I had been working at a local chain pizza delivery store for a few weeks when [Manager #1] announced that he was going to be out of town on a Saturday, two weeks hence. No problem, the owner would just send a replacement from one of the other stores for the day. The other employees started getting nervous; apparently, there was one manager in particular, [Manager #2], they didn’t want.

Thursday before his day off, [Manager #1] told us that [Manager #2] would be managing the store Saturday evening. Everyone groaned, even though [Manager #1] relayed the owner’s assurances that the issues had been addressed with [Manager #2].

During a lull on Thursday afternoon, [Manager #1] explained to me that [Manager #2] was disliked because she couldn’t close the store in a timely manner. Normally, we start breaking down the make line and cleaning up after the late rush (when we get one or two orders per hour). Pizza ingredients go into their metal tubs and are placed on a cart, and the cart is wheeled into the cooler. The make line is washed down, etc. We spot clean as necessary so that when we close at 2:00 am, it takes no more than thirty — maybe forty-five — minutes to finish cleaning and walk out. [Manager #2] couldn’t lock up in less than ninety minutes, even on a “fast” night.

Saturday night, I found out why everyone was groaning. We weren’t allowed to break down the make line because we got three orders between 11:00 and midnight, so clearly it was going to be even busier, even later. Since [Manager #2] was expecting another large rush, none of the late-night drivers were allowed to leave early; they had to stay until the store closed at 2:00 am (which is when she allowed us to start cleaning) and help with cleaning up before she would start checking them out. Then, she had to complete the paperwork and prepare the bank drop before we were allowed to leave.

Sunday afternoon, [Manager #1] came in and called me into the office.

Manager #1: “How did last night go? Did you get out early?”

Me: “Oh, yeah, we got out early—”

[Manager #1] interrupted, surprised and pleased.

Manager #1: “Really? How—”

Me: “I mean, a lot of people consider 5:00 am to be ‘early’.”

My mom orders a diet service that mails you pre-made meals you heat up. Due to a light dusting of snow, her order is delayed. She has been waiting ALL DAY for her package and hasn’t eaten anything, and when it finally arrives… it’s not her order.

We’re Mary Smith at [Address] Street, and the box says Jane Smythe [Same Addess] Court. Mom calls the company while I prowl the White Pages looking for Jane’s number. I get lucky; she’s listed! Sadly, she has NO package.

I drive the mile and a smidge to her house to give Jane her food because it’s faster and easier than Jane getting a credit, reordering all her food, and getting it next week.

Meanwhile, Mom manages to get the company to call the driver to turn around; he still has our package! He gets to our house after 6:00.

Delivery Driver: “Okay, here’s your right package! Where is the other package?”

Mom: “Oh, my daughter already delivered it.”

Delivery Driver: “Why would she do that?!”

Mom: “It was close by and we didn’t know when you would get here.”

Delivery Driver: “But we get paid by the package!”

Mom: “But you delivered the wrong package. You wanted to be paid twice for delivering the same package?”

The delivery driver mumbled something and walked away. Seriously?

In the early 2000s, I was a delivery driver at a locally-owned pharmacy. Most of our customers had been with us for years or even decades and never gave us any problems.

However, there was this one guy who seemed to thrive on being a jerk. He repeatedly refused to pay the $2.00 delivery fee and often called the store to complain that they had gotten his prescription wrong (which they never did).

The one time he actually came to the store, he asked to use the bathroom. He couldn’t get in there because the doorway was too narrow, so instead, he peed from the doorway in the general direction of the toilet. His aim was less than perfect.

Finally, the owner of the pharmacy wrote this guy a letter to the effect of:

Owner: “It is obvious that nothing we do will ever satisfy you. As such, we have decided to no longer accept your business. You are not to contact us again under any circumstances.

And because he knew how much crap I had taken from that guy, the owner made sure I got a copy of the letter.

We’ve had problems in the past with food delivery drivers taking our orders to our neighbours. Because we’re on an intersection, it’s somewhat understandable. For context, if our house is 13 Main Street, the house across the intersecting street and down one is 13 General Street. It’s an understandable mix-up, so I’ve started putting in the description for delivery drivers that we are on the corner and have no vehicles; the neighbours in question are bikers and have multiple cars. It has mostly fixed the problem… except for one day.

I’m at home waiting for an order when the phone rings with an unknown number.

Me: “Hello?”

Delivery Guy: “Yeah, I’m outside your house, but you’re not on a corner and there are cars here.”

I look outside and can see him parked across from the neighbour. I sigh deeply.

Me: “That’s because it’s the wrong house.”

Delivery Guy: “Oh.”

Seriously?!

I’m a delivery driver who uses an app for food delivery. One order has me going to this plaza where there are a lot of offices. I find the right one and the instructions say to leave the food by the door, but there are a lot of random people around, so I go in.

I see no one, so I leave the food on a desk near the door, put a note saying where I left it, and leave.

Later, I find out that the customer was mad because she wanted me to leave it outside where the people were! It could’ve been stolen!

You can’t win.