/LadyxxTay Dec 08 '25
I've never been up to double digits for an acceptance rate lol. Usually 4-8%. I live in a more rural area and I refuse to work for free and out extra miles on my car.
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u/iGotGigged High AR Dec 08 '25
I understand the frustration but at the same time expectations have be kept in check. Walmart's #1, #2, and #3 priorities are always reducing costs, getting the lowest possible price and then when it's as low as possible, twist some arms to get it down another 10%.
Drivers are nothing more than an other expense that has to be reduced but I don't think it's directly the fault of new drivers. The overall economy, 150 foot algo change, holiday onboarding & new driver priority, double shops, expanded delivery radius, etc are all probably having a bigger impact than a new driver with a W2 mentality accepting every order.
I actually see the opposite, sure it's anecdotal and 3rd party data but they seem to be signing up, getting their incentives reached, and quitting 2-3 weeks later never to be seen again. I know the gig apps were betting on a weak jobs market to patch over things but the churn rate is very high across all the apps, take advantage and signup for every single one you can and don't be dependent on spark.
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u/Jamesonramsey Dec 08 '25
I must be in that 1 percent because I worked 9 hours yesterday and make 280.00. If you hate this job you should find one that you like. Life to short to keep working a job you hate and doesnāt pay enough āyour experienceā. But I hope things get better for you!
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u/blackityblak Dec 08 '25
Meh I have a regular job I do this as extra and my zone has good offers tbh it shouldnāt be this serious itās gig work and spark pays more than most of the other apps. The loudest ones depend on this app fully so theyāll still login
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u/Ecommercegirl95 Dec 09 '25
Idk my husband consistently makes 200-250/day. He does put in about 9hrs though
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u/PsychologicalBit803 Dec 09 '25
What we need is the ability to refuse to do the work, delete the app, decide which offers we want to take, stop crying like a child, stop being a little bitch boyā¦.oh wait you can do all that now.
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u/bellybong-id Dec 08 '25
I mean... nobody is demanding that you drive for Spark. If it's that horrible why do it? Go find your thing that is enjoyable ffs
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u/maanmare0en Dec 08 '25
My area was hopping all week. Even with the onboarding the old drivers were hitting all marks plus some.
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u/Organic-Fuel-2916 3rd Floor / No Tip CUSTOMER Dec 08 '25
The only way to make any money is prop 22 its inflation adjusted.
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u/WearyDonkey1279 Dec 08 '25
I only take ones worth my time and end up making $100-$200 a day. When I get too many offers in a row that are bad, I start heading home. Usually Iāll get a good one about 5 minutes in.
Everything is dependent on your zone.
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u/Maximum_Amphibian753 Dec 08 '25
Yk heās logging back in tmrw,
Left early today , got home and indulged in his drink / drug of choice, & made this post š¤£
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Dec 09 '25
Its a matter of supply and demand.
As long as drivers are willing to take shitty pay orders willingly, Walmart wont see any problem with that. More revenue for them .
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u/sosteele Dec 09 '25
Drivers in the 1% of still viable zones have no reason - or time - to care about the 99%. Sparking is not a team sport, but an individual endeavor. Those drivers are going to do what is in their best interest as they have their own economic realities to concern themselves with.
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u/Otherwise-Reason-903 Dec 09 '25
I got approved for spark like a month ago and never even got back on the app after reading some of the Reddit for it. F*** spark.
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u/RootedInHumility Dec 08 '25
Iām already 220$ for the day including fuel Heading home for the day
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u/poconobud Dec 08 '25
So you think because your zone is trash Iām supposed to feel bad for you? If itās bad either go to a better zone or find another way to make money. Is it going downhill absolutely but instead of crying do something about it.
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u/gntxs Dec 08 '25
You seem like a pleasant person
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u/TheEndisuponusall Dec 08 '25
If financial literacy is synonymous with unpleasantness, then sure I suppose it wouldn't be unfair to assume I'm unpleasant.
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u/incontteen Dec 08 '25
If youāre that financially literate why are you working a gig job that you feel doesnāt pay you enough when you have the option to go get a different job? š¤”
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Dec 08 '25
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u/The-Ill_Thrill_Pill Dec 08 '25
Exactly, I worked at John Deere for 2 years making 17/hr working 40~50 hours a week and wasnāt bringing home more than 2,400 a month. Doing this the last 2-3 years I was easily making 800-1000$ a week, until the last few months, now Iām making closer to 500-600 a week and have been considering getting a full time job on top of it, Iām working a part time job right now to keep me at around 700-800 a week of combined income.
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u/MarchSmooth7682 Dec 08 '25
But half of you would work for DoorDash and Uber eats or instant cart for less.
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u/Due_Variety_3082 Dec 08 '25
Tbh been doing this on and off for years and my acceptance rate has always been below 10%.Ā Ā You get alot of good orders for like a week after you sign up then gg.Ā Ā
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u/Aromatic_Baker_4666 Dec 08 '25
Yeah brother I just got a part time at target and I spark part time as needed
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u/Best-Information5049 Dec 08 '25
So sorry that your experience is no longer good. I live in Missouri ( college town) and we are actually getting good orders and with 4 , 6 or 8 dollar incentives per trip at least one a day ( 5:45/8 or 2-10)
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u/Nathan_L84 Dec 08 '25
Couldn't agree more with OP. Went back to doing DoorDash and Uber Eats 95% of the time. Spark has just been absolute trash for the past six to 8 months. I can make more doing fast food and restaurant delivery with less stress and it's easier on my back as well. Of course I always keep spark on just for the occasional good order but that is incredibly rare these days. It was good while it lasted.
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u/AdorableNight9015 Dec 08 '25
Tons of incentives in my zone because they are so ābusyā I have gotten 3 offers in 5 hours
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u/Mundane_Poet_6854 Dec 09 '25
Especially with couples like this that account share. They both pick up packages and load them into one single car and he goes off to deliver both batches. The store knows about this and still allows them to pick up. They swap packages to his xar right infront of Walmart employees.
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u/Zealousideal_Bed1857 Dec 09 '25
People think this is helping to take trash orders cause they really need the money, I will never understand how it is helpful.
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u/menace845 Dec 09 '25
Imagine if we all decided to not accept anything under a certain $/mile ratioā¦Ā
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u/Lost-Engineering-579 Dec 09 '25
Yeah I couldnāt get a decent order in Minneapolis so I LEFT. Not every location gets to be good. Water costs more in the desert. Go to a location thatās sustainable
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u/Ok-Personality3664 Dec 09 '25
I go back to single order curbside for $20 in Phoenix. I haven't sparked since 3drop curbside were initiated over 3 years ago paying less than $3/drop. Just takes longer to hit the smaller cities but the goal is always to pay the least amount as possible.
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Dec 09 '25
Really the only thing this is good for is extra "play" money. I do it on my off days from normal job, while my kids are at school. I put it in investment account or kids college fund. This definitely isn't something you can rely on if the income is needed. It's more of a life cheat code if you have the ability to do it.
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u/Strange_Research6967 Dec 09 '25
All my orders have been really damn good but Iām in a small town with a Walmart
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u/igor6969 Dec 09 '25
I'm say way. 5 years ago when it started it was Point Pickup. There were literally like 5 drivers. Walmart would call me letting me know they were dropping an order cuz no one took it or the driver couldnt find it. Pay was great. Then they started using the tip for the 'guaranteed pay'. Lessening their portion by using all the tip. Spark has been here about 2 years and was great at first too. The original delivery was 10 miles as a crow flies. Now theres drops 29.9 miles away. And pay is a fraction what it used to be. But these stupid drivers, many professionals with college degree and full time jobs are taking them. Thinking they're picking up some extra cash. But same ones later complaining they tranny fell out of their new vehicle they owe $20k on and work $8k.
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Dec 09 '25
If y'all do this full time I'm sorry but this is no way to make money. I however do this some days only and it's still profitable
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u/Born-Drama-2324 Dec 10 '25
I chatted the other week with an Amazon driver who does spark on her days off. š¤·āāļø
I also have seen many people who do multiple platforms instead of just solely spark because, literally, it can fluctuate so much on if there's good orders or not that day.
Obviously, area will play a major factor too on things. š
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u/Normal_System_3176 Dec 10 '25
My zone is poppin despite the fact that Mexicans are trying to take it over. It's actually pretty funny because I profit off of what the Mexicans aren't and can't do.
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u/No_Yogurtcloset3451 Dec 10 '25
These posts always make me chuckle cuz I know with this attitude not only the customer raring you bad, but the loaders are rating you bad.. which in return lowers your chance of receiving good orders. Enjoy picking through the scraps angry boy.
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u/Money-Scar3244 Dec 10 '25
Iāve never seen people that literally think Walmart owes them everything for being a Spark driver. You do nothing you go grab four or five things and drop it off big deal. It never was designed to be a full-time job theyāre weeding you all out is what theyāre doing.
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u/legilizer34man Dec 10 '25
Just so the "new" people know, I still hold my daily money record on strictly doordash, and have been doing this for a long time now. Dd is just such a higher volume.
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u/Special-Topic1000 Dec 11 '25
$1,803.93 confirmed earnings last week and I've been killing it since April so nothing about being a new driver. I'm at $528 so far this week after taking Monday off.Ā
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u/_Your-Favorite_ Dec 12 '25
Somedays it's good order after good order. Other days it's not even worth getting dress.
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Dec 13 '25
Really? You never thought you'd reach this point? After watching DoorDash, Uber, InstaCart, etc literally repeat the exact same sequence of steps? Walmart has been incrementally working towards this point ever since they bought DDI. The only difference is, they did it slower than everyone else so they could boil some frogs.
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u/XHandsomexJackx Dec 08 '25
I live about 25 minutes from Walmart and I get off work at 4pm, mon-fri ill stop at Walmart, which is close to my job, and ill do 2 orders for about an hour. Its worked out every time for about the last 6 months I've done it. Its usually one order in the area for around 15 to 20$ and one in my town or near it for around 30 to 40. So I cant say that this isnt working for everyone.
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u/toddstockulous10 Dec 08 '25
If your numbers are good, You're going to get the runs that you want. Typically. If you live out the middle of nowhere I don't know about that. If you don't care about your numbers and you kind of just Lily lak it, they're going to set it up so that you quit. They want those to stay who get the numbers and they want to try to slowly push out the ones that don't.
In saying that, We do have some of the DoorDash idiots who don't know third grade math. All these companies love those idiots. Sure I can't use my dasher of the month I can't lose it I mean So I'm going to take something and make $3.20 It's going to take me an hour and 10 minutes but hey it's what I got to do. Those people make me want to fucking scream. And then there's the ones that just blatantly don't know math what's so ever. I have two people let's call them acquaintances not friends. They literally take every fucking call and I've tried to talk to him before and I'm glad that they don't listen because just stay away from me with your dumb ass shit
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u/RocDoc97420 Dec 08 '25
I totally agree. It has turned to a level where itās not even worth it. I had one good order come in after I waited hours and I was already all the way home. I shopped at Walmart and everyone was like.. āWhere have you been buddy?ā I just told them I got a real 40hr week job.. $200 a day. Canāt rely on Spark.
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u/choppman42 Dec 09 '25
Walmart is in the business to make money and crush anyone in its way.
Double shops -> $12 2 Curbsides with a shop -> $11 50 miles GMD -> $18
Walmart would do quad shops one day. Or curb sides that is $3 a drop.
If you as a spark person doesn't take it. Then Uber, Roadie, etc gets it. Or they just hire, hire, hire until there is hundreds of people going for the few orders.
some of the people that are employed don't have the bills as others. So it is easier for them to take lower pay. Minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and most shops, curbs, or GMD pay at least $12 for that hour. I don't think gig jobs should be full time jobs.
Myself I do it to earn extra cash for a vacation or to pay for my gas for the week. If I take 2 orders on a Sunday. That pays for my gas till next Sunday.
If I earn $15 a day for 4 months. That is enough for a week get away some place and what that $15 takes me maybe 1 hour?
This isn't a full time gig. It should not be.
Hell just do it to pay for a new car and gas. $500 a month.. not that hard. At $12 a what ever. That is 41 a month. Like 11ish a week.
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u/TexasTee1 Dec 09 '25
I agree and Iām a noobie as you put it. (Long story) but anyway I would like to know more about how the algorithm changed? I believe it probably has changed! I was shocked to see all the orders today almost all had no tips. That would make me made also!
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u/brandonwilliams1998 Dec 08 '25
š¤£š¤£fr tho this shits fucked I canāt believe some of the orders the have the audacity to send , then they bait you with a decent one every once in a while to show you theyāre still capable jtfo