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7 Things You Should Never Say to a Delivery Person

Avoid saying phrases—or asking questions—like these to the person delivering your food order.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, delivery orders are surging in popularity, which means that delivery drivers, bikers, and walkers are all working at maximum capacity.

You should always treat the person who is delivering your order with respect, however, during this time it's arguably even more important for you to watch what you say or ask. Everyone is in need of a little extra kindness and empathy right now, so the least you can do is practice patience when accepting a food order from a delivery person.

You may not even realize the effect your words have on the delivery person. If you're frustrated with your order (or just about life in general), instead of taking out your rage on the delivery person, we urge you to put yourself in their shoes and think about what you would like to hear from the recipient before you make one of these seven comments.

"What took you so long?"

food delivery man
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You're not the only one who's ordering food to go that evening, so be courteous of the person who is delivering you a meal. Some nights there's an influx of orders and the delivery service or restaurant may be understaffed, which can cause a delay in orders for everyone.

Instead, avoid ordering at a popular time to increase your chances of getting your delivery order in the predicted window of time. According to The DoorDash Dish: 2010-2020 Trend Report, the most popular time to order food on a weekday is 7:00 p.m. Try ordering at 6:00 p.m. to beat the rush!

 People Are Showing Off Their Food Delivery Orders on Social Media.

"This isn't what I ordered."

woman getting takeout
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The expression, "don't shoot the messenger" comes to mind here. Respect the fact that the delivery person is more than likely not the person responsible for messing up your order. Kindly resolve that issue either directly with the restaurant or the delivery service that you ordered from.

"Why would I tip if there's already a delivery fee?"

delivery man
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The delivery fee is not the same as the tip. In fact, the delivery person doesn't receive any of the delivery fee. Be sure to tip—at the absolute minimum—15 percent or more on the food order to ensure that the delivery person receives some money from the transaction. People who do deliveries for a living are often paid minimum wage so every tip is much appreciated, and in cash, if you can to avoid tax deductions.

"Why is the food cold?"

surprised woman eating pizza
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Again, it's the delivery person's job to deliver as many food orders in a night as possible and if your order was toward the end, your food might be a little cold once it arrives. If you have a microwave or a stove, consider reheating your delivery order instead of complaining to the delivery person.

"My order is incorrect. You had one job and it was easy."

delivery man
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There's no need to be rude to anyone, ever—especially if they're delivering food to you! Address the issue in the delivery service app or call the restaurant directly to see what next steps would be.

"Can I have your number?"

man with takeout
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Seriously? This is so inappropriate! Don't harass people when they're just trying to do their job (or ever!).

"Would you like to come inside?"

Delivery man holding paper bag with food on white background, food delivery man in protective mask
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During a pandemic, this one should be obvious. Most popular food delivery services have a no-contact feature set in place on the app so take advantage of that to reduce both you and the delivery person's risk of exposure to the coronavirus.

Cheyenne Buckingham
Cheyenne Buckingham is the former news editor of Eat This, Not That! Read more about Cheyenne
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