Technology has been a boon for convenience, but maybe not so much for common courtesy.
We never have to be on time anymore. (Text: "Running a bit behind. Leaving the house now!") We can break up, apologize or berate someone without any of that old-fashioned, face-to-face awkwardness. And now we can send total strangers into a blizzard, facing spinouts and crashes on the road, to pick up our eggs and milk.
Last week's two-day snowstorm drew dire warnings from state officials and meteorologists to hunker down and stay off the streets. No matter your thoughts on whether the pre-game messaging was overkill or just right, we had plenty of time to prepare.
But there's always someone who follows half of the advice — Stay home? Sure! — while thinking nothing about tapping their phone a few times to farm out the dirty work to a delivery driver.
"The sad part is that those who really do not plan ahead and forget things to the last minute have typically been the ones who don't tip well," says Chris, a 36-year-old food delivery driver from Minneapolis. "You'll see an order come through where they get $500 worth of groceries, and they either don't tip or they add a tip of $2 or $5."
That's an ice-cold slap in the face to a shopper who spent an hour and a half stockpiling their cart, only to fishtail their way through slippery conditions. Tips are primarily how these workers get paid (Chris said he considers 20% of the grocery order a fair tip). And veteran drivers say those new to the job often are the ones who end up accepting orders that pay terribly.
Chris, who has been running food and other deliveries for about six years, asked that I withhold his last name to protect his privacy and shield himself from any retribution from platforms like Instacart or Shipt. He stayed busy with deliveries during the storm after determining the roads were safe enough for him to maneuver. He refuses to head out when the conditions are too treacherous.
But it's not unusual for him to hear about fellow drivers, especially the ones who need the cash, who get mired in the snow.