Out Of Commission (Again)

I won't be working for a while. If you don't read my other blogs, you may not know but I broke my arm playing basketball last week.

Deliver pizzas, wife tells laid-off hubby

That is the title of this CNN story. It's an interesting story, but the husband should realize himself that he needs to bring in some income. The wife should also try finding a way for herself to bring in some income. (edit - shame on me, the article says she does, killing bugs!)

But there's no shame in pizza delivery. It says the guy was depressed, but at $10/hour, if he worked full time he would bring in about $40k / year, not really that far off from his $55k previous job. (edit - shame on me again, $10/hr is more like $20k/yr)

Three Deliveries for Twenty-One Cents!

I could write about the good deliveries, for example the $5 tip that I got for the delivery to the far edge of our delivery area. Or the guy just down the street who tipped $2 and didn't get upset when I brough the wrong pop (Diet Pepsi instead of Pepsi).

But I seem to dwell more on the bad. I had a triple and made 21 cents combined. The first delivery was to the hospital maternity ward. The couple with the new baby ordered a pizza and a pop for $15.21. They paid $15.25.

Next was a lady that doesn't know her address. She said she lived on middle avenue but she actually lives on 5th street in an upstairs apartment. She got a pizza, a pop, some wings, and a 2 salads for $32.33. She paid $32.50.

Third was a credit card order of pasta and breadsticks for $15.78. We're supposed to get a physical "swipe" of the credit card but "her sister left with the card." I had to call the manager who approved the delivery but of course I got no tip.

In all I took 11 deliveries in 5 hours, drove 21 miles, and made $21 in tips.

Friday Night Freeze

Tonight was probably the coldest night I've delivered in. When I drove past the hopistal the sign said -2. Weather.com now says it is -10. I wore running tights under my pants to make sure I stayed warm, and I traded my regular uniform cap for a Browns stocking cap every time I went outside.

I got several good ($3 or more) tips but amazingly even in the cold weather I still got stiffed 4 times on 17 runs. One guy even joked, "It's a nice night for pizza delivery, as long as you're the one getting delivered too."

We were pretty busy up until 10 PM, in fact both of my first 2 trips were 4-baggers. (Well, 4 deliveries, we were actually short on bags and I had to double up.) I ended up driving 7 hours, taking 17 runs, travelling 51 miles, and making $40 in tips.

I plan to be working usually 1-2 days each week for a while now. The cash really comes in handy for allowances, school lunches, and things like that. When I'm driving regularly I almost never have to make ATM withdrawals, but in the past month I've been making a withdrawal almost every week.

Blogging Again Tonight, Working Again Friday

I finally got around to posting a couple interesting pizza and restaurant related articles tonight, I hope you take the time to read them.

I haven't blogged for a while because I haven't worked for a while. While I was suspended for not using the car-topper, I got out of the habit of updating my availability so I ended up missing an extra week. I went in on Wednesday night and put in my schedule requests for the next 3 months so hopefully I will be driving a couple nights per week.

There was a note on the current schedule saying that some hours had been cut due to low sales (bad economy).

Even worse on Wednesday, the phones were out of order. At 7PM there had only been 9 deliveries all day long, all internet-orders. I'm glad I wasn't working THAT night!

Can You Eat Pizza on a Fat-Loss Program?

By Craig Ballantyne

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

One of the questions I frequently get is, "Can I eat pizza (or burgers, or fries, etc.) on a fat-loss program?"

Well... you can eat anything you want. As long as you are willing to accept the consequences and take full responsibility for your actions (or lack of action). So, yes, you can eat pizza while on a fat-loss program, provided you know that it could slow down, stop, or reverse your results.

Can you skip workouts and watch TV instead?

Sure. But if you choose to sit on the couch after a hard day's work, you need to realize that you will not be getting closer to your goals. And if you choose to eat 1,500 calories worth of pizza and drink 600 calories worth of soda while you sit on the couch, you WILL gain weight.

Weight loss isn't rocket science. It's 90 percent common sense. We all know what we should and shouldn't eat. Even a fifth grader can tell you that too much pizza and soda will make you overweight.

As inspirational writer Og Mandino says, "I shall shape my future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me. Or I can be lost in the maze. My choice. My responsibility. Win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny."

How Restaurants (and Diners) Are Reacting to the Struggling Economy

By Charlie Byrne

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

"If you really want to be sure of that 7:30 p.m. table, ask for it with a French, Spanish, or Italian accent. It will brand you as a potentially bigger spender, the kind helping restaurants outlast a weak dollar and a wobbly Dow."

This advice comes from Frank Bruni of The New York Times, reporting on how restaurants are reacting to the recession.

One noticeable trend: Americans are spending less (tap water instead of bottled water, dining at bars and counters vs. formal settings, no high-end steak and lobster), while splurging foreigners rush to take advantage of favorable exchange rates.

Result? All things being equal, restaurateurs would rather seat a table of Europeans than locals. "I mean, they're just spending. It's Monopoly money to them," said one NYC general manager.

Other notable changes:

• Dinner rush used to occur around 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. But outside the U.S., it's is a later-evening event, so now the peak is moving to 8:30 or 9:00 p.m.
• Less expensive ingredients lower the cost of food. For instance, using regular crabmeat instead of jumbo lump. Shiitake instead of morel mushrooms. More starches to fill out the plate.
• Menus are featuring more single-digit appetizers and "small plates."

And restaurateurs are offering more mid-range than high-end wines. "All of our wine directors are starting to play this game more aggressively," said Paul Bolles-Beaven of the Danny Meyer group. "People are spending less on wine right now, and they're not spending to impress."

Unless, that is, they're European, adds Bruni.

Driver Safety Article and Comment from Driver

Today I found this interesting article from a few years ago about what some corporations and franchises do for driver safety.

Also, check out this post for a comment from Juan, a pizza driver from Florida. Juan's English isn't perfect, but he seems to be frustrated by being paid a "tipped employe" sub-minimum wage for part of his working time, and discusses forming a union.

December 2008 Monthly Totals

These numbers do not include driving expenses.

Shifts: 5
Hours: 22.5
Deliveries: 60
Tips: $152
Miles: 216

Average miles per delivery: 3.6
Average deliveries per hour: 2.7
Average tips per delivery: $2.53
Average tips per hour: $6.76
Average cash per hour: $9.69 (tips plus mileage)
Total earnings per hour: $16.69 (includes wage of $7.00)

Another Short Friday

I worked a quick 2 hour+ shift tonight from 5:30 - 7:45, and everything lined up just right. I took a double, a single, and a triple (6 runs in all), drove 19 miles, and made $26 in tips, including $10 on the single.

I was home in time to spend some time with my family before they went to bed, which is always nice.

Minimum Wage Increase

I forgot to write that as of midnight last night I got a raise. The Ohio Minimum Wage was increased to $7.30 per hour. At my current rate of working about 10 hours each week, this should get me an extra $12 per month. Hardly noticable, but better than nothing.

I'm really not a fan of the minimum wage. I mean, why not set it to $30 and we'll all be rich?

New Years Eve 2008

I thought it was a pretty good night but it was actually 2 deliveries and $1 short of last year.

I drove for 6 hours (5:30 - 11:30) and then stayed another 1 1/2 hours to close, mainly washing dishes, sweeping, mopping, and taking out the trasy. I took 21 deliveries, made $57 in tips, and amazingly drove only 49 miles.

My first trip was a double and my first tip was $5.73 so I hoped that was a sign of good things to come. Next was another double, the first order was free and they did not tip. This was one of 7 stiffs I would get tonight.

After that another double, both tipping between $2-4. My 4th trip was, guess what, another double. The first one was a credit card order and the card owner was not present so I got no tip there either.

After that I took yet another double ... got a $5 tip at the first house but at the 2nd house nobody came to the door or answered the phone. I got back to the store and Nick had got ahold of them but, as was the story all night long, there was another order to go with it.

After that I took my first single of the night but it was a $54 order to a party and they tipped $9, my best tip of the night.

Next came a series of 4 orders (2 singles and a double) where I only got $1 tip and 3 stiffs. I almost wished I had gone home after the $9 tip. We were down to 2 drivers by this time. But my next trip (a double) included another $5 tip. Another double (my last doulbe of the night) yielded 2 $2 tips.

My final order of the night was to my 2nd party, I delivered the pizza minutes before midnight, I got a $4 tip and was offered a beer, which I declined of course.