# Is it Worth it to Start Postmates?



## MikesUber (Oct 23, 2015)

Current U/L driver here -- I see a Saturday session has opened for 2/6 here in Pittsburgh.

*Question is, is it worth it to start up with Postmates?*

I will keep reading the PM threads here and doing research; I do have some questions:

- I know they provide your insulated bag, how good of a job does this do?
~Any modifications to improve its efficiency?
~How do you prevent food from becoming soggy (i.e. full dinner platters).
~Do you need to put a blanket or anything under your PM bag to prevent grease bleeding through? What about larger items that won't fit like pizza or especially large orders? What about hot and cold items, how do you store both?
-What happens if you cannot locate the customer? Customer does not answer the door? How does pay work in this scenario?
-At restaurant pick-ups is the order called in ahead of time and I will simply have to pick it up? At fast food places I've heard I will have to place the order?
-Must you deliver to the resident's front door or can they come down to the lobby (especially for dorms where I may not be authorized to enter past the lobby/security desk) Do they ever have very specific delivery requests i.e. Meeting Room 4 in XY Company? I would like to be in and out versus walking through some building trying to find a specific spot.

So is this good money? A good opportunity? Postmates is pretty new here in Pittsburgh, PA and I heard the time may be right.

Thoughts?

Thanks again!


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## MasterKNinja (Jan 10, 2016)

I did Postmates a bit before Uber/Lyft. I helped them launch in Pittsburgh last Fall. My account is currently disabled, but I'm on good terms w/ them & just need to email to restart it. I let it lapse because you get txts everytime there's Blitz pricing. It's better pay when there's blitz, which seems to come down to how many delivery people there are. They were so new when I started it was constant Blitz, then they hired a bunch & it went away. Seemed like a lot of couriers dropped off & blitz was a regular thing again.

I still keep the bag in my car for anytime I get takeout. Works great! Food quality is ultimately out of your control & the hour long delivery window means food can get cold. Both can result in a low tip. I kept it on the passenger side floor so no spillage or falling over & would keep the heat on. Generally small orders, one or two people ordering dinner by themselves is what I saw.

If customer is no show (happened to me my 1st day) you get paid & get to keep the food. Went home with like $30 of burgers, fries & wings as my tip. Mechanics of it is simple & covered in the on boarding session. Yeah you are required to take it to the person, which could mean parking, getting into the building & finding them. Generally people just came down to the front door when I was doing it though.

I just found Uber & Lyft to be easier & pay more. I averaged out to $12/hour on Postmates. I guess they've restructured how they pay, so would probably be less now. With food the workflow is: get request, accept it, go to restaurant while postmates rep phones in order, park & wait at restaurant for food, check the order in & take a snap of the receipt, drive to customer, park, deliver order. More work for less money. Downside of Postmates is they do weekly freebies that you make no tips on. And demand is mostly centered around meal times. 11am-1pm. 5-7pm. Other times were _slow_.

So if you wanna make a few extra bucks during lunchtime while Uber & Lyft demand is low, could be worth it. It's mostly for people who's cars don't meet Uber/Lyft requirements though. Also another strategy is they do a 1099 MISC for taxes so if you did less than $600 of work for them, it's essentially tax free. (Disclaimer: under Federal law you are required to report all income to the U.S. government) Yeah, ok, so there's that. I'll sign back up in 2016 for that reason. You need to do one delivery every 45 days to stay active. Another plus is they have a rolling pay cycle, so you get paid within a few days of each day you work & you'll quickly get to know the most popular restaurants in the city. Probably wouldn't be a bad thing to turn the Postmates app on for super slow nights when Uber/Lyft pings are few and far between. There's no penalty for not taking jobs.


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## MikesUber (Oct 23, 2015)

MasterKNinja said:


> I did Postmates a bit before Uber/Lyft. I helped them launch in Pittsburgh last Fall. My account is currently disabled, but I'm on good terms w/ them & just need to email to restart it. I let it lapse because you get txts everytime there's Blitz pricing. It's better pay when there's blitz, which seems to come down to how many delivery people there are. They were so new when I started it was constant Blitz, then they hired a bunch & it went away. Seemed like a lot of couriers dropped off & blitz was a regular thing again.
> 
> I still keep the bag in my car for anytime I get takeout. Works great! Food quality is ultimately out of your control & the hour long delivery window means food can get cold. Both can result in a low tip. I kept it on the passenger side floor so no spillage or falling over & would keep the heat on. Generally small orders, one or two people ordering dinner by themselves is what I saw.
> 
> ...


Much appreciated MasterK, for my purposes it just seems like too much work for the payout we're talking about. I can stay in my car and never move during U/L and make okay money without having to handle that whole runaround. Interacting with people in my own car is fine, having to navigate icy stairs with lukewarm General Tsos in the Hill is not a priority for me lol. I've driven U/L in just a button down and jeans when it's 8 degrees outside... I love it, never have to get out! Again thanks for your insight.


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## Aztek98 (Jul 23, 2015)

A lot of work and aggravation for less money.

A lot can go wrong and 50% of the time it did lol


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