- DoorDash is reminding customers their orders may be quicker if they leave a tip for their driver.
- Customers are getting notifications that "orders with no tip might take longer to get delivered."
DoorDash is issuing a warning to some customers when they checkout. Their orders may take longer to arrive if they don't add a tip for their driver.
"Orders with no tip might take longer to get delivered – are you sure you want to continue?" DoorDash has said in an alert to some customers on its app when they try to place an order without adding a tip, according to articles and screenshots on social media.
"Dashers can pick and choose which orders they want to do," the notification reads. "Orders that take longer to be accepted by Dashers tend to result in a slower delivery." Dashers are what the company calls its drivers, who are classed as independent contractors.
Customers then have the option to add a tip or "continue without tip."
The delivery company confirmed to Insider that it was conducting a pilot of the "reminder screen."
"Dashers have full freedom to accept or reject offers based on what they view as valuable and rewarding," DoorDash spokesperson Jenn Rosenberg told Insider. "While the vast majority of customers do leave a tip, offers that don't include a tip can be seen as less desirable – this impacts our entire community, leading to longer wait times for customers, orders sitting longer at merchants, and less value for Dashers."
Rosenberg told The Wall Street Journal that DoorDash had been conducting the pilot for a few months.
The reminder is the latest change the company has made when it comes to reminding customers about the importance of tipping. In June, DoorDash starting sending tip "nudges" to customers, reminding them that they can increase tips for 30 days after a delivery.
For DoorDash workers, tips are often the key to making money while working for the service. Some workers have told Insider that they do indeed select which orders to take based on how good the tip is.
Others take a more controversial approach: Some DoorDash drivers accept orders but then ask customers for additional tips in a text or message through the app.
DoorDash previously told Insider that it doesn't allow "any form of harassment" on its platform and that drivers who make these requests can have their independent contractor accounts deactivated.
DoorDash says its drivers' earnings depend on when and where they deliver. Drivers earn base pay, which is based on the estimated time, distance, and demand from drivers to take the order, as well as tips left by customers and any relevant promotions.
Customers can leave a tip both when placing their order and after receiving their delivery.
"In some cases, customers place orders through merchants directly and are not given the option to provide a tip on an order," DoorDash notes on its website. "This does not mean the customer chose not to leave a tip – it means they were not given the opportunity to leave a tip when they placed their order."
DoorDash said that in 2022, "well over" six million people delivered orders globally, collectively earning more than $13 billion.