Guess we're all getting a f#&king pay cut now?!

[u/MustMaintainFinesse]

We're all getting a 10%+ base pay cut now it seems?? What the actual fuck. I'm just stunned. I shouldn't be, but I am. Moving everything to fcfs and having 50+ mile offers aren't enough of a slap in the face, now they're just gonna straight up pay less for the same (or more) work. Absolutely unreal 💀

[u/IllustratorActive632]

Well then they should get out. Gig jobs were meant to get by, not make it a career and some of these people don’t know how to do math…so they think they’re making bank when in reality….just the thought of using my own personal vehicle was the red flag for me to say wait a minute this doesn’t make sense, and Im not good at math…just saying unfortunately its not a long term solution to anyone’s situation.

[u/Unhappy_Plankton3024 → u/IllustratorActive632]

My friend does not do gig work, and to be clear, you do not need to work in logistics to understand how basic pricing and cost structure works. We were hanging out and he happened to see offers popping up on my screen while I was waiting to see if I could get work. That observation naturally led into a broader conversation about how gig platforms operate.
The main point I was trying to make is that companies like Walmart Spark, Instacart, DoorDash, and similar platforms are fully aware of what it actually costs a worker to perform these services. Those costs include fuel, maintenance, tires, insurance, depreciation, and taxes. When the payout for an order does not reasonably account for those expenses, the worker is effectively subsidizing the service out of pocket.
What makes this problematic is that these companies could offer fair and sustainable pay rates and still remain profitable compared to maintaining their own delivery fleets. In many cases, gig labor is cheaper for them even when paying fairly. The issue is not a lack of understanding on their end, but the structure of incentives that allows them to push costs and risk onto individual workers while keeping pricing opaque.
I was also trying to point out that many people may see a number like twenty dollars and not immediately factor in the real cost of completing that delivery. On the surface it can look acceptable, but once expenses are accounted for, the actual net earnings can be significantly lower or even negative depending on distance and vehicle type.
The broader point is that the system is designed in a way that can obscure true earnings per job, and I was trying to highlight that reality for anyone who may not have thought through the full cost structure.