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$388 in Sushi. Just a $20 Tip: The Brutal Math of Uber Eats and DoorDash $388 in Sushi. Just a $20 Tip: The Brutal Math of Uber Eats and DoorDash
(about 16 hours later)
Brantley Bush couldn’t shake the fear that he was about to be ripped off.Brantley Bush couldn’t shake the fear that he was about to be ripped off.
It was a chilly Saturday evening, and Mr. Bush, a delivery driver for Uber Eats, was waiting in an alley next to a dumpster in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood — a decidedly unpretentious spot in the middle of a wealthy enclave near Santa Monica, Calif.It was a chilly Saturday evening, and Mr. Bush, a delivery driver for Uber Eats, was waiting in an alley next to a dumpster in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood — a decidedly unpretentious spot in the middle of a wealthy enclave near Santa Monica, Calif.
He had just snagged an order from a nearby high-end sushi restaurant, for three separate deliveries, giving him a chance for a hefty tip.He had just snagged an order from a nearby high-end sushi restaurant, for three separate deliveries, giving him a chance for a hefty tip.
The first delivery was to a two-story house with a manicured lawn and a large magnolia tree. The second was handed to a teacher at a late-night music class in an office complex.The first delivery was to a two-story house with a manicured lawn and a large magnolia tree. The second was handed to a teacher at a late-night music class in an office complex.
The third was the big item, the reason Mr. Bush had accepted this delivery: a bulging paper bag filled with $388 of sushi and miso soup. If he was lucky — and if the customer was generous — Mr. Bush could hope for a $50 or $70 tip, which would make his night worthwhile.The third was the big item, the reason Mr. Bush had accepted this delivery: a bulging paper bag filled with $388 of sushi and miso soup. If he was lucky — and if the customer was generous — Mr. Bush could hope for a $50 or $70 tip, which would make his night worthwhile.
He drove his 2000 Subaru toward Brentwood, past multimillion-dollar homes decorated with fountains and neatly trimmed bonsais. A man emerged from a house and exchanged a few pleasantries with Mr. Bush before accepting the order over a picket fence.
Then he had to wait. An hour later, the tip would appear, and the man’s generosity would determine whether Mr. Bush’s night was a success.