An Uber Eats worker has begged customers to make sure they tip delivery drivers more if they can afford to do so. After driving for an hour, the delivery driver received a $1.19 (84p) tip from a customer, leaving him fearing for his livelihood. In a heartbreaking video shared to TikTok which has resurfaced, driver Smithson Michael who posts under the name @deliveryguy100, wept after opening up about his experiences of working for food delivery companies in the US such as Uber Eats and DoorDash.
Sitting in his car, Smithson could be seen wiping away a tear as he addressed the camera, telling his followers: "I wish people knew what it was like to deliver Uber Eats, Postmates, DoorDash, all these companies. I just spent an hour driving around for $1.19 tip. I mean would it hurt y'all to tip us, throw us five dollars?"
Smithson continued: "I got a $1.19 tip and $2 from the app. What's that? That's not even enough to cover gas. How am I supposed to live like that? Homeless? I'm there. This and I'm sitting here and it's gone, four months behind. There's no way I could pay for that."
"Everything fell apart on me and I haven't been able to sustain myself, provide for myself and these are essential services. I just wish people knew what it was like. I wish they understood what it was like to drive for these services."
The devastated driver captioned his post with a plea for help, and it has since struck a chord with many people. The clip has been viewed more than one and half million times on the video-sharing platform, garnering nearly 280,000 likes plus 16.4K comments.
Many people sympathised with Smithson's plight, with one person replying: "I scream at people who order food through DoorDash and such DAILY but do not tip!! It is super weird and insulting."
Another wrote: "I always tip if I can and if I can't then I don't order."
"OMG I'm so sorry," said someone else.
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