Crazy Night!

Tonight was simply a crazy night from start to finish. Even our cook Mona agreed.

It started off with me arriving late. I just missed my train home from my other job and then the next train was late and slow so I got home about 25 minutes later than I should have. Then my uniform was in the basement (luckily they were at least washed) so after I started getting undressed I had to get dressed again and go down and find my clothes. So I didn't get to work until about 6:30.

My first delivery didn't leave the store until over 30 minutes after it was placed. The pizza was made but somehow didn't get sent back as the deliveries should, and a manager had to go look for it. I made the long trek to the house (grid C5) where I was looking for 146 XXX street. Well I saw 180 and then the next house was 142. I phoned the customer to ask where 146 was. They looked out the window and saw me and told me to go towards Lake Ave. I did, and the next house after 142 was 160, then 156 ... the 142 house was just totally misnumbered. I got $2.02 on a $13.08 order.

My second delivery customer said that he had ordered online and paid by credit card, but it was marked as cash on my ticket. I phoned the store but the (newer) manager I got didn't know how to do online orders so I just had the guy sign the back of the ticket and gave him his food, I figured I could fix it myself when I got back. He wrote in a $1 tip on a $14.58 order.

My 3rd delivery was a rerun to a pickup customer about 6 miles away. They had picked up their food but there was a pizza missing. We don't usually deliver replacements to pick-up customers. They did tip me $3 but for the distance and time, it was still hardly worth it.

My 4th customer ordered 3 pizzas and a order of wings, well done. I could tell that the wings weren't well done so I put them back in the oven myself and waited while they got cooked a 2nd time. The guy tipped me $3.71 on a $28.29 order, my best tip of the night.

My 5th and 6th deliveries were a double. The guy at the 5th delivery is usually a $5 tipper, but told me he had just lost his job. He tipped $2.43 on his $25.57 order. His story turned out to be a foreshadowing of another customer sob story yet to come!

The 2nd delivery of the double was my only uneventful delivery of the night, tipping $3.41 on their $26.59 5-pizza order.

After that I took my 7th delivery. It was a house with multiple units and multiple entrances, so I called them from the porch. When the girl got to the door she told me that I'd been there before and I should have remembered to go around back. I told her it wasn't marked on the ticket and I go to about 100 houses a week sometimes. She then reminded me that her uncle had tried to pay by check, and I did indeed remember being there before and going around back. She gave me $21.10 on her $21.07 order. I don't consider 3 cents a tip, but more of an insult.

My 8th & 9th deliveries were another double. The guy at house #8 was standing on his porch smoking, and proceeded to tell me that his wife was in the hospital, she had had a total hip replacement, she may have to go to a nursing home, he used to deliver pizzas, he had a dog that was a good guard dog, he still had to lock his garage, he had some nice tools in it ... and on and on and on! But he gave me $17 for his $16.09 order so I was in no mood to stay to listen to him. Plus I had to get to . . .

Delivery number 9. This woman had called back to ask the driver to phone when they were about to arrive, as she couldn't hear the knocking way in the back. So I phoned as I was pulling onto their street. However, there was a man already waiting outside. He asked if I had his wings, he asked what "she" got on the pizza, then he said he didn't really care as long as he got his wings. He tipped $2.43 on his $18.57 order.

My final delivery was a new address. I had just had a conversation with the manager in training about the night we were robbed and how we were supposed to phone back all new addresses after dark. Well she took the order, it was a new address, the grid was wrong, I knew it was an apartment building and there was no apartment number on the ticket. I asked her about it and she said "oh yeah I forgot." I proceeded to call the customer and everything checked out ok. He tipped me $2.42 on his $13.58 order.

To top the night off, the manager came back as I was finishing up the dishes and asked "is this running?" about the loud, obviously running dishwasher, as she opened the side and dirty dishwater shot right into my eyes.

Totals for the night were 4 1/2 hours driving, 10 deliveries, 49 miles, and $21 in tips.