Dasher Diary: The Importance of Simple Instructions

When you are trying to make money delivering food in Amarillo, time is of the essence. The quicker the restaurant is, the sooner you are out the door and on the way to deliver. The faster you can get the food dropped off, the faster you can be on your way to making more money.

The Need for Speed: Why Time is the Top Priority

So if you know where you are heading and have clear instructions to find the customer, the faster you can be. Sometimes, the adage "less is more" applies when it comes to dropping off an order. If there are a lot of instructions in the drop-off message, sometimes I just choose to unassign.

If the instructions don't make a lot of sense, I am not waiting around to see if it makes sense when I get there. If the instructions are so messy and not very clear, it may be easier for the customer to just meet you somewhere on the property to get it to you faster.

Decoding the Text: The Confusion of the "Grand Design"

Recently, I had a delivery where the drop-off instructions just didn't make a whole lot of sense. It was one long run-on, so I wasn't quite sure what it all meant. I wanted to get on with my business, so I just unassigned. I decided I just didn't have time to try to hunt down your place.

The Scavenger Hunt Trap: Why "Look Around" Doesn't Work

The drop-off instructions said:

This is a rv park in the grand design imagine I have a black Toyota Corolla and black ram 2500 parked right next to mine just drive and look around you will find it it's a white and black rv the lights on the rv will be on

There was no punctuation, so I wasn't really sure what he was trying to say. He wanted me to imagine he had a black Toyota Corolla. Come to find out that 'Imagine' is a model of RV made by Grand Design. How would I know that? All I could think is, why am I imagining anything? Then he says to drive and look around, and I will find it.

Tips for Customers: How to Ensure Your Driver Finds You

Who has time for that? I don't know how big this RV park is, and I don't know how easy it will be to find your white and black RV as opposed to someone else's. I feel that is a pretty common color.

If the instructions are too much and don't make a lot of sense, maybe just say you will meet the driver at the gate or something that is easier. All I know is I am glad I can see those instructions and then choose to unassign. That is exactly what I did. Who has time for that?