So you’ve begun an exciting career with a General Food Delivery App. You’re looking forward to the earning potential (or more likely the additional pocket change you will make in this, your side hustle), but you are a little unsure about how to stay safe while going to random people’s houses, frequently in the middle of the night. Below are a few tips.
1. Carry a weapon that you are legally permitted to carry with you, like pepper spray or a stun gun. These can be bought on Amazon for $5 – $10. It is not advisable to carry a knife unless you are very confident with it because an attacker can take it and use it against you if you are unskilled.
2. Avoid taking orders from restaurants that do not have readily available parking, like malls or downtown areas, especially at night. This advice is not only for the purpose of safety but also convenience. You don’t want to wander around for long minutes, outside the safety of your car, being led astray by your smartphone’s map app. Every minute is money with general food delivery apps. You will make more doing two pickups from fast food restaurants in fifteen minutes than you will make from doing one pickup from a sit-down restaurant that you have to walk 15 minutes to get to.
3. Share your location with someone or have them on the phone with you and keep them updated about your whereabouts and impressions. Obviously you don’t need to describe your every move in painful detail, but you might consider telling the person you’ve called if and why you have a bad feeling. It’s good to be on the phone when you are on your walk to and from the restaurant. If you have no one to call at the time that you are doing your deliveries, maybe fake a phone call. You will feel stupid but feeling stupid is better than being kidnapped.
4. Do not get out of your car. Don’t go to their door. Open your window and hand them their food. This may feel rude but feeling rude, like feeling stupid, is better than being kidnapped. While you are in your car, you are protected by what is essentially a one-ton tank. A car is a weapon and a suit of armor all at once. You don’t want to run someone over, but if you step out of the car you don’t even have the option.
5. Always trust your instincts. You may want to ignore whatever bad vibe you are feeling, but you shouldn’t. If someone acts sketchy, remove yourself from the situation. Drive away from the $4 you would make from the delivery. No matter what you think, I promise you that your life is worth more than $4. Send me an email if it’s too hard to drive away from $4 and I will venmo you.
Just a final note of advice: these General Food Delivery Apps are not a way to make good money. They are a good thing to do on your way home from school or work. It would take a lot of time commitment to make anything resembling good money. Add some extra dollars to your bank account! Don’t neglect your personal safety. And really try not to eat any of the chicken nuggets you deliver.