Tonight was one of those snowy icy nights where nobody wanted to be out. I initially expected a slow night due to people being off work for Presidents Day, but once the weather turned nasty I knew there would be some deliveries.
Slow was the name of the game, my first 2 trips I took 4 orders each, and each trip took about 45 minutes or more to complete and get back. No major trouble, but I don't drive into snowy driveways, I will simply put my flashers on and leave the car on the road. Driver Joel said he got stuck in a driveway for a few minutes tonight.
Highest tip was $3.76, lowest was $1.01. I worked 3.97 hours, drove 30 miles, took 11 deliveries, and made $27 in tips.
Showing posts with label Car Trouble. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Car Trouble. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, March 2, 2009
Finally!
After over a month off due to my broken arm and then my car repairs (clutch), I finally returned to work tonight.
The first thing that happened was that since I was gone so long, the computer made me change my password.
After doing a few loads of dishes, I was on the road with a delivery for $19.99. The cost would have been $18.49 but the customer had added 2 garlic sauces at $0.75 each. I was afraid that this was intended to bring the price right up to $20 even, and indeed, my profit on that run was one Lincoln coin. I drove back feeling slightly depressed.
I shouldn't have, as my night improved tremendously. My next trip, a double, earned me $10.54 in tips, followed by $4.04 from a customer who had remarked on the phone that the price was too high.
Next after that was $2.82 ($2 in cash and $0.82 added on the credit card total). After that came another double, $1.54 and $4.03.
Finally one more double ($2.54 and $5.10) to a historically low-tipping area. In fact, 7 of my 9 runs on the night were to areas where I'd usually feel lucky just to get $2!
I worked 4 hours (4:45 pm - 8:45 pm), drove 42 miles (I think), took 9 deliveries, and made $29 in tips.
My arm felt a twinge of weakness once when I was reaching out to set some clean plates on the drying shelves, but it wasn't because they were heavy. Other than that I felt no effects of my broken arm.
I was scheduled to drive again Friday night but I've got calling hours to attend so I'm gonna miss the best part of the night, and just show up from 10-1, but at least I'm back in the swing. And good timing too, as the worst of the winter weather should be passed.
The first thing that happened was that since I was gone so long, the computer made me change my password.
After doing a few loads of dishes, I was on the road with a delivery for $19.99. The cost would have been $18.49 but the customer had added 2 garlic sauces at $0.75 each. I was afraid that this was intended to bring the price right up to $20 even, and indeed, my profit on that run was one Lincoln coin. I drove back feeling slightly depressed.
I shouldn't have, as my night improved tremendously. My next trip, a double, earned me $10.54 in tips, followed by $4.04 from a customer who had remarked on the phone that the price was too high.
Next after that was $2.82 ($2 in cash and $0.82 added on the credit card total). After that came another double, $1.54 and $4.03.
Finally one more double ($2.54 and $5.10) to a historically low-tipping area. In fact, 7 of my 9 runs on the night were to areas where I'd usually feel lucky just to get $2!
I worked 4 hours (4:45 pm - 8:45 pm), drove 42 miles (I think), took 9 deliveries, and made $29 in tips.
My arm felt a twinge of weakness once when I was reaching out to set some clean plates on the drying shelves, but it wasn't because they were heavy. Other than that I felt no effects of my broken arm.
I was scheduled to drive again Friday night but I've got calling hours to attend so I'm gonna miss the best part of the night, and just show up from 10-1, but at least I'm back in the swing. And good timing too, as the worst of the winter weather should be passed.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Brokedown
The clutch on my Chevy Prizm has been going for several weeks. We made an appointment to get it fixed next Wednesday. Unfortunately it didn't last that long. It died on my way home from work tonight.
I made it to my freeway exit but as I downshifted to exit, the gears made a grinding sound and now the car will not move in any gear.
I called AAA and they sent a truck to tow it to the garage where it will be fixed.
All this on the night I was hoping to make my return to work. BUMMER!
I made it to my freeway exit but as I downshifted to exit, the gears made a grinding sound and now the car will not move in any gear.
I called AAA and they sent a truck to tow it to the garage where it will be fixed.
All this on the night I was hoping to make my return to work. BUMMER!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Pizza Robbery Attempt Foiled
It was a pretty quiet night until about 12:30 when Mike told me I was next up for a delivery to 805 Longson. This is literally just about 3 blocks from our store, a very quiet and safe neighborhood. I wouldn't have had a 2nd thought, except for this newspaper article from 3 weeks ago.
A Dominos pizza driver was robbed at 12:30 on a Saturday night on a fake order to a vacant house on the same block. A man was sitting on the porch and pulled a knife, stealing the food, some cash, and the guys car!
What I didn't remember until I reread the article just now is that the Dominos driver had 2 pizzas and 2 subs. My order was also for 2 pizzas and 2 sandwiches.
Anyways, I immediately became cautious and called back the phone number the customer had given. This has always been our policy on new addresses after dark for the 4.5 years I have worked here, but it rarely happens. Anyways, the people that answerred the phone said that no, they did not order pizza.
My next call was to the Elyria Police Department. The dispatcher was not aware of the Dominos robbery and I'm not sure if she believed me or not, but she said to go to the address and call back and they would send an officer over.
My third call was to Dominos. The person I talked to thought that 805 Longson might indeed be the exact address from their robbery but he was not positive.
Not wanting to wait at the house, I called the Police again when I was ready to leave. Also, Manager Nick rode along with me. As we approached, we saw 2 people dressed in dark clothing, waiting in a vacant field behind a nearby school. We drove past the house and confirmed that it was totally dark with no cars in the driveway.
I didn't stop but kept driving through the neighborhood until we saw the police pull onto the street. By then, 1 of the guys from the vacant field was sitting on the front step of the house. He got up and ran around behind the house and through some yards when he saw the police. An officer pursued him but he got away.
Nick and I pointed out the other person over in the dark. It was a drunk woman, and she took offense to being called "another guy". She said she was a girl and walked towards us. The officer asked where she lived, she gave an address, and he told her to go there.
We waited around for about 5-10 minutes until the officers said we should go back. They did end up coming up to our store again after we closed to interview us, but as it was dark and the bad guys were dressed in dark hoodies, we really couldn't give a very good description.
I'm glad I'm safe ... any other driver we had would have gotten robbed. I'm bummed that the police didn't catch the guy though.
All in all I took 10 deliveries, drove 37 miles, worked 7 hours, and made $20 in tips. And I got a flat tire.
A Dominos pizza driver was robbed at 12:30 on a Saturday night on a fake order to a vacant house on the same block. A man was sitting on the porch and pulled a knife, stealing the food, some cash, and the guys car!
What I didn't remember until I reread the article just now is that the Dominos driver had 2 pizzas and 2 subs. My order was also for 2 pizzas and 2 sandwiches.
Anyways, I immediately became cautious and called back the phone number the customer had given. This has always been our policy on new addresses after dark for the 4.5 years I have worked here, but it rarely happens. Anyways, the people that answerred the phone said that no, they did not order pizza.
My next call was to the Elyria Police Department. The dispatcher was not aware of the Dominos robbery and I'm not sure if she believed me or not, but she said to go to the address and call back and they would send an officer over.
My third call was to Dominos. The person I talked to thought that 805 Longson might indeed be the exact address from their robbery but he was not positive.
Not wanting to wait at the house, I called the Police again when I was ready to leave. Also, Manager Nick rode along with me. As we approached, we saw 2 people dressed in dark clothing, waiting in a vacant field behind a nearby school. We drove past the house and confirmed that it was totally dark with no cars in the driveway.
I didn't stop but kept driving through the neighborhood until we saw the police pull onto the street. By then, 1 of the guys from the vacant field was sitting on the front step of the house. He got up and ran around behind the house and through some yards when he saw the police. An officer pursued him but he got away.
Nick and I pointed out the other person over in the dark. It was a drunk woman, and she took offense to being called "another guy". She said she was a girl and walked towards us. The officer asked where she lived, she gave an address, and he told her to go there.
We waited around for about 5-10 minutes until the officers said we should go back. They did end up coming up to our store again after we closed to interview us, but as it was dark and the bad guys were dressed in dark hoodies, we really couldn't give a very good description.
I'm glad I'm safe ... any other driver we had would have gotten robbed. I'm bummed that the police didn't catch the guy though.
All in all I took 10 deliveries, drove 37 miles, worked 7 hours, and made $20 in tips. And I got a flat tire.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Thanks Nick!
First of all, thanks to fellow driver Nick for giving me a ride tonight. After my shift, I drove my Chevy Prizm over to an auto repair shop to get the clutch worked on. Nick followed me over there and gave me a ride back to my house. So for the next couple days, my wife and I are down 1 vehicle.
I drove 5 hours, took 10 deliveries, drove ? miles, and made $20 in tips. It was a pretty uneventful night.
The only semi-interesting delivery was where the dad wanted to tip, the mom had no money, and the elementary aged kid said he had money. The dad sent him for $3, saying, "I'll pay you back." I wasn't sure who to thank, other than not the mom (who could have written a tip on the credit card slip).
Finally, let me add this story from England I came across today. It's a great example how not to increase your tip. Evidently there was some dispute between the waiter and the customer, and the waiter added a vulgar note to the customer's bill.
I drove 5 hours, took 10 deliveries, drove ? miles, and made $20 in tips. It was a pretty uneventful night.
The only semi-interesting delivery was where the dad wanted to tip, the mom had no money, and the elementary aged kid said he had money. The dad sent him for $3, saying, "I'll pay you back." I wasn't sure who to thank, other than not the mom (who could have written a tip on the credit card slip).
Finally, let me add this story from England I came across today. It's a great example how not to increase your tip. Evidently there was some dispute between the waiter and the customer, and the waiter added a vulgar note to the customer's bill.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Super Bowl Sunday
Super Bowl Sunday isn't really that busy of a day for us. It's not even as busy as an average Friday night. I drove 6.5 hours, took 13 deliveries, made $32 in tips, and drove ? miles.
Tips were decent, with only 1 stiff, and 2 others of $1 and the change. I did deliver to 2 of my most regular customers, both single old ladies. One lives in a trailer park, loves to talk sports, usually orders a meat lover and a 20 ounce pepsi, pays by credit card, and tips $4 or $5 every time.
The other lives in an apartment, orders pasta, wings, or a personal pizza, prefers Sierra Mist, and pays cash (exact change) and then adds $2 more saying "And here's your tip."
We were so overstaffed that dishes stayed caught up all night long and we did more prep (oiling pans) than necessary. We would have been out about 15 minutes after closing time, but we had some extra pre-made pizzas to toss at the end of the night, and some extra dishes to wash due to this.
I did get into a heated discussion with manager Nick about how he runs the dispatch computer, which (along with not making much money) spoiled my mood for most of the night. Then to top off the night, after we closed, I drove over a curb and blew a tire.
Tips were decent, with only 1 stiff, and 2 others of $1 and the change. I did deliver to 2 of my most regular customers, both single old ladies. One lives in a trailer park, loves to talk sports, usually orders a meat lover and a 20 ounce pepsi, pays by credit card, and tips $4 or $5 every time.
The other lives in an apartment, orders pasta, wings, or a personal pizza, prefers Sierra Mist, and pays cash (exact change) and then adds $2 more saying "And here's your tip."
We were so overstaffed that dishes stayed caught up all night long and we did more prep (oiling pans) than necessary. We would have been out about 15 minutes after closing time, but we had some extra pre-made pizzas to toss at the end of the night, and some extra dishes to wash due to this.
I did get into a heated discussion with manager Nick about how he runs the dispatch computer, which (along with not making much money) spoiled my mood for most of the night. Then to top off the night, after we closed, I drove over a curb and blew a tire.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Who Needs It More?
I had a very frustrating night tonight.
It actually started ok, all things considered. The Hyundai is still in the shop so I have been driving the Taurus. Well we had the front brakes fixed several months ago but left the rear brakes at that time. Over the past month, the brakes have been getting softer and softer and I was really concerned, so much that I was considering driving our 3rd vehicle, a 1987 GMC Vandura.
Luckily, though, we were able to get the Taurus in for a brake job this afternoon. We took it to the local Tuffy shop. The total cost was $500 but luckily again, they give a 10% AAA discount!
On to the pizza deliveries. My night was ruined on my 4th delivery. The total check was $32.06. I went to the door and when the customer asked how much, I told him. He gave me $32 (1 x $20, 2 x $5, 2 x $2) and then went back into his house to get change. He came back with a $5, saying he didn't really want to break it.
I counted him back 4 $1's and he stood there, waiting for more. I reached into my pocket, let him know that I was out of coin change, and handed him back another $1.
He still owed my 6 cents but I wasn't going to waste any more time.
But no, he said "Hang on, I have some more coming back." He said he gave me $37, and I agreed and told him that I gave him $5 back and the bill was $32.06. He tried to argue some more, and ended up saying "I guess you need it more than I do."
I let him know that he still owed me 6 cents but it wasn't worth my time, and walked away.
I had 4 other stiffs on the night, a total of 5 in just 17 deliveries. An awful ratio. Totals for the night were 7.5 hours, 17 deliveries, $30 in tips, and 76 miles.
I started with a full tank and gassed up at the end of the night for 3.85 gallons, so I was getting exactly 20 MPG. I guess that's decent for such a big car, but I really hope I can get my Hyundai back soon.
It actually started ok, all things considered. The Hyundai is still in the shop so I have been driving the Taurus. Well we had the front brakes fixed several months ago but left the rear brakes at that time. Over the past month, the brakes have been getting softer and softer and I was really concerned, so much that I was considering driving our 3rd vehicle, a 1987 GMC Vandura.
Luckily, though, we were able to get the Taurus in for a brake job this afternoon. We took it to the local Tuffy shop. The total cost was $500 but luckily again, they give a 10% AAA discount!
On to the pizza deliveries. My night was ruined on my 4th delivery. The total check was $32.06. I went to the door and when the customer asked how much, I told him. He gave me $32 (1 x $20, 2 x $5, 2 x $2) and then went back into his house to get change. He came back with a $5, saying he didn't really want to break it.
I counted him back 4 $1's and he stood there, waiting for more. I reached into my pocket, let him know that I was out of coin change, and handed him back another $1.
He still owed my 6 cents but I wasn't going to waste any more time.
But no, he said "Hang on, I have some more coming back." He said he gave me $37, and I agreed and told him that I gave him $5 back and the bill was $32.06. He tried to argue some more, and ended up saying "I guess you need it more than I do."
I let him know that he still owed me 6 cents but it wasn't worth my time, and walked away.
I had 4 other stiffs on the night, a total of 5 in just 17 deliveries. An awful ratio. Totals for the night were 7.5 hours, 17 deliveries, $30 in tips, and 76 miles.
I started with a full tank and gassed up at the end of the night for 3.85 gallons, so I was getting exactly 20 MPG. I guess that's decent for such a big car, but I really hope I can get my Hyundai back soon.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
1 Good Hour, 6 Crappy Hours
Tonight was a night I wished I worked from 6-7 PM instead of 6-close.
In my first hour I took 5 deliveries and made $14 in tips. The rest of the night I took 10 more deliveries and made $19 more in tips. Totals for 7 hours were 15 deliveries, $33 in tips and 60 miles (estimated).
The reason that the mileage is estimated is because my Hyundai overheated again after the first hour tonight. I'm not sure what is wrong, the coolant is still full. One oddity is that when I turned the heater on to help keep the engine cool, the heater blew cold air!
So my wife had to bring me our Taurus for me to finish the night in, and I didn't log the mileage when I started driving the Taurus.
The good thing is that after letting it sit for 6 hours it started and ran ok so I'll be able to drive it to Joe's Garage and have them fix whatever they didn't fix right last time.
Not much of interest on the pizza side today. Rumor is manager Nick cut his finger slicing peppers today and needed 10 stitches. Also, we have 2 more new employees, Justin started Wednesday. He's still on phones but he's training to be a cook. And Chris started today, he is a friend of cook Steve and Chris is a driver.
I close with Chris tomorrow night so hopefully I'll get a chance to teach him the right way to do things.
In my first hour I took 5 deliveries and made $14 in tips. The rest of the night I took 10 more deliveries and made $19 more in tips. Totals for 7 hours were 15 deliveries, $33 in tips and 60 miles (estimated).
The reason that the mileage is estimated is because my Hyundai overheated again after the first hour tonight. I'm not sure what is wrong, the coolant is still full. One oddity is that when I turned the heater on to help keep the engine cool, the heater blew cold air!
So my wife had to bring me our Taurus for me to finish the night in, and I didn't log the mileage when I started driving the Taurus.
The good thing is that after letting it sit for 6 hours it started and ran ok so I'll be able to drive it to Joe's Garage and have them fix whatever they didn't fix right last time.
Not much of interest on the pizza side today. Rumor is manager Nick cut his finger slicing peppers today and needed 10 stitches. Also, we have 2 more new employees, Justin started Wednesday. He's still on phones but he's training to be a cook. And Chris started today, he is a friend of cook Steve and Chris is a driver.
I close with Chris tomorrow night so hopefully I'll get a chance to teach him the right way to do things.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
A Tale Of Two Garages
I have today 2 stories about 2 very different automotive experiences.
Joe's Garage:
If you remember from a couple weeks ago, my Hyundai died and was in the shop, namely Joe's Garage. I had never had any work done there before but kind of just happened in to the place.
When I got the car towed, the manager Dean said it should be less than $1000 but could be as low as $700. I then didn't hear from them until the car was done. The grand total was $805 but check out all the things they did to my car:
This is great service at a fair price. I certainly plan to have more work done there in the future.
WalMart:
Meanwhile, my wife's Taurus was in need of an oil change. A brand-new WalMart is a just 5 minute walk from my home, so I visited WalMart for an oil change. I usually go somewhere else but thought WalMart might be cheaper. Also, so it was convenient.
I ordered the value-plus service which includes topping off of all fluids. I was surprised when I was quoted 1 1/2 hours but I got the phone number and walked home. This was around 2:30 PM.
Around 4 PM I began calling to check on the status of my car. I was transferred to the Tire & Lube Express department where the phone rang and rang and rang.
I ended up calling back 3 times before anyone finally answered. I was told that my car was indeed done. I walked over to pick it up.
I got in line around 4:40 and there were 2 customers ahead of me, but no employees at the service counter. The phone was ringing again and not being answered.
It was over 10 minutes before any employees arrived. It took him 15 minutes to deal with the 2 customers ahead of me. Meanwhile another employee came over and asked how things were going. He said "Pretty good" and I laughed out loud.
When it was finally my turn he said he was sorry and I said "You should be." He replied "That wasn't very nice." I didn't say another word, paid for my oil change, and went out to my car. I checked the fluids and the wiper fluid was NOT added to my car.
In summary, my complaints are:
This took way longer than the place I usually go and the price was about the same. I will NEVER have WalMart service my car again. I will tell everyone I know about this, including my blog readers.
This service was ridiculously pathetic. But of course I should have remembered Zorlod's experience.
Joe's Garage:
If you remember from a couple weeks ago, my Hyundai died and was in the shop, namely Joe's Garage. I had never had any work done there before but kind of just happened in to the place.
When I got the car towed, the manager Dean said it should be less than $1000 but could be as low as $700. I then didn't hear from them until the car was done. The grand total was $805 but check out all the things they did to my car:
- Head Gasket
- New Water Pump
- New Thermostat
- New Timing Belt
- New Tune-Up Parts (Spark Plugs, Ignition Cables, Distributor Cap, Rotor)
- Oil Change
This is great service at a fair price. I certainly plan to have more work done there in the future.
WalMart:
Meanwhile, my wife's Taurus was in need of an oil change. A brand-new WalMart is a just 5 minute walk from my home, so I visited WalMart for an oil change. I usually go somewhere else but thought WalMart might be cheaper. Also, so it was convenient.
I ordered the value-plus service which includes topping off of all fluids. I was surprised when I was quoted 1 1/2 hours but I got the phone number and walked home. This was around 2:30 PM.
Around 4 PM I began calling to check on the status of my car. I was transferred to the Tire & Lube Express department where the phone rang and rang and rang.
I ended up calling back 3 times before anyone finally answered. I was told that my car was indeed done. I walked over to pick it up.
I got in line around 4:40 and there were 2 customers ahead of me, but no employees at the service counter. The phone was ringing again and not being answered.
It was over 10 minutes before any employees arrived. It took him 15 minutes to deal with the 2 customers ahead of me. Meanwhile another employee came over and asked how things were going. He said "Pretty good" and I laughed out loud.
When it was finally my turn he said he was sorry and I said "You should be." He replied "That wasn't very nice." I didn't say another word, paid for my oil change, and went out to my car. I checked the fluids and the wiper fluid was NOT added to my car.
In summary, my complaints are:
- Had to call 3 times to get the status of my car.
- Had to wait 25 minutes to pick up my car.
- Promised service was not done.
This took way longer than the place I usually go and the price was about the same. I will NEVER have WalMart service my car again. I will tell everyone I know about this, including my blog readers.
This service was ridiculously pathetic. But of course I should have remembered Zorlod's experience.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Where There's Smoke . . .
I was driving to my day-job on Friday morning, when my 1992 Hyundai Excel developed a smoky smell and smoke or steam began to come out from under the hood on the right side. I was less than 1/2 mile from my exit so I got to the ramp but then the car died. I was able to quickly push it to the side of the road.
I opened the hood and the smoke quickly died down. I let things cool off and tried to start it again. The engine turned over but the car did not start. A closer look under the hood showed me that the coolant was low.
There was a Speedway right at the end of the ramp so I walked over, bought some coolant, came back, and poured some in the reservoir and some directly into the radiator. Still the car wouldn't start. I waited a while longer and still no luck.
I decided to walk down the street and try to find a garage. Luckily the first business past the Speedway was a Lube Stop. I described my situation and the manager on duty, Nate, said he would walk over and have a look.
We tried to start it again. We poured the rest of the coolant into the radiator. Again, the car was unable to start. Nate recommended a garage within walking distance.
I walked down there and the mechanic was on vacation in Hawaii. They did recommend another garage, much closer to my home, so I called AAA and had the car towed there.
Now I was stuck at the garage, still without a ride home. My wife was at Vacation Bible School with the kids. I called my retired brother-in-law who lived just a short distance away. He was away from home (spending the day with his grandson as I later found out).
Dean, the manager of the garage, then suggested that someone from AutoZone was about to drive over to my hometown to pick up a part for him, and possibly I could ride with him. This worked out great.
Back to the car, the initial guess is that when it overheated it blew a head gasket. Dean suggested that he may be able to fix it for around $700.
So for now I'll be delivering in my wife's 1999 Ford Taurus.
I opened the hood and the smoke quickly died down. I let things cool off and tried to start it again. The engine turned over but the car did not start. A closer look under the hood showed me that the coolant was low.
There was a Speedway right at the end of the ramp so I walked over, bought some coolant, came back, and poured some in the reservoir and some directly into the radiator. Still the car wouldn't start. I waited a while longer and still no luck.
I decided to walk down the street and try to find a garage. Luckily the first business past the Speedway was a Lube Stop. I described my situation and the manager on duty, Nate, said he would walk over and have a look.
We tried to start it again. We poured the rest of the coolant into the radiator. Again, the car was unable to start. Nate recommended a garage within walking distance.
I walked down there and the mechanic was on vacation in Hawaii. They did recommend another garage, much closer to my home, so I called AAA and had the car towed there.
Now I was stuck at the garage, still without a ride home. My wife was at Vacation Bible School with the kids. I called my retired brother-in-law who lived just a short distance away. He was away from home (spending the day with his grandson as I later found out).
Dean, the manager of the garage, then suggested that someone from AutoZone was about to drive over to my hometown to pick up a part for him, and possibly I could ride with him. This worked out great.
Back to the car, the initial guess is that when it overheated it blew a head gasket. Dean suggested that he may be able to fix it for around $700.
So for now I'll be delivering in my wife's 1999 Ford Taurus.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Friday The 13th
Friday the 13th was not very lucky for me. We were busy for a while but business died down pretty quick. I was the only driver from 11PM on and still only took 2 deliveries in the last 2 hours.
I took 18 deliveries in all and was stiffed (less than $1 in my definition) 6 times. Only 6 tips were $2.50 or more, with the highest being $4.32.
I worked 7.5 hours, drove 74 miles, and made $36 in tips. Not awful, but certainly not what I aim for on a Friday night.
Two other drivers had car trouble tonight. Mark got a flat tire and Tyler's brakes went bad. What crummy luck for them!
I took 18 deliveries in all and was stiffed (less than $1 in my definition) 6 times. Only 6 tips were $2.50 or more, with the highest being $4.32.
I worked 7.5 hours, drove 74 miles, and made $36 in tips. Not awful, but certainly not what I aim for on a Friday night.
Two other drivers had car trouble tonight. Mark got a flat tire and Tyler's brakes went bad. What crummy luck for them!
Friday, February 2, 2007
How Much Does A $600 Car Really Cost?
From when I started delivering pizza in the summer of 2004, I drove a 1998 Ford Escort. This was a great car for me, very dependable, good gas mileage, but over time it developed numerous things wrong with it. Recently the clutch has been slipping, and the brakes are badly worn. You can hear the metal-on-metal scraping each time you stop.
Along with those 2 major items, there is some bumper damage (my own fault), the A/C gave out this summer, the shocks & struts need replaced, the back-up lights malfunctioned and are disconnected, the dashboard lights (speedometer, etc) are out, the rear view mirror fell off, and there is a cassette stuck in the tape player.
To top it all off, in December when I went to have an e-check so that I could get my license plates, they refused to test it at all because the brake light is on. (The emergency brake is out).
It does have 215,000 miles, so I decided to replace it. Shopped around and found my Hyundai Excel listed on eBay for $500, with a Buy It Now for $1000. It was local, I test drove it, but then someone did the Buy It Now before I got a chance to bid.
That deal fell through so I made an offer and bought it (outside of eBay) for $600.
When I went to get license plates for it, it failed the e-check and I had to spend $700 at Monro to replace the entire exhaust system, everything from the catalytic converter on back. OUCH! But I think you have to expect for a car that cheap, something will probably go wrong soon.
With that taken care of, the car seemed to be a great little pizza wagon for me, up until the events of Wednesday night. Now it is back in the shop and Firestone says it will need a new ignition switch and cylinder, total cost of around $350.
I need this car running so we are having this fixed also, but we are quickly approaching the point where we stop putting more money into this car and cut our losses.
In the meantime, we visited the local Enterprise where the weekend rate is less than $20 per day. I'll be driving a PT Cruiser this weekend, including Super Bowl Sunday. Wish me luck!
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Serious Car Trouble
Went out to make my 5th & 6th deliveries last night and my 1992 Hyundai Excel made a very strange, grinding/spinning/scraping/whirring noise as it started up. Kind of sounded like trying to start the car when it is already started.
On my way to my first delivery I noticed that the sound reappeared every time I put in the clutch. Also I noticed that my radio had no power. As I drove on I also discovered that my headlights were out, as well as the fan for the heater/defroster.
Left the car running while I made the first delivery, second one was to a low-income high-rise so I had to turn it off. I just prayed that it would start when I got back.
Made the delivery and called the store to return me in the computer (so the delivery did not show as late) and to let them know I would be delayed. I stopped at both AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts. AutoZone tested the alternator / battery and the charge was fine. Neither of them really had a solid idea what it might be.
I made it back to the store. We were in pretty good shape because Mona was working again tonight, the dishes were caught up and the prep work was complete. It was about 9PM so they let me just go home.
I called my good friend Randy who knows way more about cars than me. He came up and had a look, and also led me home (me having no headlights and all).
So now my car is at Firestone and I am checking out Enterprise to possibly rent a car for the weekend.
I'm very frustrated, I still haven't told the story here of why I am driving that car anyways, but so far in the 1 month I have had it, I have not had very good luck.
In the 3 hours I worked, I did make 6 deliveries, drove 20 miles, and earned $14 in tips. Our driver reimbursement got dropped from $1.00 per run to $0.95 per run. This is a result of the falling gas prices, I knew it would be happening but was hoping it would not.
I'll write again when I know what is going on with my car.
On my way to my first delivery I noticed that the sound reappeared every time I put in the clutch. Also I noticed that my radio had no power. As I drove on I also discovered that my headlights were out, as well as the fan for the heater/defroster.
Left the car running while I made the first delivery, second one was to a low-income high-rise so I had to turn it off. I just prayed that it would start when I got back.
Made the delivery and called the store to return me in the computer (so the delivery did not show as late) and to let them know I would be delayed. I stopped at both AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts. AutoZone tested the alternator / battery and the charge was fine. Neither of them really had a solid idea what it might be.
I made it back to the store. We were in pretty good shape because Mona was working again tonight, the dishes were caught up and the prep work was complete. It was about 9PM so they let me just go home.
I called my good friend Randy who knows way more about cars than me. He came up and had a look, and also led me home (me having no headlights and all).
So now my car is at Firestone and I am checking out Enterprise to possibly rent a car for the weekend.
I'm very frustrated, I still haven't told the story here of why I am driving that car anyways, but so far in the 1 month I have had it, I have not had very good luck.
In the 3 hours I worked, I did make 6 deliveries, drove 20 miles, and earned $14 in tips. Our driver reimbursement got dropped from $1.00 per run to $0.95 per run. This is a result of the falling gas prices, I knew it would be happening but was hoping it would not.
I'll write again when I know what is going on with my car.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Just Like Mona Lisa
I had a little car trouble last night. I am driving a new (to me) 1992 Hyundai Excel and I forgot to turn the lights off when I parked it for my day job. So when I got back after work, the battery was dead. I called my store to tell them I would be late, called AAA, but eventually I got a jump-start from a La Quinta Inn shuttle van. Tipped them $4, it was all I had in my wallet at the time.
And yes, I called back and cancelled the AAA call. (They had said it may be up to 90 minutes).
So I got to work about a half hour late. I worked about 5.5 hours (4.5 driving), drove 39 miles on 12 deliveries, and made $31 in tips. This was boosted by a $10 triple-run, 3 orders called in within the last 10 minutes before we closed. All in all a pretty profitable night.
But the topic of this post is my new friend Mona. Mona was a cook at another restaurant in our franchise that recently closed (due to a bad location on the wrong side of the local mall). She got transferred over to our store about 2 weeks ago, and she is awesome. I haven't met anyone named Mona before so when she told me her name I asked how to spell it. She said "M O N A, just like Mona Lisa."
Mona has worked for our franchise for almost 23 years. She is 70 years old. And she does more work than any other 2 workers combined, maybe even 3. She never stands still, if she doesn't have anything to do she will find something to clean. It may not even be something in her area, but she will work on it anyways. Mona obviosly takes great pride in her work.
Last night while I was out on my last 3 deliveries, Mona finished up most of the dishes. Then while I was doing the very last of the dishes and cleaning the sinks, Mona swept and mopped the area that I was responsible for.
While we were waiting for the manager to finish closing up the registers, I jokingly asked Mona how long they were going to make her work there before they made her the boss.
"Until the day I die" Mona replied. "They tried making me a manager at the other place but it didn't work out"
"Some people are too good at working to be the boss," I told her. "It would be a waste to have you standing around telling people what to do."
She laughed and said, sarcastically, "I can see me standing around."
Mona is a great asset to our restaurant and I hope to work with her more often.
And yes, I called back and cancelled the AAA call. (They had said it may be up to 90 minutes).
So I got to work about a half hour late. I worked about 5.5 hours (4.5 driving), drove 39 miles on 12 deliveries, and made $31 in tips. This was boosted by a $10 triple-run, 3 orders called in within the last 10 minutes before we closed. All in all a pretty profitable night.
But the topic of this post is my new friend Mona. Mona was a cook at another restaurant in our franchise that recently closed (due to a bad location on the wrong side of the local mall). She got transferred over to our store about 2 weeks ago, and she is awesome. I haven't met anyone named Mona before so when she told me her name I asked how to spell it. She said "M O N A, just like Mona Lisa."
Mona has worked for our franchise for almost 23 years. She is 70 years old. And she does more work than any other 2 workers combined, maybe even 3. She never stands still, if she doesn't have anything to do she will find something to clean. It may not even be something in her area, but she will work on it anyways. Mona obviosly takes great pride in her work.
Last night while I was out on my last 3 deliveries, Mona finished up most of the dishes. Then while I was doing the very last of the dishes and cleaning the sinks, Mona swept and mopped the area that I was responsible for.
While we were waiting for the manager to finish closing up the registers, I jokingly asked Mona how long they were going to make her work there before they made her the boss.
"Until the day I die" Mona replied. "They tried making me a manager at the other place but it didn't work out"
"Some people are too good at working to be the boss," I told her. "It would be a waste to have you standing around telling people what to do."
She laughed and said, sarcastically, "I can see me standing around."
Mona is a great asset to our restaurant and I hope to work with her more often.
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