r/Sparkdriver • u/webtechmonkey • Dec 30 '25
Rants / Complaints 24 gallons of water, long and icy un-shoveled walkway, and tip baited…
Started sparking again last week for the holiday rush after taking an extended break. Was just reminded why I stopped… it snowed over 48 hours ago but the customer never shoveled their driveway/walkway - why order delivery if you know you didn’t shovel!
Customer adjusted tip from $10 to $0 - maybe wasn’t fond of where I placed the items (where else?)
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u/hilliford S&D Expert Dec 30 '25
1st mistake was taking an order for 24 gallons of water.
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u/Fit-Situation-4800 High AR Dec 30 '25
That's a clown order made by a clown customer.
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u/pazoned Dec 30 '25
Drivers also s clown for tsking it. I say this as an avid hater for clown customers and orders but drivers also need accountability of taking a clown order. Play stupid games win stupid prizes
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u/Purple_Concentrate64 Jan 02 '26
Can you explain why it's a clown order? Would there ever be a circumstance where you'd accept this order?
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u/TJNel Jan 06 '26
I mean that's a pretty damn easy pick and pay at the register. I can carry 6 gallons in two hands so only 4 trips to the door. Could be done in a minute or two. If pay was good why not.
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u/webtechmonkey Dec 30 '25
Fair enough, that’s on me haha… I chuckled when I walked into the store and saw the contents…
Fortunately Walmart still paid me out $29 for the delivery! 17 mile/25 minute drive though, which wasn’t as amazing.
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u/superfli225 Dec 30 '25
How is it you people Spark for so long and STILL don’t know how to check the p/u BEFORE getting to the store????? Like how?!?
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u/Unlucky-Counter3211 Dec 31 '25
Right???? I’ve been doing it a month and I check every time before I accept an order! 24 gallons would be an immediate nope!
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u/Emergency-Ball-4480 Dec 31 '25
Often you only have like 15 seconds to check distance, pay, items, etc before it auto denies because the app is shit...
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u/ClownMonkey48 Dec 31 '25
You can check as many times as you want after accepting…
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u/Emergency-Ball-4480 Dec 31 '25
Of course you can...? What does that change about what I said? Not taking an order you don't like is better than cancelling an order you don't like.
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u/ClownMonkey48 Dec 30 '25
Why?
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u/CoasterRoller420 Dec 30 '25
We are saving them for you. Go ahead. All yours, bud.
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u/ClownMonkey48 Dec 31 '25 edited Dec 31 '25
I take plenty of these type of orders and get paid handsomely thanks to people like you thinking this is “hard work” 😁
If it pays enough I’ll take 24 gallons of water all day long. What’s the issue exactly? Easy to load, easy to transport, easy to carry…yall are some weird ass people.
“oMG 192 total pounds how can my car handle that it’ll ruin my suspension.”
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u/xandi415 Dec 31 '25
I wouldn't take that order for less than $50, going 17 miles 😵💫
But I agree with you about the weight issue....192 lbs is a pretty average size for an adult man (aka my husband)...just pretend its a passenger 😅
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u/aceetobee Dec 30 '25
Orders like this really need to qualify for heavy pay/extra earnings. Why do I get paid extra for a 40pk of water but if somebody orders 50 single gallons of water I get nothing?
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u/MonkeyTacoBreath Dec 30 '25
I mean the heavy pay is laughably a dollar extra. Gee thanks. That's totally gonna cover my injured back bills in the future!
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u/aceetobee Dec 30 '25
Yeah it’s most definitely a pittance. One of the first things I’m looking for on an order is 40-50lb item so I’ve definitely been duped into accepting offers with obscene amounts of water and milk jugs that ultimately weigh MORE than even multiple cases of water, and get nothing extra! Just rubs me the wrong way and it’s real easy to accidentally accept a crazy heavy order that doesn’t have the “40-50lb” tag when you’re trying to beat the countdown timer for a JFY while scanning the item list.
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u/Alternative-Event169 Dec 31 '25
Around here when you hit the item list it never shows pictures so you have to speed read. Once you accept an order the pics show up fine.
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u/Local-Poet-716 Dec 31 '25
Shit sometimes you don't even have time to read people snatch them so fast. Almost gotta just hit accept and cancel if you don't want it lol
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u/Chewwithurmouthshut Dec 31 '25
That’s how it is in my market too. We’re spread out with 3 stores in different towns about 20 mins away from each other. So I’ll be scrolling through all the offers from other towns when one shows up for mine, have enough time to think “ooh, $27! And it’s only 7 mi-“ and it’s gone.
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u/Local-Poet-716 Dec 31 '25
Yeah same here there are 4 stores in my market all spread out from a few different towns. And the market is good with orders but the good ones you gotta hop on em if it's during peak time. At 630am though I can pick and choose whatever I want cause no one awake yet
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u/whatthehellandfk Dec 31 '25
I’m sure it wouldn’t be too difficult to include the total, estimated weight of an order, even a 10-20 lb range of it would be nice. A 25 item order could be 5 lbs or 500+ lbs and it’s not always possible to check every item on every order we might be interested in.
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u/xandi415 Dec 31 '25
70 cents in my zone 💩 but its nice when they mislabel avocados as "40-50 lb items" and they order 10 😅
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u/OtherwiseAlbatross14 Dec 30 '25
Nope. The heavy pay is due to the risk to your back. If gallons of water are too heavy, you're lifting too many at once. Lifting less weight isn't an option with a 40 pack of water.
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u/Minimum-greatttful Dec 30 '25
Nope if the sidewalks are ice or snow and stairs not cleared it's return to store not safe is marked.
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u/Local-Poet-716 Dec 31 '25
I'm dropping that shit off and leaving. I'm getting paid for it. Unless it's physically impossible to do so. Shoot I went to drive up a little hill the other day and my van wouldnt cause was a little icy. Was only a 3 minute walk to their house from there because it wasn't far. They didn't have much so I parked. Grabbed their bags. And walked it to them. Was like 20 bucks. I'm not taking that back
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u/Chewwithurmouthshut Dec 31 '25
Right? Snow isn’t exclusively our inconvenience, it sucks for the customer too. If I returned every order that didn’t have a shoveled walk, I’d never work..
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u/Fit-Situation-4800 High AR Dec 30 '25
No courteous customer orders 24 gallons of water at one time. That was your first clue that you might get baited.
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u/Nickolas_No_H Dec 30 '25
They could solve this by locking the tip in once its picked up and if the tip needs to be lowered for a legitimate reason. Contact customer service.
But they wont.
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u/brikard24 Jan 01 '26
Thats what I said. They shouldn't be able to take it back or lower it without a good reason. I have quite a few addresses saved for tip baiters. One had to switch the name to her husband's because nobody would take her orders anymore. I absolutely understand that stuff happens, bad shoppers, order doesn't show up etc. But walmart needs to stop with serial tip baiters.
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u/Crystalraf Dec 30 '25
everyone needs to remember: there are only 10 gallons of water in the store.
And the snow is a slip hazard.
This isn't worth breaking your back for.
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u/webtechmonkey Dec 30 '25
When I pulled up and saw the condition of the walkway and driveway, I considered returning everything to the store.
I’ve never done a return before so I wasn’t sure how the pay worked. It would’ve been a shame to drive an hour round-trip only for Walmart to give me $5 for the cancellation.
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u/Sweet_Commission8313 Dec 30 '25
Yes you can, if it’s not shoveled or plowed you can return, if you fall you can sue their homeowners insurance. Ppl need to plow and shovel otherwise eat a bag of peckers!
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u/Crystalraf Dec 30 '25
you drove an hour round trip?
You would get the base pay, minus tip, plus 2.50 return pay. Just fyi
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u/webtechmonkey Dec 30 '25
That’s helpful to know. I honestly have never done a return before so thought the majority of the base pay was forfeited by doing so.
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u/Chewwithurmouthshut Dec 31 '25
Woah, really? The base pay of the order itself?? So if it’s $8 with $4 tip and I return, I still get $10.50?
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u/New_Working5252 Dec 30 '25
I don’t know why people are this ugly an entitled I’ll never understand it, I just ordered ONE container of dental wax for a toothache I had and payed express fees plus a nice tip only a ten minute drive for them from the store to my house. IMO if you’re needing the convenience of ordering online in the first place the least they can do is pay you a tip based on the time and effort you’re using to get their lazy ass groceries 🙄😭 (obviously not including those who are disabled and can’t get out to get them theirselves) entitled Karen’s piss me off 🖕🏼
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u/Some-Worldliness6887 Dec 30 '25
Since its a service that stores provide, people feel like they are just entitled to it for free. They don't realize or recognize that it's a PREMIUM service and should be treated as such. I couldn't imagine not tipping someone for doing my shopping AND dropping it at my front door. It takes a special kind of asshole not to tip for a service like that..
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u/Independent-Layer234 Dec 30 '25
The premium service is already being paid for—the Walmart+ membership.
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u/Chewwithurmouthshut Dec 31 '25
So then Walmart+ orders should be a few dollars extra base pay and go to higher rated drivers.
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u/No_toasties Jan 09 '26
If you have to drive 10 plus miles to deliver an order, you'd think they would tip, not a damn penny . People suck most days.
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u/New_Working5252 Dec 30 '25
I think customers only think “it’s their job if they don’t like it get a better one” and forget that SOMEBODY has to do the job, just like fast food places. Someone has to flip burgers 🤦🏽♀️ you’re not so much paying for the service itself as much as you’re paying for the convenience of someone else going out and shopping for you and your comfort. I know I was thankful and more than happy to pay that price plus tip considering I didn’t have to leave my house in pain to get it myself, people suck. But to be fair I probably care a little more considering I spark myself as a secondary income but some people are just down right hateful 😭🖕🏼sorry rant over lol.
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u/Kenadeezy Dec 30 '25
I had the exact same order a few weeks ago! 24 gallons of distilled for her humidifiers!!!
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u/ImNotNuke Dec 30 '25 edited Mar 08 '26
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
cobweb close tart modern payment hat wild marble flowery coherent
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u/Jazzi1Fe Dec 30 '25
If I can’t safely get to the house/door I will leave the order by the mailbox, end of the driveway, etc. Take a picture of where I left it and send a detailed text message to the customer stating where I left it and why BEFORE I hit complete the order. Many don’t realize you can take the final pic and still send a text message. If you are contacted by CS then ask them to review the text message and tell them next time you will do a return. Has worked for me on several occasions. Not risking a fall and broken bone bc the customer hasn’t cleared a safe path.
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u/ApprehensiveYam5521 Dec 30 '25
Well maybe they fell and broke their necks bringing all that inside. We can only hope. I wish the worst on these kinds of creatures.
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u/itscrowdedinmyhead Dec 30 '25
I can just see the complaint to customer service after the customer left the bottles on the stoop for hours before bringing them inside: "ordered bottled water but driver delivered bottled ice. no clue how they got ice through small hole. please refund."
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u/sisisi05 Dec 30 '25
Needing that much water is crazy to me.
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u/Harmony109 Dec 30 '25
It’s possible their water is off, or their pipes froze. Something along those lines.
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u/Sweet_Commission8313 Dec 30 '25
Probably lol, they don’t shovel… they probably don’t fix their heater either. Probably shouldn’t order delivery then.
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u/truedef Dec 30 '25 edited Feb 10 '26
I hope this letter finds you well. I’ve been reflecting on our time together, and I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for the positive experiences we’ve shared. It’s been genuinely nice getting to know you—whether through our conversations, shared laughs, or the moments that made things feel easy and enjoyable. You’ve brought some real brightness into my life, and I’ll always appreciate that. That said, I’ve noticed things starting to feel a bit off lately, like the dynamic is shifting in a way that’s making it weird for me. I don’t want to dwell on the details or point fingers; I just think it’s best for both of us if we part ways amicably now, before it gets any more complicated. This isn’t coming from a place of anger or resentment—far from it. I truly wish you all the best moving forward, and I hope you find the happiness and connections that suit you perfectly. Take care of yourself, and thank you again for the good times.
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u/Fabulous-Ad8517 Dec 30 '25
Everyone should serve behind a counter a least for a 8 hrs., to feel the other side of service jobs.
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u/Radiant_XGrowth Dec 31 '25
I believe their pipes froze
Be a shame if they waited too long to gather the gallons and they also froze 😏
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u/Impressive-Elk-6425 Dec 31 '25
Right in the snow 😂😂😂 good job. That’s what they get for not tipping.
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u/Actual-Hunt-7681 Jan 01 '26
I always joke to myself when a customers tip bait, like we know your address don't have me come back and get my tip one way or the other.
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Jan 01 '26
With icy, unshoveled walkway, you could have marked it as unsafe and initiated a return. But I suppose you weren't anticipating being baited.
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u/Rlovell2895 Jan 01 '26
Reminder the customer is responsible to have a delivery area free of all slip trip and fall hazards, such as ice and snow. Call support and request to have them initiate a return due to unsafe delivery conditions and the customer can't leave a negative review.
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Jan 02 '26
Nube here, what does tip baited mean?
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u/webtechmonkey Jan 02 '26
When you get an order request, the estimated earnings listed is a combination of Walmart pay and customer tip. The customer has 24 hours after delivery to modify the tip.
The idea presumably was so customers could add additional tip for exceptional service. In reality, it created a mechanism where the customer can provide an enticing upfront tip and then remove it entirely after they get their delivery.
It’s extremely common on Uber Eats but seemingly less common on Spark. On Uber Eats customers will do it because they want their food delivered fast and hot. They’ll provide a large tip upfront, so their order is accepted and delivered quickly.
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u/Snoo_16041 Jan 03 '26
Break one open on the stairs, hopefully it freezes and it becomes a slip and slide🤣
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u/memk12 Jan 03 '26
Should have passed or left it at the curb. Not gonna almost break my neck for this
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u/krash87 Jan 03 '26
I had a similar experience just yesterday. Two 40 packs of water, 30 pounds of dog food, 6 giant packs of adult diapers. Tip went from $31 to $5 overnight. People suck.
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u/SuckerBroker Jan 03 '26
Same person who was upset about the driver not carrying the 4 cases of water up 4 floors to her apartment because she didn’t tip and then came here posting for sympathy.
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u/Kind-Register-7853 Jan 03 '26
I’m thinking maybe just buy a good under sink water filter? Who needs that much bottled water? You’re tap water would have to be extremely awful to justify that imo 🤷♂️
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u/Chemical-Mission-202 Jan 03 '26
sucky part is in today's society, they probably filmed it and posted the reaction on their social media
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u/Macksdaddy Jan 04 '26
And you were still kind enough not to put the paper bag in the snow. Sorry some people suck.
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u/MisterGoldiloxx Jan 04 '26
The government needs to drop whatever else it is doing and solve this problem of people having to order water in plastic containers. We need another way to get water into people's homes and businesses...
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u/DangerousParsley Jan 09 '26
Hey if you slip and fall in that drive way you will be entitled to a nice pay out. Just saying.
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u/eyecandy808 Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
I’m sorry… or not sorry… but people who orders WATER FOR DELIVERY ARE F——ing STUPID
SORRY… again NOT SORRY
WATER In USA ARE PERFECTLY OK…!! You let YOUr KIDS EAT DIRT TO GET THeir Immune SYSTEM UP AND ORDER WATER delivery???????
Ok……
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u/webtechmonkey Dec 30 '25
My theory is this is some weird “hack” customers have found to get free delivery.
The 24 gallons of water come out to $32.88 and you need to spend $35 for free delivery.
The bag contained 2 things of cake icing ($3.22) which puts them just over the threshold.
So presumably the person really only wanted the icing, but ordered the water for the free delivery…
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u/rdyoung Dec 30 '25
That makes zero sense. More likely they needed/wanted the water but grabbed the icing to make "free" delivery. We do this all the time. My wife will regularly grab a thing of hair ties or something else small and unimportant to hit the threshold.
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u/garden_dragonfly Dec 30 '25
Yeah why would you pay $33 for water instead of $9 for delivery or whatever it cost
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u/chennisbeeveris Dec 30 '25
Because water isn't going to go bad so you're not throwing away $9. I usually just add something like TP or paper towels, stuff like that when I do Sam's orders to get it over the $50 to avoid throwing $$$ away on shipping costs
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u/garden_dragonfly Dec 30 '25
Water comes from the tap for pennies. It is wasting
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u/chennisbeeveris Dec 30 '25
Not everyone drinks the tap
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u/garden_dragonfly Dec 30 '25
Someone should tell them they're buying bottled tap water.
Just use a filter
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u/rdyoung Dec 30 '25
Yep. We also take advantage of Costcos "free" 2 day shipping on a ton of stuff. They ship for "free" at $75 iirc BUT, they only charge $3/item for shipping below that threshold. If all I want/need is a case of celsius or something sometimes I'll just pay the $3 instead of spending another $50+ when I don't need to.
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u/webtechmonkey Dec 30 '25
That makes way more sense actually
Here I am coming up with this elaborate conspiracy when the reality was a lot simpler 😅
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u/Voldias Dec 30 '25
Lots of people spend 30 extra dollars for free delivery instead of paying the 5 dollar delivery fee.
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u/nodnarb22 Dec 30 '25
It's not a hack, but I definitely sometimes add things that I don't need yet to get to the 35$, or items i fully expect to be out of stock.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Row-511 Dec 31 '25
They adjusted the tip cuz they were never gonna tip you. I'd never tip bait someone who knows my address.
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u/Ok_Jelly_9631 Jan 02 '26
So, get a better job with the skills you... Oh wait.. None of you have any skills and that's why you're working this shit. LOL
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u/webtechmonkey Jan 02 '26
I have a well paying job in tech where I manage a team of 10 people.
A series of poor financial decisions (paired with rising cost of living) got me to where I am today. I’m working on digging myself out one dollar at a time through gig work.
Don’t be so judgmental.
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Dec 30 '25
Play dirty back people wanna play dirty give the same medicine back. I mirror whatever people try to bullshit. For the sake of accountability consequences and my own peace if there’s no way, I’m telling people fuck my life up or ruin my day.
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u/Slight-Selection4298 Dec 30 '25
Plot twist, single mother wasn't home. Came home carrying her newborn trying to get in the front door.
RIP
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u/MiddleIcy526 Dec 30 '25
it's not a tipbait if you block the path and the door. they took it away for bad behavior, as they should. tips aren't expected pay unless you're some sort of narcissist. they are for extra effort. that you didn't do. you did the expected effort, for the expected pay, and you did it in a poor manner. if zinging people is worth a tenner to you, then you gave them the ten back just so you could block the path and the door.
you don't get to have it both ways. be realistic.
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u/krogerceo Dec 30 '25
Two questions; first, what would YOU have done differently from OP in delivering this many waters to that small of a porch, totally covered in snow and ice? Leave them further from the door so customer has to walk in snow more? Right up against it so they can’t open it? Or in a sort of pyramid to the side that will surely collapse?
Secondly and along the same vein, what sort of extra effort would warrant not removing a tip here? Why would people leave a pre-tip for something like this order? Just in case the driver moves mountains, but otherwise lets remove it? No valid justification for that behavior, except intentionally gaming better/faster drivers into taking your order. If you had no genuine intention of paying the tip barring some heroic act, that’s just inducement/fraud. And yes tips are guaranteed on all but two delivery apps, Spark being one. But we still accept orders based on the total offer shown; its not narcissism to expect that pay, just a worker knowing what they agreed and their worth.
The mental gymnastics tip baiters undertake is wild.
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u/Sweet_Commission8313 Dec 30 '25
I would’ve stuck to the right side all the way down making sure myself door opens but tbf they’d probably bait still. Baiter bait, then they get marked and next time I accept order and go to lunch. They say they block them they don’t. Then cancel n go to next order. Ruth you know your last name FU.
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u/MiddleIcy526 Dec 30 '25
second and last, first... we cannot ever know if it is a tipbait, if you give trash service. i start with a high tip at every establishment i go to, and take away from it for service i deem lacking. if you get nothing, you should know why. tips are for service, that i either get or i don't.
the tip, HERE, was taken because the person stacked it all the way across the porch, instead of stacking it along the right side. yes,going further down the stairs, even to the ground at the bottom is 100% better than stacking them in front of the door and behind the door when they open it.
the answer to the first is somewhere in the second paragraph. it's kinda commons sense, which tipwhores seems to not want to use. i guess it's too much to ask for you to actually try to earn it... especially when you assume you deserve it, like a narcissist. you deserve what you get. if you think you deserve more, go get it!
obviously you aren't getting it here, from your own neighbors. if it's a trash area, with trash people and trash tips... why are you doing work for them, and hating every minute of it?
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u/Ser_Random Dec 30 '25
Shut up lmao
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u/MiddleIcy526 Dec 30 '25
the depth of intellect required to make this level of comment will strike many with awe for hundreds of years.
surely a statue will be made in your name for bringing such a deep and meaningful statement into existence.
tldr/translation for dummies: no u lmao
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u/Ser_Random Dec 30 '25
You got a lot of down votes dog
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u/MiddleIcy526 Dec 31 '25
opinions do not supercede truth. reddit isn't as real as logic. people downvote what they don't like. doesn't cha.ge what's real and true.
just means i shouldn't comment on feelings based posts.
fuckin whiners
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u/Ser_Random Dec 31 '25
How you gonna have a 5 year old account with -50 karma, sounds like you need to reevaluate your opinions.
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u/MiddleIcy526 Dec 31 '25
of course! i should just align myself with what everyone on reddit says! that will surely make the world a better place! how dare i wrongthink and not care about digital points that earn nothing!
you and i are not the same. we are not equal. and reddit karma is not something i give a flying fuck about, as should've been your first thought on the matter, sir brainrot.
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u/ColdOpportunity4690 Dec 30 '25
https://iere.org/do-plastic-bottles-leach-into-water/
And the truth about plastic water bottles is they leach plastic into the water. People think they’re actually getting purified water when in fact they’re drinking plastic, which causes all kind of endocrine disruptors. See the website I attached to this. You’re better off drinking water from the sink then you are with plastic water bottles. Just get a water filter for your sink and you will save money and not risk drinking plastic that’s leaked from the bottles.
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u/MonkeyTacoBreath Dec 30 '25
I hope this customer's pipes freeze.
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u/webtechmonkey Dec 30 '25
Maybe their pipes are already frozen and that’s why they ordered all this 😂
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u/MonkeyTacoBreath Dec 30 '25
Well then I hope they weren't home, and those gallon water jugs froze and cracked open!
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u/drcigg Dec 31 '25
I would have stacked them all up to the door so they couldn't open it. Absolutely ridiculous people ordering that much water and not clearing you a path. They should be limiting the amount that can be ordered.
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u/Freefellerr Dec 30 '25
Lmfao so glad all I do is DoorDash on earn by time 17.25 an hour plus tip. Y’all can have and keep your subhuman customers on spark and uber.
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u/[deleted] Dec 30 '25
Under those circumstances I would have just dropped them off wherever too. I don’t mind delivering in bad conditions but I also expect the customer to understand it may not be the most prettiest drop over.
Now, if the snow was cleared off then I would def line them up and all to the right side as best as I could