deliveryguy100/TikTok
- A delivery driver posted a TikTok sharing his reaction to getting a $1.19 tip on a food order that took an hour to deliver.
- In the video, he said he wished people knew what it was like to work as a delivery driver.
- He said he was also paid $2 from the app itself, but added that it isn't enough to cover the gas he used fulfilling the order.
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The TikTok user @deliveryguy100 shared a video of himself reacting to a $1.19 tip he says he received on a food order that took him one hour to deliver.
"I just wish people knew what it was like. I wish they understood what it was like to drive for these services," Smithson Michael said in his video, referring to food delivery services such as UberEats, Postmates, and DoorDash.
At the time of writing, the video, which was posted on June 2, had 1.1 million views on TikTok.
The social-media user captioned his video with four hashtags: #helpme, #ubereatsdriver, #traction, and #positiveforce.
"I just spent an hour driving around for $1.19 tip," Michael said. "I mean, would it hurt y'all to tip us? Throw us $5?"
Michael continued to share that on top of the tip, he was paid $2 from the app itself, which, he says, isn't enough to cover the gas he used fulfilling the order. "How am I supposed to survive like that?" he said.
Representatives from UberEats declined to comment when reached by Insider.
He also told viewers that he is homeless and on the verge of losing his car since he is four months behind on payments. "There's no way I can pay for that," he said. "I haven't been able to sustain myself, to provide for myself."
Since sharing his story on TikTok, people have left sympathetic comments and have also shared his story on Instagram. Some are also sharing Michael's Venmo account name asking others to "pay it forward."
Michael has also shared posts with a written message: "Hey all, I'm a homeless veteran. The pandemic has made life extremely difficult and stressful for many. I am raising money to buy an acoustic guitar."
He has his CashApp and Venmo account names listed on his TikTok and Instagram bio.
"I always give 20%," one TikTok user commented on his video. "Sorry you had to go through this [sic]."
Another left a comment telling Michael that they sent money to him via CashApp.
While some commenters left messages of sympathy and said that people shouldn't order delivery if they can't afford to tip, others put the blame on the companies running the apps themselves.
"I feel bad and all but blame the food services," someone wrote. "They charge mad fees and then at the end they still want us to tip 10 bucks I'm sorry but no."
"Some people don't have any food at home and can just barely afford what they ordered," read another comment.
The UberEats site lists several sources of income for drivers, but does not clarify rates or percentages. The site says drivers get paid for every pickup and dropoff that's completed, in addition to a per-mile rate. There's also a per-minute rate in select cities. "In addition," the site reads, "UberEats customers can tip you if they'd like."
The site also states that drivers know how much they will make from each order before they accept. DoorDash's website says the same.
Smithson Michael declined to comment when reached by Insider.