Are you tired of making below-average money for delivering groceries?
You are not alone.
There is a new Doordash game to increase pay to help Dashers who feel like they are being taken advantage of in this industry.
What Does It Mean To Game DoorDash To Increase Pay?
DoorDash is a company where a DoorDash driver has the freedom and flexibility to make their hours, work when suits them, and essentially be their boss during their day-to-day life.
As a food delivery service, being a DoorDash Dasher means that employees can choose what days they work, what hours they work per day, and what orders they take.
Although there has been a high level of flexibility over theaters in terms of how a DoorDash driver can operate, the reduced pay scale has caused hundreds of delivery workers around the world to cease working for this operation.
Dashers had the opportunity to reach “Peak Pay” during the busiest hours of the day, making between $7 to $9 per hour – not including tips – during a certain period.
However, this has substantially declined in recent years, currently reaching just between $1 and $3 during the “Peak” hours.
The extreme reduction in wages has caused numerous workers to look at other grocery delivery options, with competitors such as InstaCart or UberEats taking over.
So, DoorDash has decided to increase pay to keep their gig workers and retain DoorDash customers.
The #DECLINENOW movement has taken over and has caused DoorDahs to relook at their pay scale and consider increasing wages.
The #DECLINENOW movement promotes raising the base pay of all Dashers, providing Dashers with a higher chance of being able to use grocery delivery as their sole occupation.
Furthermore, this movement calls to increase Peak Pay levels, enhance customer assistance, and provide accountability measures for unruly DoorDash customers.
How To Game DoorDash To Increase Pay
For those currently working in DoorDash, it is possible to increase your minimum wage without having to fight for better “Peak Pay” hours or increase base pay.
There are certain tactics that employers can use to maximize their time and make the most money in a short work period.
Turn Down Lowest Paying Deliveries
Knowing which deliveries to take and which ones to avoid are essential to maximizing your time and effort.
Driving or cycling a long way to get low-priced orders is more effort than it’s worth.
Dashers should aim for at least $2 per mile traveled, with the best orders at over $7 at the base rate.
Why Do DoorDash Dashers Game Algorithms?
Dashers are now looking to turn down the lowest-paying deliveries so the automated system for the app can appropriately respond by raising the earnings for employees.
Since Dashers are tired of increasingly-low pay rates from the app, some drivers are trying to fight back against this unfair system to change the algorithm.
So Automated System Will Increase Pay
Dashers have discovered that they can ‘trick’ the app into paying workers more by turning down low-paying deliveries.
They are fighting against the corporation to increase their base pay, as the current rates are as low as reported $1.45 per hour.
Since a Dasher is an independent contractor who does not have a set contract through DoorDash, they can decline low-paying deliveries and only take the orders that work for them.
Declining low-paying deliveries can raise the base pay to $7 if all of the Dashers cooperate.
Does DoorDash Game To Increase Pay Work?
DoorDash drivers are using the algorithm to increase pay. So far, it has not worked.
Although Dashers tried to persuade other drivers to turn down the law-paying deliveries in their area to forcefully raise the base pay from approximately $3 to $7, recent articles have shown that DoorDash has not increased their pay rates.
Since DoorDash is a popular grocery delivery service, and thousands of workers are looking for part-time jobs to make ends meet, there will always be demand for DoorDash delivery driver positions.
Should You Game The App To Increase Pay?
DoorDash drivers may consider “gaming” the app to try and increase the base pay rate.
But will this work?
Could it backfire and lower the minimum wage per hour?
Will it cause them not to get any local deliveries during peak times?
There are pros and cons to trying this method – taking the risk is up to you.
Pros
There are a few benefits of gaming the app to increase pay.
The first positive of trying this technique is that you can feel morally good about what you are trying to accomplish.
Working to increase the base pay rate to acceptable levels is a just and moral cause.
Paying workers less than $3 for base pay is unacceptable – and it should be counteracted.
Furthermore, there is a chance that if enough DoorDash drivers game the app, it can work in the long run to increase pay through the delivery app.
However, if people drop out and start taking low-paying orders, the entire movement will be for nothing.
May Change Delivery Floor
The main positive of gaming the app to increase pay includes changing the delivery floor.
By altering how the company is run, how the Dashers are treated, and how the company treats their workers, it can create an entirely-new corporation that is more focused on the wellbeing and satisfaction of its employees.
Cons
There are also a few negatives of trying to rig the app to increase base pay.
First, turning down low-paying deliveries may leave you with little or no delivery options.
If you are trying to make extra money, this can lead to very little money earned in a delivery shift.
Second, the #DECLINENOW movement may not work.
If you are trying to increase base pay, but turning down all of the defy orders, this can lead to months and months of a low salary that can harm your financial standing.
Won’t Get Top Dasher Status
Lastly, the most significant “con” to trying to increase the base pay of the app is that you will not be able to achieve the Top Dasher status.
The Top Dasher status is a level where the Dasher has a customer rating of at least 4.7 stars, an acceptance rate of 70%, a completion rate of at least 95%, and at least 100 completed deliveries during the last month.
If you consistently turn down deliveries, this will lead to a low acceptance rate and potentially-low rate of completed deliveries.
Is It Allowed to Game DoorDash to Increase Pay?
I am allowed to game DoorDash to increase pay.
No law states that employers cannot do this, as they are technically independent contractors and gig workers who are not on a contract through DoorDash.
Therefore, there is nothing legally wrong with doing so, but it can hamper their Driver status and customer rating.
Other Ways Of Increasing Pay
Although trying to game DoorDash to increase pay can seem tempting, and morally correct, it can also lead to unforeseen downsides.
If you are worried about your current financial status and need a side job to increase your income, try these alternative methods to increase your base pay rate.
Choose the Busiest Times
Just like with Uber or Lyft “surge” peak times, where you can see the fares increase two-fold, the same applies to DoorDash deliveries.
There are certain times when people order food, such as late at night on the weekends, early morning Sudan for brunch, or lunchtime during the week.
Choose the busiest times to begin working as a DAsher so you can get high-paying deliveries and a broader selection.
Schedule Yourself
Scheduling yourself is one of the main perks of being a Dasher.
Not only will you be able to work your hours and not respond to a boss, but you can choose when it works for you to deliver.
If you find that the most orders are scheduled on Sunday mornings, consider working Sunday morning from 7 am to 2 pm to get the best deals.
Get Great Reviews
Being on time, collecting the food right away, and having a friendly demeanor while dropping the food to the customer can earn you great reviews on the DoorDash app.
Great reviews lead to high customer ratings, making it possible for you to earn Top Dasher status!
Take Advantage of Incentives and Rewards
DoorDash Challenges let drivers earn more money during their daily workload.
Some of the most common challenges that can lead to high-paying incentives and rewards include the DoorDash Rewards program, DoorDash Fast Pay, and DoorDash challenges.
Track Your Mileage to Deduct From Taxes
If you have to drive 5 miles to pick up a delivery order and drive another 5 miles to deliver the order from a person’s doorstep, these miles can add up over time.
Make sure you keep track of your miles through an app, odometer in your car, or GPS on your bike to deduct the distance driven from your yearly taxes.
Deliver With More Than One Company
DoorDash can only be so busy.
You may find that Instacart, UberEats, or Deliveroo may have more delivery options in your local area.
If you live in an area where a specific company has the highest concentration of restaurants, consider working for more than one company to increase your base pay.
DoorDash is one of the most common food delivery services in the world!
Understanding how to increase your base pay can help you earn extra cash as a side gig or your primary source of income.
Check out more information here to make the most money as a food delivery driver.
